Scandinavian Defence
B01 · 1. e4 d5
An immediate central challenge, at the cost of an early queen move.
Analysing from a photo?
This page needs a FEN or a board you set up by hand. The app reads a position straight from a photograph of a real board or a screenshot, and keeps your saved positions between sessions.
The idea
Black hits e4 at once with d5. After exd5 Qxd5 Nc3, the queen must move again, and Black concedes a tempo for a clear structure and easy development. The compensation is that Black has no bad pieces and knows exactly where everything is going, which makes it a practical choice for players who dislike memorising.
Typical plans
- As Black, place the queen on a5 or d6 and develop with Nf6, c6, Bf5 and e6.
- As Black, aim for a solid Caro-Kann-like structure with a well-developed light-squared bishop.
- As White, use the tempo gained to develop rapidly and claim space in the centre.
What goes wrong
- As Black, moving the queen repeatedly. One tempo is the price; three is a bad opening.
- As White, expecting a refutation. There is not one, and overpressing is the usual way to be worse.
- As Black, forgetting to play c6, which gives the queen a retreat and supports d5.
Using the board above
The board starts at the position after 1. e4 d5. Play the continuation you normally meet, then ask the engine what it would do. That is more useful than reading a line, because it answers the question you actually have, which is what happens in the position you keep reaching.
One caution worth carrying into it: an engine evaluates an opening on the assumption that both sides then play perfectly. A line rated a tenth of a pawn better whose middlegames you have never played is worth less to you than a line rated slightly worse that produces positions you understand. More on that here.