Opening family
Scandinavian Defense Lines and Variations
The Scandinavian Defense family contains 45 named lines in this opening book, spanning ECO B01. Use this page as the map, then open individual lines for exact move orders and diagrams.
How to study this family
White
White should use the move order as a checkpoint: finish development, identify the central break, and compare the continuations below before memorizing moves.
Black
Black should ask what White is threatening in the center, then choose development moves that prepare a clean pawn break or a useful exchange.
Start with the shortest line, then branch to the variations that change the pawn structure or tactical target. Memorizing every branch before understanding the family plan is usually wasted work.
Main named lines
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Zilbermints Gambit
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Blackburne-Kloosterboer Gambit
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Mieses-Kotroc Variation
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Modern Variation
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Modern Variation
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Blackburne Gambit
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Boehnke Gambit
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Gubinsky-Melts Defense
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Icelandic-Palme Gambit
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Kloosterboer Gambit
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Main Line
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Marshall Variation
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Panov Transfer
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Gambit
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Richter Variation
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Valencian Variation
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Main Line, Leonhardt Gambit
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Gambit, Classical Variation
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Gambit, Wuss Variation
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Kádas Gambit
- B01 · Scandinavian Defense: Kiel Variation
Deep theory branches
- 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 4. d4 Nf6 5. Bc4 c6 6. Nge2 Bf5 7. Bf4 Qb4 — Scandinavian Defense: Schiller-Pytel Variation, Modern Variation
- 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 e5 5. dxe5 Nc6 6. Nf3 Bb4 7. Bd2 — Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Orthodox Attack
- 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bf5 6. Ne5 c6 7. g4 — Scandinavian Defense: Grünfeld Variation
- 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. h3 — Scandinavian Defense: Lasker Variation
- 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4 4. f3 Bf5 5. Bb5+ Nbd7 6. c4 — Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Gambit, Jadoul Variation
- 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4 4. f3 Bf5 5. Bb5+ Nbd7 6. Nc3 — Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Gambit, Melbourne Shuffle Variation
- 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 e5 5. Nf3 Bg4 — Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Collijn Variation
- 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 a6 — Scandinavian Defense: Bronstein Variation
- 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bf5 — Scandinavian Defense: Classical Variation
- 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd8 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 c6 — Scandinavian Defense: Valencian Variation, Ilundain Variation
- 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd8 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 — Scandinavian Defense: Valencian Variation, Main Line
- 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 e5 5. Nf3 — Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack, Goteborg System
- 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4 4. f3 Bf5 5. c4 — Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Gambit, Banker Variation
- 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4 4. f3 Bf5 5. g4 — Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Gambit, Correspondence Refutation
- 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4 4. Bb5+ Nbd7 5. Be2 — Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Gambit, Lusophobe Variation
- 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 e5 — Scandinavian Defense: Anderssen Counterattack