Scotch Game: Relfsson Gambit: what should White play?

In the Scotch Game: Relfsson Gambit, White's most effective and standard continuation is Nxd4. This move recovers the gambited central pawn while maintaining a slight positional edge evaluated by engines at +0.65. By resolving the tension in the center, White develops active minor pieces and prevents Black from cementing an advantage.

Recapturing with Nxd4

The vast majority of players choose Nxd4, which appears in 88.5% of recorded games (2.82M recorded) and yields a 55.0% score for White. This recapture unpins nothing of major concern and quickly places an active knight on d4. An illustrative engine continuation follows with Nxd4 Bd7 Nc3 Nf6 O-O Be7, where White achieves smooth piece coordination, castling rights, and a steady spatial presence.

Queen recapture and gambit alternatives

White can also regain the pawn with Qxd4, chosen in 10.4% of games (330K recorded) with an evaluation of +0.43 and a White score of 59.6%. A sample sequence is Qxd4 Nf6 Nc3 Be7 Bf4 O-O, bringing the queen into open central play without immediate refutation. Alternatively, White may opt for O-O, played in 1.1% of games (35K recorded) with an engine evaluation of +0.56 and a 58.8% score, where White postpones material retrieval to accelerate king safety as seen in O-O Ne7 c3 dxc3 Nxc3 Bd7.

Minor sidelines

Slower options exist lower in the engine rankings. The waiting move b3 holds an evaluation of +0.25 and leads to b3 Bd7 Bb2 Nf6 O-O Be7. Meanwhile, h3 is recorded in 911 games (0.0% of games) with a +0.22 evaluation and a 55.0% score, leading into lines like h3 Bd7 Nxd4 g6 Nc3 Bg7. Nonetheless, simple central recovery remains the standard approach.