TN wrote on 09/26/10 at 13:53:05:


It's chief advantage may be the fact that it is slightly less rubbish than it appears.
3...Qd6, 3...Qa5.

Still waiting for this dubiosity to be proven...

But no worries, have been since 1991, and at the time there were less higher rated GM's playing the Scandi...

Markovich wrote on 03/02/10 at 17:21:42:



LOL...that would really surprise him

You want to play the Caro Kann but think the Scandinavian is less theoretical...

You have to know more theory to play the Scandinavian as the positions you get are inferior to the Caro so playing it without study is asking to be blown off the board rather quickly.

All right, then.  

Ten Reasons to Play the Scandinavian:

1. He might not notice that his e-pawn is threatened.

2. I like to attack with my unsupported queen.

3. It will take him out of the broad and deep theory that my club opponents invariably are utterly familiar with. I'm so tired of being beaten by move-35 TNs down at the Sioux City Chess Den, you know?

5. I have memorized a tree of Scandinavian theoretical variations out to move 34.

6. He will assume I'm a duffer and forget about protecting his king.

7. He will assume I'm a bad-ass Scandinavian theory hound, and become incapable of thinking about anything except protecting his king.  

8. There's a good chance he'll offer the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, after which my win is obvious.

9. The Caro-Kann is so ordinary.

10. Darn, I can't think of the tenth one.  Any suggestions?

parisestmagique wrote on 02/18/10 at 17:14:06:


Yeah, 3...Qd8 MIGHT be underestimated. Most players haven't played against it when they play a Centre Counter player. Maybe I'll learn that variation myself to surprise my opponents in G/30 tourneys. Bobby Fischer played a game in which he crushed the guy that  played 3...Qd8 and it basically had people saying that line was completely dead.

Ludeck Pachman, the famous player and theorician, called once the Scandinavian an improved Caro-kan ... I dont know if he was serious or if it was a joke. Seriously it makes a lot of White players (including myself) incomfortable, and i think the 3.Nc3 Qd8 variation is underestimated.

I've noticed in the last few years the Scandi with ...Qxd5 has become incredibly popular in open tournaments (usually played by players around 1900-2100 but obviously by higher rated players also). The obvious attraction I suppose is that Black can usually get the position he is looking for on the board, on the downside I think playing only this Scandi/Caro-kann structure as Black is very limited particularly for a young player. Maybe an idea to combine it with something else?