BRB #2 | Scandinavian Defense: 3...Qd6 Bronstein Variation
The Scandinavian Defense is one of the oldest recorded chess openings in history, with the general goal being to prevent white from establishing control of the center of the board by using pawns usually forcing an open game, while also allowing black to build a stable pawn structure. In this blog-post I will be analyzing a particular line of this opening, known as the Gubinsky-Melts Defense. This line is also known as the Bronstein Variation.
This variation offers a different response to 3. Nc3, rather than the more popular moves such as 3...Qa5 or 3...Qd8. So, this particular line occurs with the following moves:
- 1. e4, d5
- 2. exd5, Qxd5
- 3. Nc3, Qd6
The most popular reply for white here is 4. d4, and the line continues:
- 4. d4, Nf6
- 5. Nf3, a6 (Preventing the knight from coming to b5 to attack the Queen, c6 is an alternative.)
- 6. g3
g3 is a very natural move for white to play in this position, aiming to take advantage of black's queen, oddly placed on the d6 square. A move like g3 prepares for multiple things:
- Developing the light-squared bishop, most likely a fianchetto.
- The dark-squared bishop coming to f4, to attack the exposed queen on d6.
- Preparing to castle on the king-side.
In this line of the Scandinavian, castling queen-side is usually best; so black should continue by developing the light-squared bishop with 6... Bg4, notice how this pins white's knight to the queen. White will likely respond with 7. Bg2, to fianchetto the bishop and prepare to castle. After this, replying with 7... Nc6 is natural, to prepare to castle as well. (8. O-O, O-O-O)
Turn 9 Variations
- 9. h3
If white plays h3 to attack the the light-squared bishop on g4, although trading on f3 may seem effective, it actually provides many attacking ideas for white. So, a safer option here is to respond by retreating with 9... Bh5. Don't capture the Knight, it's better to retreat the bishop in this position.
- 9. d5
White could also push the d pawn, attacking the knight on c6. In this position, a good response is 9... Nce5. White will likely respond with 10. Bf4, and here a lot of material will be traded down. At first glance, it may seem that the bishop on f4 has pinned blacks knight to the queen, however, 10... Nxf3+ is a check, and this continues;
- 11. Bxf3, Bxf3 (Offering an exchange of queens, favorable for black in this position.)
- 12. Qxf3, e5
Here, white has two options: either move the dark-squared bishop under attack on f4, or capture the e5 pawn via en passant, followed by the queen taking back on e6. If en passant occurs, and white plays 14. Re1, attacking black's queen, a good reply for black would be 14... Qf5, pinning white's bishop to the queen momentarily. Overall, this is a very good position for black.
- 9. Bf4
The most common move for white to make here is to bring the dark-squared bishop to f4, attacking black's queen. The correct response here is 9... Qb4. Here, the queen still holds it's pressure on white's d4 pawn, and is removed from danger. If white responds with 10. a3, it may seem tempting to capture the seemingly hanging b2 pawn, but white can actually obtain a positional advantage if this is played. After a3, black replies with 10... Qc4, still pressuring the d4 pawn. This position is strong for black, and the d4 pawn is inevitably going to fall.
A possible move from white in this position is 11. h3, attacking black's bishop on g4. Here, black strikes in the center with 11... Rxd4. This attacks white's queen on the d1 square, and if white chooses to capture the rook with the knight on f3, then the white queen falls to the bishop on g4. So, white will instead likely play a move such as 12. Qc1, guarding it's dark-squared bishop.
These were just a few ideas to consider in the general opening theory of the Bronstein Variation, and I definitely plan to spend more time learning about the Scandinavian Defense very soon. I might read more about the main line, 3... Qa5! More blogs to come in the future! 
