Center Counter?

I have noticed that more and more people are responding to 1...e4 with d5. Any explanation for this increase?

it is simple and strong?

Do you mean they respond to 1.e4 with d5 or do you mean that they respond to 1...e5 with d4?

1.e4 d5

Disadvantages:- 1. Pretty passive. 2. No aggressiveness. 3. Tempo lost after exd5 Qxd5 Nc3. 4. Queen brought out early. 5. Move a piece twice. Some more too...

Advantages:-

1. Less theory. 2. Drawish. 3. Out of book very early.

I think the disadvantages outplay the advantages, and d5 is inferior to c5, e5, e6, c6, d6 (maybe) and Nf6.

Tons of people play this in blitz or bullet though.

MuhammadAreez10 wrote:

1.e4 d5

Disadvantages:- 1. Pretty passive. 2. No aggressiveness. 3. Tempo lost after exd5 Qxd5 Nc3. 4. Queen brought out early. 5. Move a piece twice. Some more too...

Advantages:-

1. Less theory. 2. Drawish. 3. Out of book very early.

I think the disadvantages outplay the advantages, and d5 is inferior to c5, e5, e6, c6, d6 (maybe) and Nf6.

Sorry but black can also play 2...Nf6 which is much better than 2..Qxd5.

I just played this as white in an online game recently. Is another name for it the Scandinavian opening? Interestingly enough, I have not seen it much in my own blitz games so to the OP, I can't substantiate your observation within my chess games experience, but it could be very well be in yours. Did you like playing against it? 

I am thoroughly confused as to why everybody is assuming that the OP is asking about the Scandinavian Defence and not the Centre Game. Even after I pointed out that he could mean either...

I usually reply (as white) to 2...NF6 with Bb5+ and then if black blocks it with Bd7, move my bishop to c4. Black usually follows up with b5 pushing white bishop to b3, and after a few developing moves, black can get the gambited pawn back, but white usually ends up with a slightly better pawn structure and the majority in the center. But again, there is a lot of "usually" in my post, real games can be quite different.

The correct reply to Bc4 after the black bishop moves to d7 is Bg4.

I think since the thread is titled center counter and not center game people assume that is the opening in question, but it does have a question mark.

I play 1...d5, in response to 1.e4.  For several reason:

1. After: 1.e4 d5 2.ed Nf6 3.c4 I get the Icelandic gambit

2. After: 1.e4 d5 2.ed Nf6 3.d4 I get the pawn back

3. After: 1.e4 d5 2.e5 I get a French Advance Variation

All work out very well.

That could very easily be a mistake, nobody calls the Scandinavian Defence by that name. Lets be honest, nothing that a guy rated such as the OP says, following "I have noticed that more and more..." has any credibility. How long could he have possibly played chess for?

That's probably true too, I've never experienced such reply though, I guess mainly because of "dont move the same piece twice in the opening" logic by black. And if white replies to Bg4 with c4 and eventual Nf3, does black take the knight and doubles white's pawns or just continues with development?

Many people in the US who are older call the Scandinavian Defense the Center Counter. Smith wrote an opening manual with that title back in the '70's.

Of course, why didn't I think of that? Now that I think about it, the fact that you have twice read "1...e4" as "1.e4" clearly proves that.

Also the center counter defense is way more interesting to play than the center game.