Portuguese puzzles to make White cry

In this article, I'm going to talk about one of my favorite defenses, which I often recommend to my students for playing with black, especially if they have an aggressive spirit: the Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Gambit. It starts with the moves 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Bg4 4. f3 Bf5 5. g4. It's a very dynamic defense that allows black to develop their pieces quickly in exchange for material. However, it's true that you need to be quite agile in dynamic play to master it, as it offers many tactical opportunities.

Although many consider the Scandinavian a dubious variant for black in high-level tournaments, personally, it's the line I've been playing since I resumed serious games. Why? It's simple: I'm currently fully dedicated to teaching chess and have little time for my own training. Because of this, I decided to choose a dynamic and easy-to-master line. A friend, an International Master, recommended it to me, assuring me that he played it for a while and it was his main line in a tournament where he obtained his International Master title.

One of the main strengths of this opening is the early pressure it puts on white. In this article, I'm not going to focus on the opening lines because I will concentrate on some tactical ideas. However, if you want to delve deeper into the theory, I recommend two books, depending on your level. My First Chess Opening Repertoire for Black (for beginners) and SMERDON’S SCANDINAVIAN (for advanced players).

Now let's take a look to a few positions when you can see how black pieces manage to get better by doing really interesting sacrifices.

 I hope you enjoyed this article and can apply these tactical ideas in your future games, especially if you play the Portuguese. See you around, and be prepared if your opponents try this against you!