Recommendations for a 1700 Federation-rated player wishing to give up the Scandinavian vs. 1.e4

I play the Modern Scandinavian (1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6) and wanted to nurture a more grown-up + "sound" opening system that is non-cramping for Black, or for that matter doesn't lock in my light squared bishop as is the theme in the French.

I've tried asking a lot of stronger players for recommendations and I keep getting different responses...probably because the playing styles vary a whole lot. Try the French ... try the Caro ... go with the Modern/Pirc  etc.

Rather than make the superficial claim that I am an "attacking" or "aggressive" player, I think it makes more sense to merely state that I like to keep games as non-closed as much as possible.

Please respond only if you actually played the Scandinavian before. Really interested in the openings "these" players transitioned to (and improved their performance in games against stronger opposition! :))

Thanks in advance!

S.

icelandic gambit if you like aggressive non closed postion

The Icelandic gambit is a Modern Scandinavian line. the OP is looking for an opening alternative to the Modern Scandinavian.

The petrov's does look interesting ... keep those suggestions coming.

S.

Non cramping and doesn't have any positional problems? Well then the best choice is probably ...e5 or ...c5 for more counterplay although riskier. Neither one is cramped or blocks in anything too important it's just that those are the most theoretical moves and you need to know some of the theory. But since you play the scandinavian, you'll probably prefer the more solid ...e5. Also good for you may be the caro kann, which I always thought to be a better version of a scandinavian and that is worth considering. You will however have a little less space but black can equalize in space lots of times with an ...e5 or ...c5 break and so the position isn't so easy for white to attack.

They don't?

If you like open positions why not play the Open Games with 1.e4 e5?

You can even play the Open Ruy Lopez!

Shivsky, As someone who used to play the Scandinavian i must say i jumped around to many diffrent openings. I now play the French, and it is not only strong but offers many good counterattacking possibilities. However it is not NEARLY as open as the Scandinavian. Perhaps as black you should try playing the Sicilian it is pretty open and offers white MANY problems. I dont like it because i prefer the french. MY advice to you is try the French, Caro Kahn, and Sicilian. Those are IN MY OPINION the 3 stongest replies against e4. So try your luck my friend i wish you luck. I am sure you will find something more grown up

I don't know, IM Andrew Martin says ...Qxd5 is better.

I have played the Scandinavian for a year now in FIDE competitions and have some experience with it from both sides as I always play 1.e4 with white. It depends on what sorts of positions you're happy with. If you play the solid lines with either 2...Qd5, 3...Qa5 or 3...Qd6 or 2...Nf6 followed by 3...Nd5 then I would recommend the Caro-Kaan for you. If you play sharper lines like the icelandic gambits 2...Nf6 3.c4 c6 or 3...e6 or if you play the Portuguese gambit lines 1.e4 d5 2.ed5 Nf6 3.d4 Bg4 then why not consider the Pirc or the Nimzovich (1.Nc6) if you are pressed for time or the Sicilian Najdorf if you have time to learn theory?

Best of luck, Michael

If you like the scandinavian pawn structure and plans but not the variations than you should switch to the caro can the pawn structure is the same whites e pawn traded for blacks d pawn. therefore the plans will be similar in the openings and it will be easier to learn.

That is not accurate....my original post stated that "try the caro" was one of the many suggestions stronger players at my club were offering. I wasn't turning my back on those suggestions but merely asking for more data points.

I'm now actually intrigued at how similar some of the structures in the Caro are to my Nf6-Scandinavian ... somebody also mentioned that earlier in this thread regarding some of the more solid Nf6 scandinavian positions.

I also love the fact that the c8 bishop is not a thematic worry as people claim it is in the French. The comments in this thread give me even more reason to lean towards the CK as my growing-up opening choice.

Thank you all!

I think we both like the french quite a bit but it's not for everyone. A lot of times the bishop is indeed inactive for a very large part of the game. Sometimes it can be traded off with ...b6 and ...Ba6 at least if black has time for it and sometimes not like in the advance variation. It's just that the bad bishop is compensated by black's dynamic counterattack on the pawn chain giving him either the center ( and can activate his bishop with ...e5, sometimes even as a sacrifice!) or play on the queenside and usually a permenant d4 pawn to attack. But it's nothing like the caro except the rubinstein variation.

Ok, that 2000 rating is extremely exagerated. There comes a point (and it's before 2000) where one knows enough to start studying more complex openings like the french. Are you saying I'm not good enough to play the french? I know a lot about it and win most of my games against relatively even players with it! I consider this an insult to most players! This is only accurate if you're talking about beginner to advanced beginner but anyone 1500 and up can certainly understand the basic ideas at least of a hypermodern opening.

The french will teach you things about pawn chains that you would never have learned from any other e4 opening.

Sure they are, since both openings have black giving up his d pawn in order to control the d file and d5 square for blockading white's d4 pawn. But in the rubinstein there is even more control of d5 because black has to fianchetto his bishop obviously but it takes longer. And in the caro I think black would like to eventually counterattack in the center with one of the pawns and in the rubinstein black usually plays ...c5 quite quickly.

Hi, Shivsky...

I'll join the parade here as one who was a regular practioner of the Scandanavian, but I didn't like the idea that weaker players could take a sterile approach and end up with dull equality.  Sure, black has equalized easy enough, but when black needs to play for a win against these quieter lines, it's quite a headache.

I've ready the 1...e5 comments and I would suggest another path.  As a 1...e5 player (assuming you continue with 2...Nc6 after 2. Nf3) there are a myriad of openings and variations you have to be prepared for.  Even the King's Gambit, while wide-open for both sides, takes plenty of preparation and practice to get consistently good results with black.  Not to mention Vienna, Four Knights and everything else under the sun.

My recommendation instead would be to pick a relatively stable line of the Sicilian.  My personal pick would be the Lowenthal (1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cd 4. Nd4 e5 5. Nb5 a6 6. Nd6+ Bd6 7. Qd6 Qf6) or the O'Kelly (1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 a6).  Given that you're a 1700 player, I wouldn't concern myself overly with the theoretical soundness of the lines since, at that level, many of your opponents won't know much theory.  The key is they are open, easy to learn, and fun to play. 

When you go the Sicilian route, of course, there is a price to be paid -- the Anti-Sicilians, such as Closed, Rossolimo, 2. c3 / Smith-Morra and the rest.  The good news is you can pick one pet line against each of them and, since they occur considerably less frequently than Open Sicilians, your study investment will naturally be proportional.

ChuckG99 

I've tried all sorts, including many lines of the Scandinavian (which is actually quite dull a lot of the time) and if you like an open game that is still reasonably solid, I suggest the Latvian Gambit.  Get Kosten's book The Latvian Gambit Lives! and have some fun.

I'm in a very similar situation as you are. I've been playing the scandinavian against 1.e4, but now I've switched over to the Caro-Kann. Most people see the juicy possibilty of the advance variation, with 3.e5, and go for it, leaving them completely dull and without an attack. As a Caro-Kann player, you should be ready to play endgames well, and know how to handle rather static pawn structures.

Otherwise, I don't know how I should advise you. The sicilian is just too big to handle for me.

I'm betting that most of the responders didn't heed this request.  So I'll join the chorus, since I never played it either.  If you're looking for a "grown-up" opening, e5 is what I would recommend.

The most often played replies to 1 e4 are : c5, e5, e6 and c6 and in that order, according to my database .