Why Australian GMs Love The Scandinavian
Why Aussie GMs Love The Scandinavian
Dear chess friends,
Today I will share with you why Australian Grandmasters (especially, Rogers, Smerdon and myself) love the Scandinavian Defence against 1.e4!
We'll see a lot of fun examples, including a win of mine against a very strong player at the end!
Before we get to that, here's the latest YouTube video, where I share my experiences playing the Scandinavian up to 2021:
As I mention in the video, my launch of 'Play The Strongest Scandinavian In 2025' is coming to an end, with less than 18 hours (at the time of posting this) until the price of the course goes up.
With over 80 training videos in the course already (and several more being included in the coming days), you're paying only a bit over $1 per Grandmaster training video - clearly an absolute bargain. Check it out here 
Our first expert is GM Ian Rogers, who actually taught me the Scandinavian (mostly focusing on the 3...Qd6 version I discussed in yesterday's email and video) in our very first private chess lesson, back in late 2004. Later on, I worked with him closely from 2007 to 2013, and he had a big influence on my playing style, both in his extremely tricky approach to chess, and his ability to find interesting ideas in a wide range of positions.
In fact, Rogers's first Australian Championship title (in 1980) can partly be attributed to his Scandi win with Black against one of the very top Australian players of the time, FM Douglas Hamilton:
Rogers started with his pet 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 Scandinavian. Hamilton played safely with 7.Be2, but as I pointed out in my earlier YouTube video on the ten most common Scandinavian mistakes, quiet play by Black gives Black a comfortable position in the middlegame, like we see in the diagram. Rogers created counterplay in the centre with 14...c5!, fighting for the advantage by targeting White's open king, and ultimately going on to win the game.
Here's a moment from another of Rogers's wins, this time against Chinese GM Zhang Zhong at the Saintly Cup Sydney 1999:
From this improved version of the 9...gxf6 old main line (where Rogers's going his own way with ...Bg4-h5-g6 led to White weakening his structure with g4), Rogers could have equalized with the direct 14...Bxd3 15.Qxd3 c5, but instead kept the tension with 14...a5!?, using the rook's pawns to create chances - a middlegame technique I often use to this day in my games.
It paid off handsomely, as White immediately erred with 15.Nh4?, when 15...Qd5! 16.Rg1 Bxd3 17.Qxd3 Nc4 18.Bc1 a4 (followed by ...h5) would have given Black a clear advantage. But even with missing this opportunity, Black still went on to outplay his opponent and win the game.
Admittedly, this 5...Bg4 approach no longer works in the era of strong chess engines, as there's the additional problem that White's most natural moves are the strongest ones. Whereas in the 5...Nc6 variation, which I cover as an attacking weapon for crushing sub-2200's in 'Play The Strongest Scandinavian In 2025', the moves White has to find to prove an edge are much more difficult in comparison (as demonstrated by hundreds of IM Alex Reprintsev's games).
Play The Strongest Scandinavian In 2025! (Less Than 18 Hours Left)
Our second Aussie Scandinavian expert, GM David Smerdon, plays the Scandinavian in a different way, with 2...Nf6 3.d4 Bg4. As I talked about in my YouTube video about a week ago, 'My Favourite Gambit vs. 1.e4', Smerdon was in fact my inspiration for playing the Portuguese Gambit as Black.
The first Portuguese game of his I saw, which really inspired me, was his win with Black vs. WIM Laura Moylan at the 2003 Australian Junior Masters:
Despite not playing the opening optimally, Smerdon gained interesting attacking chances from a middlegame pawn sacrifice, and in this position, Smerdon showed his tactical flair with the beautiful 21...Rxf3!?, winning the game in style with 22.gxf3 Nf4 23.Kh1 Re1!!, and White is unable to defend both ...Qxf3 and 24.Qc4 Qg5 followed by ...Qg2 mate without further material loss.
Another great Smerdon win, which I only discovered while preparing 'Play The Strongest Scandinavian In 2025', was a crushing win against Filipino GM Mark Paragua in the 2004 World Junior Championship:
Smerdon lit the board on fire here with 13...Nfg4!!, intending 14.fxe5 Qh4 15.h3 Bc5 16.Kh1 Qxg3 17.Qxg4 Qxg4 18.hxg4 Bxf1 19.Bf4 a6 20.Rxf1 axb5 21.Nxb5 c6 22.Nc3 with a dynamically balanced position.
Instead, Paragua fell victim to yet another Smerdon attacking brilliancy with 14.Nce4? Qh4 15.h3 Bc5 16.Nxc5 Qxg3 17.hxg4 Bxf1 18.Qxf1 Nxg4 19.Qf3 Qe1 20.Qf1 Qh4 21.Qf3 c6! 22.g3 Qh2 23.Kf1 Rae8!, and with ...Re2!! threatened for a mate, White's king was promptly hunted down and killed.
Discover How You Can Win Games Like This Too
To conclude our 'mass value', I'll share with you a few of my very best wins with the Scandinavian. The first game was against a 3106 bullet player on another server, where I equalized out of the opening, then ran into trouble, only to swindle my opponent anyway by throwing all my pieces at his king:
In this position, I played 22...Ng5!, threatening ...Nxh3 and checkmating with the queen on h2. Even if White had played 23.Qd5 to pin the knight, Black would still have the beautiful 23...Rf3!! (which I saw in advance) to force our way through to h3, with a crushing attack. In the game, White soon got mated after 23.Rae1 Rxe1 24.Rxe1 Nxh3 25.gxh3 Qxh3 26.Kg1 Qh2 27.Kf1 Rxf2 28.Bxf2 Qxf2.
in our second game, I win a clean pawn in just nine moves against a 3031 bullet opponent on another server:
My opponent was evidently confused by the Shimanov Scandinavian with 3...Qe5 (which I do cover in 'Play The Strongest Scandinavian In 2025'), not only playing the weird 6.h3 (which I just met with the creative 6...Nc6!?), but overextending himself with 7.d5? Nb4 8.Nf4 Bf5!, and now after missing the only move to avoid a big disadvantage with 9.Bb5, White blundered with 9.Nd3? Nbxd5, and I comfortably converted my extra pawn from here.
I believe one reason players struggle against the Scandinavian is because they immediately find themselves in an open fight in the centre, which many opponents aren't ready for at all.
Our final game sees me playing against an anonymous player who, at a blitz rating of 2976, was the highest-rated blitz player on the aforementioned server at the time. It felt incredible to defeat him by a score of 4-1 in our unrated blitz match, and this swindle in the Scandinavian, in 'Abdusattorov style', contributed significantly to that result:
Objectively speaking, White has a substantial advantage here (as I misplayed the early middlegame with 15...Qc7?! instead of 15...0-0-0!), but White's open king means that Black still has practical chances. After 27.Qh3??, I actually missed a free piece with 27...Qe4!, though I still managed to trick my opponent a second time after 27...Qxg5? 28.Bg4 Kc7 29.f4 Rxf4! 30.Rxf4 Qxf4 31.Bxd7 Qe4 32.Kh2 Rf2 33.Kg1 Rf3!, and the threat of ...Rg3 gave Black a decisive attack (I checkmated White's king in 6 more moves).
If I had played 'standard' main line openings, my opponent (who is clearly a Super-GM on an anonymous account) would have simply outplayed me with their superior knowledge of the arising middlegames (as I am not playing chess professionally anymore).
Instead, I got our 'titan' on my home ground, which allowed me to instead outplay him. And I'm not the only one to adopt this approach - this is how players like Naroditsky, Martinez, Bortnyk, Tang and others hold their own against some of the very best players in the world.
Play The Strongest Scandinavian In 2025 (Course Details)
At 11:59pm PST (GMT-7) on Wednesday, 12th March, 'Play The Strongest Scandinavian In 2025' will cost $147.
I've shared my love for the Scandinavian, ideas and personal experience not just into the public material and videos I've shared over the last week, but also in the course itself.
Here's a list of some more of my Scandinavian content over the last week:
- The 10 Most Crushing Scandinavian Wins
- This Black Opening Destroys Players Below 2200
The 10 Best Games Of A Leading Scandinavian Expert:
Top 10 Scandinavian Mistakes You Must Avoid:
ZERO Mistakes In The Scandinavian Defence:
As a reminder, the reason we play the Scandinavian and get such great results with it (when we learn it from a Scandinavian expert and top trainer) is because the Scandinavian:
- Is easy to learn and play;
- Has huge surprise value (even most GMs aren't ready for it);
- Is simple to master (with just one structure to understand);
- Suits players of all styles (from dynamic to solid);
- Became my best-performing defence to 1.e4;
- Is tricky for White, giving Black good play against natural moves.
Here's your last chance to 'Play The Strongest Scandinavian In 2025' (at the discounted price). 
