The Scandinavian Defense for White

1.e4 d5

The Scandinavian Defense starts with 1.e4 d5: Black attacks your pawn on e4 at once. This course shows you how to meet it with White – built from master games and checked by Stockfish. You nearly always take with 2.exd5. Then Black has two roads: with 2...Qxd5 he wins the pawn back with the queen (a little over six games in ten), with 2...Nf6 he uses the knight (nearly four in ten). After 2...Qxd5 3.Nc3 you gain time because the queen has to move again – mostly to a5, less often to d6 or d8. Your plan is simple: d4, Nf3, bishop to c4, Bd2, Qe2 and castling long. After 2...Nf6 you play 3.d4, develop calmly and chase the knight away later with c4. The traps matter most: whoever puts the bishop on g4 early and answers h3 with Bh5 will feel g4 and often h4–h5 – the bishop gets hunted or trapped.

Every attack on the black queen is a free tempo: Nc3, later Bd2 with a knight discovery, Bf4 or Nc4.
Against the queen on a5, Bd2 is the key move: it breaks the pin on the knight c3, and every knight move uncovers an attack on the queen.
When the black bishop is on g4, ask with h3. After Bxf3 you have the bishop pair, after Bh5 you hunt it with g4, Ne5 and h4–h5.
In the main line you castle long (O-O-O): the rook is on the d-file at once, and with g4 and f4 you gain space on the kingside.
After 2...Nf6 the centre is yours: d4, castling short and later c4 drive the knight from d5; with d5 you can open the centre at the right moment.