Scandinavian Defence

1.e4 d5

The simplest answer to 1.e4: trade the centre pawn at once, take back with the queen, tuck her on a5, and play the same setup every game. No theory to memorise, no cramped bishop, and most of your opponents' tricks are already accounted for.

Spar this opening

Your setup

Queena5 / d6 / d8
Knightf6
Bishopf5 / g4 / e6
Knightd7 / c6
Bishope7 / d6 / b4
Pawnsc6 e6
CastleO-O

Bf5 or Bg4 before e6. Bishop out before ...e6, or it's locked behind its own pawns — the one thing the Scandinavian is built to avoid.

c6 before Bf5|Bg4. ...c6 first: it gives the queen a permanent c7 bolt-hole and stops Nb5/Nd5 tricks before the bishop leaves the queenside.

Ideas

Queen out early — but on purpose

...Qxd5 breaks a rule, then ...Qa5 fixes it: the queen is safe there and eyes c3.

White gains a tempo with Nc3, and that's the only one they get. From a5 the queen is hard to attack and already pins the c3-knight against the king on e1 — which is why White usually plays Bd2 at some point.

...c6 is the move that makes it work

Play ...c6 early: a bolt-hole on c7 for the queen, and support for ...d5 or ...b5 later.

The queen on a5 has one weakness: she can be chased. ...c6 gives her c7 to come home to, so no knight jump or bishop check ever wins material.

Bd2 means Nd5 is coming

Bd2 unpins the knight and aims through it at your queen. When Nd5 arrives, play ...Qd8 (or ...Qb6). Never ...cxd5.

Your queen on a5 pins the c3-knight against e1. Bd2 breaks the pin — and now Nd5 is a discovered attack: the knight steps aside and the bishop hits a5. Taking the knight with the c-pawn loses the queen to Bxa5.

Bishop out, then ...e6

...Bf5 (or ...Bg4) before ...e6. Never the other way round.

The whole point of this opening is that your light bishop gets a good diagonal. Play ...e6 first and you've built a French with a bad bishop.

Watch the bishop on c4

Bc4 aims at f7 and can hit your queen's diagonal. Answer with ...c6 and ...Bf5, then ...e6.

Bc4 eyes f7 and, together with Bd2, prepares the Nd5 discovery on your queen. ...c6 gives the queen c7 and stops Nb5 ideas; ...e6 later blunts the bishop. When Nd5 comes, ...Qd8 — never take it with the pawn.

If they don't take on d5

Nc3: push ...d4. e5: bishop out with ...Bf5, then ...e6 and ...c5. Nf3 or d3: take on e4.

2.Nc3 lets you gain space with ...d4. 2.e5 is a French Advance where your bishop gets out first. 2.Nf3 and 2.d3 simply give you the e4-pawn — take it and develop.

When the book runs out

You have no weaknesses. Castle, keep the queen safe, and free yourself with ...c5 or ...e5 when the pieces are ready.

The Scandinavian middlegame is calm: your structure has no holes. White has a bit more space; your job is to trade a couple of pieces, then hit back in the centre.

The structure

The Scandinavian setup: queen on a5, ...c6 in, and the light bishop OUT on f5 before ...e6. Solid and easy to play.

Traps

The loose bishop

e4 d5 exd5 Qxd5 Bc4 Qxc4

The tell: White develops the bishop to c4 while your queen is still on d5.

The queen on d5 controls c4. Bc4 is simply a free bishop — count before you assume White knows what they're doing.

The Bd2–Nd5 discovery (don't fall for it)

e4 d5 exd5 Qxd5 Nc3 Qa5 d4 Nf6 Nf3 c6 Bd2 Bf5 Nd5 cxd5 Bxa5

The tell: White's bishop comes to d2 behind the knight your queen is pinning.

Bd2 breaks the pin, and Nd5 then uncovers the bishop's attack on a5. Taking the knight with the c-pawn drops the queen. The answer is calm: ...Qd8, and the knight has to go.

The b4 pawn grab (it's fine)

e4 d5 exd5 Qxd5 Nc3 Qa5 b4 Qxb4 Rb1 Qd6

The tell: White throws in b4 to chase the queen.

Take it. After Rb1 the queen steps back to d6 and you're a clean pawn up; White's 'attack' has cost them a pawn and their queenside structure.

Model games

Main line (3...Qa5)

e4 d5 exd5 Qxd5 Nc3 Qa5 d4 Nf6 Nf3 c6 Bc4 Bf5

Recapture with the queen, tuck her on a5, then ...Nf6, ...c6 and ...Bf5 for a solid setup with no weaknesses.

Modern (2...Nf6)

e4 d5 exd5 Nf6 d4 Nxd5 Nf3 g6 Be2 Bg7

The alternative: recapture with the knight and fianchetto, keeping the queen at home. Same spirit, different pieces.

3...Qd6 Variation

e4 d5 exd5 Qxd5 Nc3 Qd6 d4 Nf6 Nf3 g6 Be2 Bg7

The queen on d6 is flexible and hard to attack; ...g6 and ...Bg7 give a sound, well-organised setup.

How the coach grades a move

Every move you play gets one of six grades, from the engine’s view of the position, with the book’s verdict taking over when it is harsher. The sentence beside it is always the reason. Tap it for what the move did, why this opening wants it, and whether anything was better.

Best: Nothing better was available.
Good: Within a few percent of best. Noise at this depth.
Playable: A small real gap. The better move is named, play goes on.
Inaccuracy: Seven to twelve points of winning chances. The game stops to show you.
Mistake: Twelve or more, or a move the book warns against, or a broken order rule.
Blunder: Twenty-five or more. Usually material.

Catalogued as B01 in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings, the reference index most databases sort by.