Scandinavian Defence

The Scandinavian is the shortest road to a complete answer to 1.e4: one pawn structure, four or five White systems, and a handful of tactical patterns around a queen on a5.

1. FoundationWeek one

   Goal. Learn the set-up and the rules that keep the queen safe.

   • The move order (3...Qa5, ...Nf6, ...c6, ...Bf5, ...e6), and why ...c6 comes before ...Bf5 when White plays an early Bd2.
   • The discovered attack: once White's bishop is on d2, every knight move from c3 uncovers it against a5. Never capture on d5 while your queen is still on a5.
   • The two traps of the main line, from both sides: 8.Nd5 that cannot be taken, and 12.Nh4?? Qf4+.
   DrillPlay the main line from Black's side twenty times, and from 7.Bd2 onwards name your queen's escape squares before every move.
   Common mistakePlaying ...Bf5 on autopilot. After 5.Bd2 it walks into 6.Qf3!, and after 8.Qe2 the equally natural ...Nbd7 walks into 9.d5!
   Move on whenYou can set up the position after 11...Qc7 without a board and say why every black piece stands where it does.
2. StructureWeeks two to six

   Goal. Know your pawn structure and what each trade does to it.

   • The c6–e6 structure against a lone d4-pawn: d5 is yours, and only a c2–c4 push can ever challenge a piece on it.
   • The three recaptures on f6: ...Qxf6 keeps the pawns whole, ...exf6 opens the e-file, ...gxf6 opens the g-file. Three different middlegames.
   • The bishop trades: ...Bxc3 hands White the bishop pair to get rid of the knight that keeps jumping at your queen; ...Bxf3 doubles White's f-pawns.
   DrillTake five master games from the 8.Nd5 line and five from the 5.Bd2 line. For each one, write down how Black recaptured on f6 and where the black king went.
   Common mistakeKeeping the bishop pair at all costs. In this opening the knight on c3 is the piece that hurts you; trade a bishop for it gladly.
   Move on whenYou can say which recapture on f6 you would choose in a given position, and why.
3. PlansMonths two to four

   Goal. Meet the aggressive systems with a plan rather than a defence.

   • 7.Ne5 with g4 and h4: trade the knight with ...Nbd7, let the bishop run to e4 and d5, and recapture on d5 with the c-pawn.
   • 6.Ne5 with f4: fianchetto, castle, and hit d4, the pawn that holds the knight up.
   • 3.Nf3: the queen stays on d5, and ...Bg4, ...Nc6, ...O-O-O and ...e5 hit d4 with everything.
   DrillPlay ten training games against 7.Ne5 and ten against 3.Nf3. Stop each one at move fifteen and compare your position with the plan card.
   Common mistake...h5 to stop the h-pawn in the 7.Ne5 line. 10.Nxg6 fxg6 11.Qd3 and the e6- and g6-pawns are both hanging.
   Move on whenYou have met the g4–h4 storm in a real game and come out of it with a sound position.
4. MasteryOngoing

   Goal. Play the middlegames and endgames as well as the opening.

   • Which wing for your king: in the deep dive both kings go long, because White's g- and h-pawns are already running. Castle short only when they are still at home.
   • Endgames with your knight on d5 against White's bishop pair, and why your c6-pawn and White's own d4-pawn make those bishops worse than they look.
   • The model games: Timman–Piket for the punishment of a loose move order, Kasparov–Anand for how White squeezes when Black drifts against 6.Ne5.
   DrillReplay Kasparov–Anand and stop at every Black move from move ten. Find a more active plan, then check it with an engine.
   Common mistakeTreating the Scandinavian as a drawing weapon. The structure is solid, but games are won by the side that uses d5 and the half-open files, not by the side that waits.
   Move on whenYou know your answer to every White move in the deviation panels, and can explain the main line's plan card from memory.