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♛ Find the Scandinavian Defense traps for Black shown in the video in this blog-post –
In this video lesson, GM Igor Smirnov shares the 10 best chess opening traps for Black in the Scandinavian Defense. The Scandinavian Defense (also known as the Center Counter Defense or Center Counter Game) arises after the moves: 1.e4 d5.
Many beginner-level chess players fear that their queen might be chased away in the mainline after 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3, which gives White an extra tempo and forces Black to play carefully with an exposed queen. This also contradicts the general opening principle of avoiding bringing the queen out too early.
That’s why GM Smirnov reveals his secret opening variation in the Scandinavian Defense, which he has successfully used in blitz, classical chess, and even against grandmasters. This is the Modern Variation, where Black plays 2…Nf6 and aims to recapture the d-pawn with the knight, keeping the queen safe.
White has several options at this point—defending the pawn with 3.Nc3 or 3.c4, or continuing their development with 3.d4 or 3.Nf3. GM Smirnov will show you how to counter all of these moves.
You’ll learn the deadliest traps in this opening that can give Black a winning position in 10 moves or less! Additionally, you’ll discover a couple of traps in the mainline (Mieses-Kotrč Variation) where Black plays 2…Qxd5.
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► Chapters
00:00 Top 10 Scandinavian Defense Opening Traps For Black
00:08 Scandinavian Defence: Modern Variation
00:45 Trap-1: If White plays 3.d4
04:06 Trap-2: If White plays 7.cxb5 instead of 7.Qxb5
05:41 Trap-3: Mieses-Kotroc Variation
08:18 Trap-4: If White plays 3.c4
10:03 Trap-5
11:12 Trap-6: Panov Transfer
12:58 Trap-7
14:04 Trap-8: If White plays 3.Nc3
16:02 Trap-9: Main Line, Leonhardt Gambit
18:12 Trap-10: Marshall Variation (for advanced players)
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► Chapters
00:00 Top 10 Scandinavian Defense Opening Traps For Black
00:08 Scandinavian Defence: Modern Variation
00:45 Trap-1: If White plays 3.d4
04:06 Trap-2: If White plays 7.cxb5 instead of 7.Qxb5
05:41 Trap-3: Mieses-Kotroc Variation
08:18 Trap-4: If White plays 3.c4
10:03 Trap-5
11:12 Trap-6: Panov Transfer
12:58 Trap-7
14:04 Trap-8: If White plays 3.Nc3
16:02 Trap-9: Main Line, Leonhardt Gambit
18:12 Trap-10: Marshall Variation (for advanced players)
Scandinavian defence is actually my hated opening to play against. Black plays for a qin
Love This!!!! Thanks for the tuition
So, how do we refute the Scandinavian ?
Garry Kasparov used to play Scandinavian, but later switched to Nájdorf Sicilian.😮
9:53 i have a lot of victim after they played Nf3 by Qxf2#
Amazing tricks ❤
haiyaa, a bunch of bots😮💨
what about an in between move like b6 it makes us losing?? (4:41)
Igor I love you bro you are teacher of teachers
on last lesson attack with bishop instead of knight and hunt the Queen
Bro this Scandinavian video is better than levy's video
Seriously he taught everything you need to know about Scandinavian tricks and traps and now I'm only going to play this opening against e4( Thanks to Igor Smirnov)❤
Amazing! Thank you for sharing this👏🏼
I just play Bb5+ against this 😂
What about 3. B-b5 #
Nice video. I've been playing the Qxd5/Qa5 Scandi for a couple of years but have been reviewing the Nf6 modern variation, hoping to add it to my arsenal. Just haven't played it yet. Any thoughts on how to meet the 3. Bb5+ line?
Message to Igor's editor – Let us look at the final positions for a second before dissolving away!
Wow this looks very destructive 😂
Hey Igor. I'm watching at your videos for about the last 2 years and to be honest it's the first time I comment. Man that was a masterpiece especially for me who love the Skandinavian. Thanks for the video. Good job !!
Anyone else in the habit of watching the first two minutes of these videos and then jumping to the chess app to try it?
Igor Nation never care about material in the Scandinavian Defense.✊🏻
I love that opening, the Nf6 scandi ! Not playing it a lot because I have other openings I like but that one is great !
I play portuguese gambit tho against d4 (Bg4 instead of Nxd5) but that's a great line to know about !
And I play e6 against c4 but that c6 line is also very intersting !!
Love these videos ! I always learn a lot ! Keep it up !
very nice video
I absolutely loved seeing the Modern Scandi when I played 1. e4 and had a 100% record against it at a time when it was surprisingly popular on the weekend Swiss circuit. I played the d4+c4 line but never ran into the Kiel variation (4…Nb4). Instead of 5. Qa4 there, 5. a3 N4c6; 6. d5 looks quite promising for white though, so I am not sure this is a scary option providing white just plays sensibly. I would be shocked if black would score even close to 80% from there aside from playing against much much weaker opponents. Personally I would hate to have to play the black side of that.
I also played the d4+c4 (Big Centre) line against 2…Qxd4 but here the trick is to insert 4. Nf3 before pushing the c pawn forward. If black continues in traditional Scandi style after this, white gets a serious advantage so black does best to bring the queen over to the kingside and exert pressure there, which makes for an interesting game. If both sides play to book, white gets a small advantage but nothing special. Nonetheless, it is far enough outside of standard Scandi positions that I found most opponents to be uncomfortable in this line allowing white to consolidate central control and eventually launch an attack while black tries to organise their counterplay. The typical variation runs 1. e4 d5; 2. ed Qxd5; 3. d4 Nf6; 4. Nf3 Bg4; 5. Be2 Nc6; 6. c4 Qh5; 7. Be3 0-0-0; 8. Nbd2, after which black chooses between 8…e5 and 8…e6. The highest level example of this I can find is Morozevich-Rogers (Bundesliga 1999), which white won in a sharp game after just 26 moves.
It's not nice to betray the Leonhardt gambit like this, it was such a useful tool in the past…
i like this line. I used to get murdered when playing black, trying to play along d4 d5 (and declined or not etc), but after a previous similar video you did, saccing two pawns, you gave me a great tool to cover my *most basic game repertoire as black*, as I really had nothing against 1.d4 when playing black, as the queens opening seemed such maze of variations.
This line is also very good, even though its a 1.e4 line, and seems thoroughly covered (i am a 3rd of the way through). Thank you Igor!
I usually punish this but now I'm in on it.
Can't believe your channel is very big now, i watched you since you were an International Master
Big thank you again Igor for this spectacular way to play the scandinavian opening for black i love so much cause too much good options for attacking players!
Increadible i love it спасибо
Bobby Fischer actually laughed when his opponent played this opening
I just started playing the scandi and I see this video THANK YOU IGOR
ICBM gambit: 🗿🗿🗿 tennison gambit:🗿🗿🗿🗿🗿🗿
But what if white doesn't take the pawn d5 at the first place?
@11:00 ha! that was great counter check there! black did pull off an Uno reverse card! 🔁
Wow! A lot of fun – and I had thought the Scandinavian was a waste of time.
What if someone plays pawn a3
Sir, excellent vdo launched by you. Thanks a lot.
I read an article about the Icelandic Gambit, the e6 pawn sac in the modern, in 1997 written by Kevin Spraggett, Canadian GM, about the Portuguese variation. I have been playing that set of lines OTB and of course in the past decade plus online exclusively against e4. This video is freaking GOLD for me. Its been a long time since I've been this excited about new lines!
Some traps I discovered on my own simply with thousands of online games, but some of these ideas wow, I may gain 100+ elo OTB if/when I ever play OTB classical again.
I used to play the Pirc, now that only happens when I mouse slip against e4.
New Subscriber!
bitter lines
Great video!
I just love the way Igor says "pin" ❤️