Can anyone show me a way to carry a successful opposite side castling attack in scandinavian?

Hello everyone,

I have been trying out scandinavian for a few games and I like it very much. Problem is I don't know if I want to castle king side and play it safe, or castle queenside and carry out opposite side castling attack in scandinavian. I will show you what I mean. This below scenario commonly occurs in the few games I played. 

Hopefully this helps.

You should castle on the opposite side when at least one of the following factors is true:

1. When you are up in development and your opponent has already castled, you should consider castling in the opposite side. That way you will have a clear game plan and will also be able to capitalize on your development advantage.
2. When you have a damaged pawn structure (doubled paws, missing pawns, far advanced pawns, etc.) on one of the sides you should consider castling on the other side.
3. When opponent’s pieces are especially active on one side of the board, it is usually best to castle on the opposite side.
4. If you want to complicate the game you may consider this option. That may be true if you must play for a win due to a tournament situation, when the draw is not enough. Also that maybe done when you're playing against a stronger opponent, who is much better in simple/technical positions. That maybe your best bet.

You should not castle on the opposite sides when at least one of the following factors in true:

1. When you are behind in development and you need extra time to develop your pieces, it is usually not a good idea to give your opponent a straight forward way of launching an attack.
2. When the opponent’s pawns are advanced towards the side you’re about to castle, it is not a good idea to castle there (especially if the opponent’s king is castled on the opposite side). It will just give him a positional edge in the attack.
3. When there are open/semi-open files in-front of the side you’re about to castle, you should probably reconsider your decision to castle there (especially if your opponent has castled on the other side). That will give him more attacking possibilities, such as rook lifts, various sacrifices, doubling of pieces on the file, etc.
4. If you playing against a weaker opponent you may want to avoid castling opposite sides, in order to avoid sharp game and keep everything under control.

Note: These are general rules, not laws, meaning that there are always exceptions to them. When you’re making a decision what side to castle you should always take your time and evaluate all “pros” and “cons” and base your decision upon your own analysis. This is a very important decision. It pretty much dictates which way the game will continue. Take your time and think twice.

"Main problem is it takes time for my queen to come to king side..."
Your queen is already pointing at the kingside: b8-h2 diagonal.

Hey thanks for all the replies. 

@IM bacon: Thanks so much for taking your time for a detailed response. Very helpful, I'll keep those points in mind and will definitely do that rook move first if the opportunity rises again.

To clarify what i meant when I said "Main problem is it takes time for my queen to come to king side...". Even though it is aiming at the diagonal  there are no prospective attacks I just wish I could get my dark squared bishop on f8 behind my queen diagonal so I am aiming at a check mate, or any chance I could get my queen to the open g file where it will be a monster. However your moves were pretty good for me to me better next time when I'm faced with this and obviously you can't force things in chess much, must go with the flow. 

The line the OP gives isn't even White's best.  He should play 7.Bd2 intending Nd5 and Nxf6.  The Queen usually goes to e2, and actually, White often castles Queenside if he does not carry out that Knight Maneuver.

Glad to help.  But i guess it would also be helpful to explain how i came up with those moves :-)

I am all about keeping things simple, and explaining things.  This is obviously not everyone's best way to learn, but it works for me.  So now we can break this down even more.

Middlegame Planning:

1. Expand your position:
    a. Gain more space.
    b. Improve the position of your pieces.

2. Decide on what side of the board to play.
     a. Queenside: a-c files.
     b. Center: d-e files.
     c. Kingside: f-h files.
3. Compare, space, material, and weakness(es).

4. DO NOT HURRY. Regroup your pieces, and be patient.

Play through the position at move 12 for black using this, and see what you come up with.  Best of luck to you!

@IM bacon: Thanks I will keep that in mind

@Thriller fan: You are correct  I have faced that line with stronger opponents. What is your recommendation then, if this typical trade occcurs in the variation you mentioned and white castles king side. 

Here is one game, but White gets the attack and wins

https://www.chesshere.com/forums_topic.php?id=87964 

@epicgamerandy 

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