Courses (18)

The Scotch Game took its name from a correspondence match played in 1824 between the chess clubs of Edinburgh and London, where the Scottish side struck in the centre with 3.d4. It was a fixture of nineteenth-century play before slipping quietly out of fashion. Then Garry Kasparov brought it back to the very top, wheeling it out in World Championship play and reminding everyone that an early central strike still carries real venom.
That is the spirit GM Mitrabha Guha builds on in The Scotch Game: A Modern Repertoire for White. After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4, White challenges Black in the centre at once and plays for active pieces from the very first moves — no slow manoeuvring, no waiting for a plan to arrive.

This course is the next step in our series offering a complete 1.e4 e5 repertoire for Black, following two related projects: Italian Game for Black — Deep Understanding and The Spanish Arkhangelsk with Early ...Bc5 — Deep Understanding. With the Scotch Game, the series now completes one of the most important parts of the 1.e4 e5 universe.
For many players, the Scotch is one of the most unpleasant openings to face. It often leads to irrational positions, where standard plans do not apply and concrete understanding becomes critical — exactly the type of position where preparation based on memorisation breaks down. This course offers a solution built on deep understanding of the arising structures, plans, and practical decisions.

When GM Aronian Levon faced Kramnik's 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 in 2014, he responded with 5...Bc5—a move that signaled a shift in how elite players approach the Four Knights and Scotch complexes. Rather than accepting the sterile equality of 5...Bb4, Black chooses positions where genuine winning chances coexist with technical risks. This philosophy forms the backbone of GM Pier Luigi Basso and GM Vladimir Malakhov's new course, where classical openings meet modern demands for dynamic counterplay.

The Scotch Opening has long occupied a peculiar place in chess theory — respected but rarely trusted at the highest level. For decades, players have dismissed it as too straightforward, leading to simplified positions where Black can comfortably equalize. Yet history shows us that openings never truly die; they merely await someone with the vision to breathe new life into them. GM Sina Movahed, at just 15 years old with a rating of 2596, brings precisely this fresh perspective to his debut Modern Chess course, The Ambitious Scotch Game – Top-Level Repertoire for White.

Forget playing for equality with the Black pieces. This isn't another defensive repertoire—it's a weapon designed for ambitious players who need to win with Black, round after round.
GMs Lucas van Foreest and Pier Luigi Basso have crafted something truly exceptional: a repertoire that steps away from the theoretical highways and gives you fresh, aggressive systems where understanding trumps memorization every time.

We’re proud to present a dynamic and practical opening repertoire designed to surprise your opponents and create immediate pressure from the very first moves: The Scotch Gambit for White – Top-Level Repertoire by GM Lucas van Foreest and GM Pier Luigi Basso.
The Scotch Gambit has long been underestimated by official theory. But this course proves it’s not just a romantic opening from the past—it’s a razor-sharp, modern weapon when backed by serious preparation. GM Lucas van Foreest has spent years refining this system while preparing elite players rated 2700+. Now, working with GM Basso, the duo unveils a complete and highly practical repertoire based on fresh analysis and creative ideas.

We are happy to announce that GM Pier Luigi Basso has completed his 1.e4 e5 repertoire with another amazing work - Scotch and Sidelines - Top-Level Repertoire for Black.
In this course, he covers all White's deviations from Ruy Lopez and Italian. Besides being solid and theoretically sound, the suggested repertoire is also very ambitious. Whenever possible, GM Basso opts for the continuation that would create maximum practical problems for the opponent. Therefore, all the lines can be played at any level.

GM Ivan Cheparinov has just released one of his most amazing projects. In just one database, the famous theoretician managed to provide a complete 1.e4 e5 repertoire for Black. The repertoire is designed to be as practical as possible, keeping in mind that all the lines should be suitable for top-level players. Against all the major openings, such as Ruy Lopez, Italian, and Scotch, Cheparinov suggests somewhat less explored systems that he manages to revive with strong novelties.

Following his wonderful courses Top-Level Repertoire against Ruy Lopez and Top-Level Repertoire against Italian Game, GM Arjun Kalyan completes his 1.e4 e5 repertoire by covering all the remaining options that White has.
It's really amazing how GM Arjun Kalyan managed to cover so much material in one single database. The secret is that whenever possible, he goes for practical solutions that does not require too much theoretical knowledge. That being said, all his choices are approved by the modern engines.
The course consists of 11 theoretical chapters, 25 interactive test positions, a Memory Booster, and a Video Version (3h and 25min).

The camp of GM Papaioannou - 1.e4 e5 for Black - Everything Except Italian and Ruy Lopez is already a digital product.
This product includes all the videos from the workshop as well as the PGN file related to the training sessions. Overall, the material consists of 9 hours of video and a PGN database which includes 131 files!