The Scandinavian is the most direct answer to 1.e4: with 1...d5 Black strikes at the centre at once. After 2.exd5 he wins the pawn back with queen or knight and gets a clear, sturdy game. The main branches are gathered here: the classical Qa5, the modern Qd6, the retreat to d8 and the Nf6 variation. At each branching point, choose which line to play.
The dimmed moves are the rest of the main line, and the dots mark branching points. Click any move to jump to that position.
The thin arrow on the board shows the next move.
You can also play the move on the board: pick the piece up and put it on the square.
The starting position. Choose your moves - at a branching point several continuations are available.
The Scandinavian is one of the oldest openings; traces of it appear in games from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. With 1...d5 Black trades the central pawns at once, releases the tension and simplifies the game.
The defining feature is the early queen sortie after 2.exd5 Qxd5. White attacks her with tempo by 3.Nc3, but she steps to a comfortable square and Black develops calmly. The alternative is to win the pawn back with the knight (2...Nf6), leaving the queen at home.
The Scandinavian is easy to learn and leads to clear, solid positions. The drawback is that White easily gets a small lead in development and space, so Black has to play carefully, without pretensions to an immediate initiative.
After 2...Qxd5 3.Nc3 the queen needs a square. The classical 3...Qa5 keeps her active on the side; the modern 3...Qd6 is flexible and currently the most popular; the modest 3...Qd8 is passive but solid and never gets hit with tempo.
Anyone who dislikes an early queen sortie plays 2...Nf6 (the Nf6 Variation): after 3.d4 Nxd5 the knight wins the pawn back and Black develops differently, sometimes with gambit ideas.
The Scandinavian is the fastest way to escape theory after 1.e4. The centre is exchanged as early as move two, and a position arises where understanding matters more than lines: 1...d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 - the queen retreats, but White has spent a tempo chasing her.
The main choice is where to put the queen. 3...Qa5 is the classical move: she presses along the diagonal and supports ...Bf5. 3...Qd6 is the modern treatment: she sits more compactly and is not hit with tempo. 3...Qd8 is the most modest and the most solid.
The scheme is then always the same: ...Nf6, ...c6, ...Bf5 or ...Bg4, ...e6, and castling either side. The structure is healthy, there are no weaknesses, and you need to know very little - which is why the opening is so popular among club players.
The main plan is to gain tempi against the queen and lead in development: 3.Nc3, then d4, Nf3, Bd2 or Be2, short castling and play in the centre. White has an extra tempo and more space - enough for a stable edge.
There is also the critical line 2.exd5 Nf6 (the gambit treatment): here you can hold the pawn with 3.c4, but then Black gets activity for the material. Quieter is 3.d4 Nxd5 4.Nf3 with a normal game.
What to avoid: getting carried away chasing the queen. Every move that merely chases her without developing a piece hands the initiative back. A tempo is only worth having when it is invested in development.
The typical set-ups this opening leads to - learn them, and the plan follows by itself.
The queen has come out early but stands securely: Black prepares ...Bf5 and ...e6 and gets a sound, if slightly passive, position.
Black wins the pawn back with the knight and leaves the queen at home. The modern, more flexible treatment of the Scandinavian.
These are the main named variations. Click any one of them and it loads straight onto the board above, where you can play it out move by move. The trainer itself holds more lines than this: it also covers main-line continuations and transpositions that have no name of their own.
What to avoid, and what catches an unprepared opponent.
Black has to watch the b4 square and move the queen in good time: White repeatedly tries to trap it with a pin or a knight from d5.
White tries to hold the d5 pawn and falls behind in development: after 3...e6 Black opens lines and wins the material back with a good game.
Traps in other openings - the 12 most common opening traps.
In the Scandinavian it is acceptable: yes, White attacks the queen with 3.Nc3 and gains a tempo, but she steps to a good square (a5, d6 or d8) and no real time is lost. The main thing is not to miss the further raids against her.
A matter of taste. 3...Qa5 is the classical, well-tested move, 3...Qd6 is currently the most fashionable and flexible, and 3...Qd8 is the most solid but passive. All three are playable; beginners often find 3...Qd6 easiest to start with.
Yes - that is what 2...Nf6 is for: Black wins the pawn back with the knight after 3.d4 Nxd5, leaving the queen at home. A more flexible, if sometimes more gambit-like, treatment.
Very much so. It is simple, logical and leads to clear positions with no long forcing lines. Learn where to retreat the queen and how to develop, and you can play it confidently from move one.
Want the tactics that decide these positions? Start with the 12 most common opening traps and tactics for beginners. If you are just starting out, read the rules of chess and how to set up the board.
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