Why are people annoyed by Scandinavian Defence?

NM darkunorthodox88 wrote:

"want to go further? play the qd8 variation of the scandinavian. white gets an undeniable big advantage, but it is not refuted."

And you too may end up like Karl Robatsch in a famous book such as Bobby Fischer:  My 60 Memorable Games

this is not the best way to play the qd8 scandinavian. you should play like a caro.

unfortunately

I would be happy if White plays this "Knight on the left" opening.

this is why you almost always play ng3 before nf3

my suggestion is to play the 4.g3 variation. delay d4 to not make it a target and be ready to harrass the queen bishop via ne2-nf4 or nh4. nice clean advantage.

This thread caught me by surprise,I didn't know the Scadinavian was considered annoying.I expect a brawl playing against it.

I kinda feel insulted when people play the scandi against me, like they're trying to actively insult my intelligence.

I still call it the "Center Counter Defense." It doesn't deserve a name.

How do you even see the Scandinavian if you play 1. Nf3?

Scandinavian defense and Sicilian defense are Scary. Also known as Viking and Mafia Defense

It's a defense gaining popularity.

I like the fact that a lot of people really don't know the theory, which will probably change once it achieves a certain level of popularity. (if that happens)

I play 3...Qa5 what is called the Anderssen Var which is currently known as the main line (although the Melts Var 3...Qd6 is challenging that)

One of the positives is White gives Black a good game if he tries to avoid it. And the fact the Scandinavian is tailor made to smash the Blackmere-Diemer Gambit ! using natural developing moves no less!!!

I don't view the Queen going to a5 as a wasted tempo. IMO it acts as a lure, for white to attack, resulting in familiar positions.

IMO Nf3 lines are innocuous... usually White has some hack idea of attacking the bishop at f5, the only danger Black is in.. is if he/she looses their grip on the white squares in the center (which I have done a time or too)

In the 3...Qa5 var Both 8.Nd5 & 8.Ne4 currently are very popular and leads to positions very much similar to the Bronstien-Larsen Var in the Caro-Kann . IMO those two and the main line with 8...Bb4 gives Black decent play.

If your learning the Center Counter ... you really have to understand White's d pawn and it going to d3 or d4. (the strategies Black should adopt for either)

Compared to the Caro-Kann (because they are close in pawn structures) IMO ... with my very limited 1400 elo level comprehension. The Scandinavian is more active than the Caro-Kann at the cost of positional play and defensive resources. IMO the Caro-Kann is more positional and more balanced.

I like to play both... I think of the Scandinavian as the Kann's northern brother ... who get's a little wild at times

Those interested in playing the Center Counter defense (the Scandinavian 3...Qa5) I recommend the Following:

"The Essential Center Counter" by Andrew Martin. 

In between a beginning primer and a technical manual. It's probably the best book currently on the 3...Qa5 var (if anything because he explains the defense with practical OTB play in mind.

"The Scandinavian " (2nd addition) by John Emms  It covers all variations of the Scandinavian... that said, the 110 pages dedicated to 3...Qa5 are very solid (I use Emms and Martin's books and bounce back and forth looking at different lines for Black and how they addressed various White's ideas.

"The Modern Scandinavian" by Wahls, Muller & Langrock A technical manual consisting of 386 pages all dedicated to 3...Qa4

My recommendation for 3...Qa5 is the repertoire book The Scandinavian for Club Players by Thomas Willemze, published in 2021. I like the layout and I like that he not only presents a repertoire but also teaches guidelines for understanding. For example, he teaches that exchanging pieces is a very important technique in playing the Scandinavian. Included is 3 Nf3, 3 d4, 2 Nc3, 2 e5, 2 d4.

As players get stronger, and acquire more experience, I suspect the "annoyance" factor against various defences or openings starts to diminish simply because fewer openings/defences will fall into the "I haven't really had time to look at that yet" category - although, chess players can be quite emotional at times! . Early on, one has to focus on becoming familiar with a limited set of openings as White, and often the mind-set is to play the "Italian" or "Scotch" etc from the very first move of 1. e4, and when Black thwarts that idea, the player with the White pieces gets annoyed. It's as if their entire "opening study" is for naught. )
Basically, if someone gets "annoyed" by an opening, it probably is signally that they recognize they are unprepared for it, and it is telling them they will have to spend some of their time learning how to play against it when they would rather spend their time learning another variation of their "preferred opening". I think that's why some people get "annoyed" at the London. They have been working on how to play against the Queen's Gambit, and just don't like the idea that White is just going to pretty much ignore them and set up the way they want, and it is not like they can do anything to immediately punish White for ignoring them.
And as someone mentioned, for a long time the Scandinavian (Centre-Counter) was seen as a poor way for Black to play, and I think some people see it as a sign of disrespect (i.e. I can play this rubbish opening against you). However, since those times, it has been shown to be more solid than it was originally considered to be. And while White can gain some tempo against Black's Queen, it's not like there's any immediate way to turn that into a winning advantage, and often Black does just fine and equalizes the position. And in the end, Black has actually obtained their primary objective if they can get to an equal position at the end of the opening phase. Sure, it's nice if you can secure some sort of an advantage, but that is both sides ideal outcome, which both sides try and ensure the other cannot achieve, resulting in best play generally producing equal positions no matter what opening is being played.

I think it's annoying because a lot of white players don't really have anything to aim at like they usually do in an e4 opening and so don't know how to proceed very well. The Scandanavian basically forces white to play what is much more like a d4 opening if he wants to keep the white advantage.

If any opening or defense annoys a player - it's probably because they aren't sure what to do.

So the solution is to study it until you understand how to handle it comfortably. Then the annoyance factor should disappear completely ...

Wouldn't work with me .. I'm primarily a 1.d4 player ... and I return 1.d4 with 1...d5.

I suspect most Center Counter aficionados are just... (It's the pawn structures that attract us to the defence