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Some hyper aggressive lines against Scandinavian??

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Avatar of Chessflyfisher
Chessflyfisher
Jun 16, 2025
0
#41

Although the Scandinavian Defence is rather insulting to White, one must not get carried away with thinking that the "punishment" must come quickly. Just play solidly and their house of cards will come tumbling down! Years ago, I used to let young kids take back 1...d5 and explained why I did not want to humiliate them. I only wanted to beat them but still have a respectable game. Anyway, a parent complained to the TD in the last tournament I did this and I stopped doing that. In my Chess club, if any of our guys ever play 1...d5 in match play in this league we belong to, they are "benched" for the next 2 matches even if they manage to win. We will not insult Chess onmy watch! Mic drop!

Avatar of pcalugaru
pcalugaru
Jun 16, 2025
0
#42
Chessflyfisher wrote:

Although the Scandinavian Defence is rather insulting to White, one must not get carried away with thinking that the "punishment" must come quickly. Just play solidly and their house of cards will come tumbling down! Years ago, I used to let young kids take back 1...d5 and explained why I did not want to humiliate them. I only wanted to beat them but still have a respectable game. Anyway, a parent complained to the TD in the last tournament I did this and I stopped doing that. In my Chess club, if any of our guys ever play 1...d5 in match play in this league we belong to, they are "benched" for the next 2 matches even if they manage to win. We will not insult Chess onmy watch! Mic drop!

Ok... for sake of discussion

Can you show a solid line that makes Black's defense come tumbling down like a house of cards?

It's been my experience that if White can't establish an advantage in the initial phase of the opening with his tempo and in some cases space advantage, Black catches up around move 8 (give or take...) it's about equal in most lines (or.... the result is a complex position where the better prepared wins the day. (I.e. no different than any other defense) 

Certainly there are pros and cons to the Center Counter Defense...  I'm not advocating that its "all that and a bag of chips"  It's currently not a 1st tier defense, yet... it's not been refuted in anyway...

I'm not even close to a titled player, but for a club player like myself... I think it's a solid defense.

Avatar of chessterd5
chessterd5
Jun 16, 2025
0
#43
pcalugaru wrote:
Chessflyfisher wrote:

Although the Scandinavian Defence is rather insulting to White, one must not get carried away with thinking that the "punishment" must come quickly. Just play solidly and their house of cards will come tumbling down! Years ago, I used to let young kids take back 1...d5 and explained why I did not want to humiliate them. I only wanted to beat them but still have a respectable game. Anyway, a parent complained to the TD in the last tournament I did this and I stopped doing that. In my Chess club, if any of our guys ever play 1...d5 in match play in this league we belong to, they are "benched" for the next 2 matches even if they manage to win. We will not insult Chess onmy watch! Mic drop!

Ok... for sake of discussion

Can you show a solid line that makes Black's defense come tumbling down like a house of cards?

It's been my experience that if White can't establish an advantage in the initial phase of the opening with his tempo and in some cases space advantage, Black catches up around move 8 (give or take...) it's about equal in most lines (or.... the result is a complex position where the better prepared wins the day. (I.e. no different than any other defense) 

Certainly there are pros and cons to the Center Counter Defense...  I'm not advocating that its "all that and a bag of chips"  It's currently not a 1st tier defense, yet... it's not been refuted in anyway...

I'm not even close to a titled player, but for a club player like myself... I think it's a solid defense.

It is a solid defense. I switch between the Scandinavian and the Caro kann all the time. I like to view the Scandinavian as a Caro kann with active piece play.

Avatar of TheSonics
TheSonics
Jun 19, 2025
0
#44
pcalugaru wrote:
Chessflyfisher wrote:

Although the Scandinavian Defence is rather insulting to White, one must not get carried away with thinking that the "punishment" must come quickly. Just play solidly and their house of cards will come tumbling down! Years ago, I used to let young kids take back 1...d5 and explained why I did not want to humiliate them. I only wanted to beat them but still have a respectable game. Anyway, a parent complained to the TD in the last tournament I did this and I stopped doing that. In my Chess club, if any of our guys ever play 1...d5 in match play in this league we belong to, they are "benched" for the next 2 matches even if they manage to win. We will not insult Chess onmy watch! Mic drop!

Ok... for sake of discussion

Can you show a solid line that makes Black's defense come tumbling down like a house of cards?

It's been my experience that if White can't establish an advantage in the initial phase of the opening with his tempo and in some cases space advantage, Black catches up around move 8 (give or take...) it's about equal in most lines (or.... the result is a complex position where the better prepared wins the day. (I.e. no different than any other defense) 

Certainly there are pros and cons to the Center Counter Defense...  I'm not advocating that its "all that and a bag of chips"  It's currently not a 1st tier defense, yet... it's not been refuted in anyway...

I'm not even close to a titled player, but for a club player like myself... I think it's a solid defense.

I agree with you, if White just hangs around Black will equalize comfortably, most likely enjoy some endgame pull... Here are a few ideas to play with, if you keep Black on the back foot with tempi, as you say, White should be fine. So i'd say it's not about these or other "lines", it's more like - know a few ideas that you play with, try to implement something similar, and a philosophy of preventing Black time to breath and simplification. 
 
Avatar of Malay_Singh
Malay_Singh
Jun 22, 2025
0
#45
TheSonics wrote:
I agree with you, if White just hangs around Black will equalize comfortably, most likely enjoy some endgame pull... Here are a few ideas to play with, if you keep Black on the back foot with tempi, as you say, White should be fine. So i'd say it's not about these or other "lines", it's more like - know a few ideas that you play with, try to implement something similar, and a philosophy of preventing Black time to breath and simplification. 
 

Thanks for sharing those ideas, can we say that sac'ing a pawn at early middlegame or so just to gain tempo is acceptable? You described it pretty nicely, does others agree with this?

Avatar of pcalugaru
pcalugaru
Jun 22, 2025
0
#46
TheSonics wrote:
pcalugaru wrote:
Chessflyfisher wrote:

Although the Scandinavian Defence is rather insulting to White, one must not get carried away with thinking that the "punishment" must come quickly. Just play solidly and their house of cards will come tumbling down! Years ago, I used to let young kids take back 1...d5 and explained why I did not want to humiliate them. I only wanted to beat them but still have a respectable game. Anyway, a parent complained to the TD in the last tournament I did this and I stopped doing that. In my Chess club, if any of our guys ever play 1...d5 in match play in this league we belong to, they are "benched" for the next 2 matches even if they manage to win. We will not insult Chess onmy watch! Mic drop!

Ok... for sake of discussion

Can you show a solid line that makes Black's defense come tumbling down like a house of cards?

It's been my experience that if White can't establish an advantage in the initial phase of the opening with his tempo and in some cases space advantage, Black catches up around move 8 (give or take...) it's about equal in most lines (or.... the result is a complex position where the better prepared wins the day. (I.e. no different than any other defense) 

Certainly there are pros and cons to the Center Counter Defense...  I'm not advocating that its "all that and a bag of chips"  It's currently not a 1st tier defense, yet... it's not been refuted in anyway...

I'm not even close to a titled player, but for a club player like myself... I think it's a solid defense.

I agree with you, if White just hangs around Black will equalize comfortably, most likely enjoy some endgame pull... Here are a few ideas to play with, if you keep Black on the back foot with tempi, as you say, White should be fine. So i'd say it's not about these or other "lines", it's more like - know a few ideas that you play with, try to implement something similar, and a philosophy of preventing Black time to breath and simplification. 
 

Just a couple of observations

Example No# 1 What happens if Black doesn't play 5...Nc6 I'll give that move a !? (GM Bauer in his "Play the Scandinavian also gives it the same) In the Mieses Var 3...Qa5 to play 5...Nc6 is asking for the example you gave (or something just like it)... so it's not played.

Example No# 2 What happens if Black plays the Bf5 and not Bg4? It's established theory that the b1-h7 diagonal is where the bishop belongs... little comes from pinning the Knight at f3... so most of my fellow Center Counter Defense enthusiast will not play Bg4.

In the spirit of not taking away from your post but contributing to it....

I just got my lunch ate, my wallet picked and possibly my birthday taken by this line ...

People who play the Center Counter Defense look at the early Queen moves by Black as a feint, to get White to play into positions they are familiar with. Here White ignores the Queen and just develops with further initiative in the center, My opponent played 8.g4 and after 8...Be4?! the game went down hill fast! In this line. IMHO..... If Black looses the WSB without getting any compensation from White ... he drifts into very passive positions! As a Center Counter Defense enthusiast.... I DO NOT LIKE it when White establishes his knight at e5 and storms forward with his pawns, forcing me to give up the WSB.

Avatar of TheSonics
TheSonics
Jun 22, 2025
0
#47
pcalugaru wrote:
 

Just a couple of observations

Example No# 1 What happens if Black doesn't play 5...Nc6 I'll give that move a !? (GM Bauer in his "Play the Scandinavian also gives it the same) In the Mieses Var 3...Qa5 to play 5...Nc6 is asking for the example you gave (or something just like it)... so it's not played.

Example No# 2 What happens if Black plays the Bf5 and not Bg4? It's established theory that the b1-h7 diagonal is where the bishop belongs... little comes from pinning the Knight at f3... so most of my fellow Center Counter Defense enthusiast will not play Bg4.

In the spirit of not taking away from your post but contributing to it....

I just got my lunch ate, my wallet picked and possibly my birthday taken by this line ...

People who play the Center Counter Defense look at the early Queen moves by Black as a feint, to get White to play into positions they are familiar with. Here White ignores the Queen and just develops with further initiative in the center, My opponent played 8.g4 and after 8...Be4?! the game went down hill fast! In this line. IMHO..... If Black looses the WSB without getting any compensation from White ... he drifts into very passive positions! As a Center Counter Defense enthusiast.... I DO NOT LIKE it when White establishes his knight at e5 and storms forward with his pawns, forcing me to give up the WSB.