Nobody plays the Scandinavian at the higher levels.
What does it matter what Grandmasters play? The OP won't be facing Grandmasters, nor will he play like one.
I've never understood this weird "You can't play X opening because Magnus Carlsen doesn't play it" idea. You aren't Magnis Carlsen. Your opponent isn't Caruana.
Right.
I don't like the Scandinavian and I don't play it myself... I'm a Sicilian player... but I recognize that the Scandi is quite playable, especially at the club level.
Look you don't play an opening because it seems fancy or everyone plays it. Those considerations are best left for the GMs and IMs of the world.
As amateurs who are essentially only looking to have fun with chess, its important to play an opening that fits your style of play, even if it is not the 'perfect' opening.
So don't play 1. e4 c5 because yeah its a cool opening. Instead, first decide what kind of chess do you play. Flashing sack sack chess, or quiet defense first chess, and then find an opening around that style.
Do you like open positions, or closed positions, etc. Only you could find an opening around that.
Posting in a forum expecting you will find an opening is not the right way of going about that.
For the record I play e5 in response to e4 and I love the various options it gives me.
But Carlsen has played it, so don't use that excuse.
Yea, I forgot. He never chose the Sveshnikov over the Scandinavian in the 2018 WCC. My mistake.
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1768345
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1068107
Unplayable? Not convinced.
As I said, I don't like it and I don't play it... but that's not because I consider it unsound. I don't. I just don't enjoy the type of position that arises from it.
At your level, 1248, you should simply play e5. Either you will get a Ruy Lopez, Italian, or Scotch game. Other lines are amateurish and you should understand them before entering 1400 territory.
First Steps: 1 e4 e5
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7790.pdf
If you are looking for an opening with little theory required and only a few main continuations, why not the Scandinavian? 1. e4 d5
You end up in a formation similar to a Caro-Kann, but with fewer options for White.
Sure, you lose a tempo right in the opening after 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 but that's also true of the Sicilian, since after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 (or e6, or Nc6) 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 White's Pawn moved once and then disappeared, while Black's Pawn moved twice before disappearing... a clear loss of a move.
First Steps: The Scandinavian
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7777.pdf
I play either 1...e5 or 1...e6. Good enough. I used to play 1....d5 when I didn't want to study before a tournament. Results were mixed. About what you'd expect from such a dodgy reason to play anything.
"... A typical way of choosing an opening repertoire is to copy the openings used by a player one admires. ... However, what is good at world-championship level is not always the best choice at lower levels of play, and it is often a good idea to choose a 'model' who is nearer your own playing strength. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)
I play either 1...e5 or 1...e6. Good enough. ...
First Steps: The French
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7611.pdf
https://new.uschess.org/news/how-to-really-learn-an-opening-review-first-steps-the-french/
Does anybody have any recommendations on decent openings against e4? I've been playing the Sicilian and I win a little over half of my games, but that's mostly because I'm low rated playing against lower rated players. I actually have a tough time as black understanding the positions in the Sicilian and against anyone who knows what they're doing I usually drop a pawn early. (And literally nobody even enters into the Open Sicilian at 1200 so most videos I've found on it don't help much)
Also I've started doing tactical puzzles more (for the guy who's going to comment about how you shouldn't touch an opening until you've done 10,000 tactical puzzles)
looking for a recommendation on any books or videos on openings that are maybe a bit more positional in response to e4. Thank you in advance
if you want to play the sicilian well with black i advise you to play the English as white.
If you are looking for an opening with little theory required and only a few main continuations, why not the Scandinavian? 1. e4 d5
You end up in a formation similar to a Caro-Kann, but with fewer options for White.
Sure, you lose a tempo right in the opening after 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 but that's also true of the Sicilian, since after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 (or e6, or Nc6) 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 White's Pawn moved once and then disappeared, while Black's Pawn moved twice before disappearing... a clear loss of a move.
I've never thought of it like that. Interesting point. I'll look into a bit. thanks
Sure.
Everybody knows (but nobody seems to care, oddly enough) that Black loses a move right in the opening in the Sicilian: his c-Pawn moves twice and then gets captured, in return for a White Pawn that moved only once. Tempo lost.
Of course, there are more factors than that involved. There always are.
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If you are looking for an opening with little theory required and only a few main continuations, why not the Scandinavian? 1. e4 d5
You end up in a formation similar to a Caro-Kann, but with fewer options for White.
Sure, you lose a tempo right in the opening after 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 but that's also true of the Sicilian, since after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 (or e6, or Nc6) 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 White's Pawn moved once and then disappeared, while Black's Pawn moved twice before disappearing... a clear loss of a move.