Yeah...luckily 8.Qe2 isnt much of problem...play o-o, o-o-o, nc6 and often whte will play a3 which will then be chopped off by Bxa3 (see blitz game); after other moves instead of a3 black is also fine.

I can give a bit back story about Sweden and Scandinavia. Something called Scandinavism exists it Sweden and was very popular before WW2. Swedens national song reflects this is not even a song about Sweden but a song about the old free Scandinavian region.

2 parts of the song is learned at schools but at universitys I learned that there are two additional parts, only there Sweden is mentioned, but they are a bit patriatical thus never teached. You would not even belive if I told you that one is more or less called racist if one celebrates Swedens nationalday and Sweden has an extremly political correct media (but we discuss Chess here not politics).

There are worse ommisions in other places.I met Qe2 myself and after 00 white usually play 000 ehen I belive Rad8 is strong

However I belive that the book is a good complement to ModernChess database since the bases sometimes does not cover lines in the book and the opposete.

Stigma wrote on 08/10/21 at 13:59:21:


Its correct that Finland was part of Sweden untill that date during Napoleon wars. The defence of Finland was based on a large fortress called Sveaborg. The commander hated the King so he gave up without fight. The fortress was virtualy unbrechable and had food, manpower and cannons to have survived more than 3 years of siege and half of Swedens fleet was stationed there as well so the King was fired after this lose.

After random forms a French Fieldmarshal, with good repetition in Sweden and one of my ancestors , became elected as crownprince with idea of retaking Finland but he did the opposete and conqered Norway from Danmark instead, even thougt is became a Union that eventuellt broke when Norway wanted independent and in did not even lead to any war.

Sweden has not had a single war since Norway campaign. Norway and Denmark had been the same kingdom for even longer time. 

Stigma wrote on 08/09/21 at 23:27:17:


I can tell the full story about it. A now dead Swedish ameutur with about 2000-2100 elo, Per Sörenfors,  played "Old Malmö varianten" and sponsered a thematical tournamnet in hes hometown  Malmö called Pinova Open. Even some GM played in the event. Every participator got a small paper with lines he thought was best but nobody followed them at all. He wrote a booklet called "Malmö varianten", I think I even got 2nd edition where some games was removed and more theory was added or adjusted. Some years later he realised a compelte 1 e4 booklet called "Guldgruvan 1", and there he introduced "Morderna Malmö varianten" with 2 Nc3 Nf6 inserted. There was supposted to be "Guldgruvan 2" as well but it was never realised.

I belive form member Taljechin nows more about it.

an ordinary chessplayer wrote on 08/08/21 at 02:26:24:

Ah. Mr. Björklund fooled me with his very Swedish last name. I wonder if he (or more likely an ancestor) was an ethnic Swede who moved to the "Eastern Land" or an ethnic Finn who took a Swedish name? The first name Erhard is surely German, which muddles things even more.

To be a bit pedantic, Finland is not really a part of Scandinavia proper. But the definition of "Scandinavia" varies by time and place, and I don't know what exactly the Handbuch editors/writers meant by it.

I will find time for a database search of early Scandinavian Defense games tomorrow.

According to Lutes (pages 23, 69, and 82), Erhard A. Björklund was from Finland. I suppose a database search could show whether the "Scandinavian" was played primarily by Swedish players. I am on vacation without any database so I can't do that search at the moment. It's fairly random that I have Lutes with me. 

Things are even more stupid. There is an opening called Danisch Gambit  and a Chess book called Danisch Dynamite.  Many Swedes helped analys the opening and its called "Nordisk Gambit" (Nordic Gambit) in Sweden and Dynamite was invented by the Swede Alfred Nobel.