Why Open with Scandinavian Defense?

Challenge accepted!

Here is a troll video on 3. ... Qe5+

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFEwUK7lZ7U

Christian Bauer, in his highly recommended book (by Silman, among others) on the Scandinavian, Play the Scandinavian (2010), argues that 3...Qa5 and Qd6 are about equal. 3...Qd6 has a little less theory, which is why top GMs are currently playing it slightly more than 3...Qa5. He points out that Nigel Short doesn't like 3...Qa5, but Eric Prie loves it. Bauer himself recommends 3...Qa5 in part because the theory on 3...Qd6 is not fully established while 3...Qa5 is still full of life.

In the newest edition of chessbase magazin from August Tiviakov claims 3... Qd6 as no more playable on top level. Maybe this is not interesting on normal club level. I still have to check lines and resulting positons.

I like playing 3...Qd6 and trying to get Caro-Kann formations with Bg4, c6, e6 stuff. For someone nearing 60 years old who is still working and has little time or inclination to do any serious studying, it's not a bad opening.

Yea, but after Qe5+ it is not scandinavian anymore. That is just a silly opening of begginers without a name. The title says it's about scandinavian 

Well Viswanathan Anand used it to beat Kasparov using the Scandinavian defense in 100th floor, New York, 1995. So it must be a good opening. but personally i think it is drawish opening so if you want to win the game (i.e. getting lower rated opponents as Black) then you should go for something more aggressive.

If your opponents play 1...d5 against 1.e4, they are either

1) lower ranked than you (so happy with a draw)

2) content with a draw (so, happy with a draw)

well chess is a hard game so you should make them earn their draw, good luck

Tiviakov is one of the world's foremost authorities on the Scandinavian, but do as he does, not as he says. He's not always forthright in his analysis. He played it three times in Jakarta this year, drawing twice and losing once.

One of the attractive points about Qd6 is that there are several different ways to continue, each with its own flavor. Black could aim for a quick g6, c6 and a sort of Caro-Kann, or a6. 

I still side with Bauer's assessment that Qd6 and Qa5 are about equivalent in strength, and both are potent weapons unless White is well prepared, not just with variations, but a mind-set to fight from move one.

First of all, the game was won by Kasparov, although Anand, playing the black pieces, had an advantage after the opening thanks to his firm control of the e4 square. Second, there is nothing "drawish" about the Scandinavian. There are still all pieces and 7 pawns each on the board, and the position isn't even symmetrical, how on earth would that be drawish?

The Scandinavain Defense reminds me of a Caro-Kann with the idea of tricking white lol.

They try to goat white into attacking the black queen in order to make white lose a center pawn duo.

To be honest, I was just using what showed up most in my games and what had showed up in my last game. Since there were results for it in the game explorer data base, I thought it was legit. I'm not well aquinated with the Scandinavian although after this thread I did start to look in to it with game explorer.

Thank you so much everyone for contributing to this. I've been reading your comments and analysing this opening. You've helped me alot!

Yes, indeed. Chess.com is truly the internet's haven. :)

Join the 3...Qd6 or the 2...Nf6 Scandinavian Club at Chess.com. These are probably the most active clubs for this Defense. 

Always when my opponent plays 1.e4, I play the Scandinavian. Here are the main lines:

What is White's best continuation after black responds with scandinavian? Exd5,let black recapture with the queen and then chase it around?  Or are there better ways? Push the e pawn?  Or defend it with another pawn or piece?

this is how beginners play the scandinavian. they play it this way as a sort of wayward queen 2.0. they are playing for tricks with their queen out early making a series of one move threats hoping that you make a mistake. enough of their opponents make a mistake that they continue playing it this way

Qe5+ has no point, it exposes the queen, and also gives black a developing advantage, and the safer king

the qd6 scandinavian is on the border of refutation. After the shirov idea, nc3 d4 nf3, ne5, f4! with the intention of early g4 in many lines. White gets a massive space advantage and the one advantage black has which is comfortable piece placement is denied to him as the queen bishop has no good square. Black ends up miserable. its like +1 and not even combative +1 but a dreadful shuffle your pieces and hopefully white makes an error to be in 0.5 territory bad.

It doesn't defy opening principles it's actually a very logical try. In all types of 1.e4 openings black often gets equality if ...d5 is possible. The Scandinavian plays it on the first move.

And ...Qxd5 Nc3 does not lose time. White lost a tempo first by breaking the rule of not capturing. Black got to bring the queen out for free, and then when having to move it again it's back to equal (each side has one piece developed).

To answer the title, people play it because there's little chance for white to deviate, it's solid (at low levels at least), and it doesn't have much theory.

why do you play the caro?

this is what this post is