Scandinavian Main Line tactics
One side has a queen out on move two. Everything that follows is about whether that costs time or wins it.
- 120 positions in the course
- Difficulty 1057–2401
- Section: Sidelines and Surprises
- 5 levels
What the main-line Scandinavian produces tactically
Black takes on d5 with the queen, gets hit by Nc3, and retreats to a5 or d6, where the queen sits for the next ten moves. Every beginner is told not to do this and it is nevertheless a completely sound opening, because the tempi White gains all go into moves White wanted to play anyway rather than into an attack.
That still shapes the tactics. Any White move that develops a piece and attacks the queen at the same time is close to free, and there are more of them in this structure than in any other opening. Black's own chances run the other way: a queen on a5 lines up on the pinned knight on c3, and the e4 pawn is frequently loose in the same moment.
How to spot it
- Before choosing a developing move, check whether one of them also attacks the queen. In this opening that move usually exists.
- A queen on a5 and a knight on c3 are on the same diagonal. Look for the pin and for anything that makes it bite.
- Chase the queen with pieces rather than with pawns you will need later. A pawn move that gains a tempo and weakens a square is not a gain.
- The e4 pawn is loose more often than it looks once the knight leaves c3. Count its defenders.
Three main-line Scandinavian positions
Three positions from the 120 in this skill, easiest first. The highlighted squares are the move your opponent has just played. Work it out before you open the answer.
Position 1
White to move. Find the best move.
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17...Kxf7 18.Qe6#
The line ends in checkmate. Main-line Scandinavian games are shaped by an early queen and the tempi spent around her, and these are the middlegames that produces.
The position comes from the middlegame of a real game, rated 1483 for difficulty. The answer reaches checkmate.
Position 2
Black to move. Find the best move.
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19.Qxd8 19...Bxc2#
The line ends in checkmate. Main-line Scandinavian games are shaped by an early queen and the tempi spent around her, and these are the middlegames that produces.
The position comes from the middlegame of a real game, rated 1708 for difficulty. The answer reaches checkmate.
Position 3
White to move. Find the best move.
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18...h5 19.Bb4 Qb6 20.Bxe7
The line wins a piece. Main-line Scandinavian games are shaped by an early queen and the tempi spent around her, and these are the middlegames that produces.
The position comes from the middlegame of a real game, rated 2037 for difficulty. The answer reaches a winning advantage.
Playing an opening that breaks a rule on purpose
The rule about not developing the queen early exists because a queen that gets chased loses time. In the Scandinavian, Black accepts that and gets something back: a completely symmetrical structure, a clear development scheme, and an opening that reaches the same position against almost anything White does. That is a real trade rather than a violation.
The way it goes wrong for Black is drifting into a position where the queen has to move again for nothing. The way it goes wrong for White is spending moves chasing rather than developing, and then finding the queen safe on a good square and the centre unfinished.
Questions people ask
Is the Scandinavian Defence good?
It is sound and it has been played at grandmaster level for decades. It does not give Black an easy equal game, but it is reliable, it needs much less theory than most 1.e4 replies, and it reaches a familiar structure against nearly everything.
Where does the queen belong after 3.Nc3?
The two main squares are a5 and d6, and both are fully respectable. On a5 the queen eyes the c3 knight and the e1-a5 diagonal; on d6 she is harder to attack and supports the centre. The choice defines which Scandinavian you are playing.
Nearby patterns
Scandinavian Main Line sits in Sidelines and Surprises. The rest of that section: