The 10 Most Crushing Scandinavian Wins

Dear chess friends,

I am very excited to share with you ten of the most crushing wins in 30 moves or less for Black in the Scandinavian Defence! 

Something that all of these wins (with one exception) have in common is that White was rated 2700+ FIDE in each game! Among the names we'll see in today's video are World Champions like Carlsen, Kramnik, Anand and Karpov, along with World Championship finalists like Nepomniachtchi and Karjakin, and speed chess demons like Hikaru and Naroditsky! Here's my new YouTube video featuring these stars' games:


To get the most out of the games, I will share 10 puzzles (one from each game), giving you the chance to find the moves that set up victory against elite opposition! 

Game 1 - Gashimov-Kramnik, World Blitz Championship 2009

Our first game features a former World Champion playing against the late Gashimov, a very creative attacking player who had a FIDE rating of 2758 at the time of this game. After a creative opening with a kingside fianchetto, Kramnik ended up in this position, with Black to move (yes this is a puzzle):

Well done if you solved it! 

For those wondering how to access the PGN with each of the ten games fully annotated - I have included them as a bonus in my newly launched course 'Play The Strongest Scandinavian In 2025' - click here for the details. 

Game 2 - Karjakin-Dubov

Our second game sees Dubov come up with a completely new approach to the 3...Qd6 Scandinavian, getting a winning position vs. Karjakin (rated 2752 FIDE at the time of the game) within the first 13 moves! 

Can you find the key continuation for Black, to move, from here? 

If you're wondering how we got to this point - the diagram in the cover image for this post gives a hint  

Game 3 - Nepomniachtchi-Carlsen, Tata Steel India Blitz 2019

Our next game sees the then World Champion (and GOAT) convincingly defeat a 2773-rated Nepomniachtchi, by playing a standard development scheme for the Scandinavian, then calling all of Nepo's bluffs. 

What would you play here as Black, to move? 

(If you get stuck, play 23...Rfd8 to continue with the puzzle as intended). 

Game 4 - Ivanchuk-Karpov, Cap D'Agde Rapid 2013

This example features a bit of a swindle after Karpov's opening 'bluff' against Ivanchuk backfired. After dominating the early middlegame, Ivanchuk made a blunder to end up in this position, with Black to move: 

Well done if you found the answer This game is a major reason why I ultimately decided to cover several additional ways to play the 3...Qd6 Scandinavian in my 2025 update to 'Play The Strongest Scandinavian'. 

Game 5 - Anand-Mamedyarov, Paris GCT Rapid 2019

This next game sees a former World Champion, in Anand, lose against the Scandinavian in just 24 moves! Granted, this rapid game was far from perfect, but the move Mamedyarov found here was nonetheless quite nice! Black to play:

Although the game was very back and forth, Black came out of the opening with a healthy position, confirming the reliable reputation of the modern 'Laznicka Variation' with 5...Bf5. 

Game 6 - Yu Yangyi-Mamedyarov, Global Chess League Rapid 2023 

This game shows how to deal with White harassing our bishop with g4, which is a common theme in the 5.Bc4/5.Bd2 variations of the 3...Qa5 Scandinavian. There are quite a few interesting moments, but I've ultimately gone with one from the middlegame for this puzzle, with Black to play: 

In the end, Black was rewarded for their dynamic and enterprising play with a 26-move win against a FIDE 2734-rated GM. 

Game 7 - Wei Yi-Ivanchuk, Hoogeven 2017 (Blitz Playoff)

This game decided the winner of the Hoogeven 2017 tournament, as Ivanchuk only needed a draw to win the match, but went one better and won in just 18 moves after Wei Yi (FIDE 2740 when the game was played) mishandled a thematic Scandinavian middlegame. 

Can you find the sequence of moves that ultimately gave Ivanchuk the win? Black to play. 

While the opening was a bit shaky from Black, the game shows how Black will often end up in quite a comfortable position if White doesn't find a direct way to exert early pressure, due to White's lack of a clear pawn break. 

Game 8 - Naroditsky-Le Tuan Minh, Chess.com Bullet 2022

This game is a bit of a special one, as although it's the one game not featuring a 2700+ FIDE GM, one could reasonably argue that Naroditsky is in the top 5 greatest bullet players of all time. And in this game, GM Le Tuan Minh ('wonderfultime' on Chess.com) convincingly punishes some natural but flawed moves by White. 

Can you do the same? Black to play. 

For what it's worth, I also make copious use of online games in 'Play The Strongest Scandinavian In 2025' to demonstrate key middlegame and endgame ideas, and show how to punish typical mistakes by White.

While such blitz/bullet games are not of the same objective quality as classical games, I find them more indicative of how most of your opponents will play in actual games. Furthermore, the ideas tend to be presented much more clearly in blitz games between Grandmasters, compared to classical games, making them a great learning tool for the average player. 

Game 9 - Movsesian-Nakamura, Banska Stiavnica 2010

This next game is a somewhat older example, which I actually analyze in full in 'Play The Strongest Scandinavian In 2025'. Here I focus more on the key position of the game, which makes a great puzzle! Black to move here: 

Movsesian was around his peak during this game (2723 FIDE), so it's no small feat to win in just 28 moves with Black. 

Game 10 - Firouzja-Giri, Bullet Chess Losers Chess.com 2024

Our final game is a bit of a fun one - while most of your games against the Tennison Gambit will be bullet games where White foolishly premoved 2.Nf3, the arising position from this game makes a good calculation/counting exercise. Black to play!

As I also mentioned in the previous blog, White's alternatives to 2.exd5 simply give Black extremely good play. 

Summary, Conclusion And Next Steps

As you just saw, I took the ten most instructive positions from my new video, and shared them as puzzles for you, so that you can not only see how strong players were defeated with the Scandinavian, but to give you the confidence that you can play similar situations well in your own games. 

One of the things I love about the Scandinavian is that there are so many reasonable ways to play it, as you can see by the list of variations from the ten games we just saw:

I cover these approaches in 'Play The Strongest Scandinavian In 2025', among some others  

My mission is to make your life much easier against 1.e4, so that you never have to fear 1.e4 again. By playing the Scandinavian, which can be played in whatever way suits your style, you only have to master one type of position - rather than several - and can be confident you'll be more comfortable in the opening, middlegame and endgame than your opponent. 

And as you can see from my coaching style in this post and video, I don't just teach you the opening, but also make your entire game better (opening, middlegame and endgame), so that you can enjoy better results in your games and an improvement in your chess rating. 

My launch for 'Play The Strongest Scandinavian In 2025' at the discount price concludes on March 12, 2025, so I'd recommend getting in while the discount is on! 


My free value here will get you started, but the course is what will bring you the real improvement and results you're after. We already have over 50 satisfied students, and we'd love to have you join us!