Scotch Game:Steinitz Variation

It is reached after 8 moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qh4. It is a line of the Scotch Game.

White is to move and has 39 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 2,506,333 different games. Those games reach 812,077 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3.1 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 9 further lines after this position, such as Horwitz Attack (5. Nb5) and Braune Variation (5. Be3).

The same moves can be played in 30 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. Nf3 e5 2. e4 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qh4, which starts as the Zukertort Opening.