Scandinavian Defense: Main Line and Anderssen Counterattack
Scandinavian Defense
Definition
The Scandinavian Defense (also called the Center Counter Defense) is a chess opening beginning with the moves: 1. e4 d5. Black immediately challenges the e-pawn instead of building up with …e6, …c6 or …c5. After the usual 2. exd5, Black can recapture with the queen (2…Qxd5) or develop a knight with 2…Nf6. The early queen excursion is the opening’s trademark feature.
Typical Usage and Plans
- Against 2…Qxd5 Black intends rapid development, usually withdrawing the queen to a5 or d6 after 3.Nc3.
- Against 2…Nf6 (the Anderssen Counterattack) Black plays for quick piece activity and sometimes accepts an isolated pawn.
- White normally seeks spatial advantage with d4, c4 and Nc3 while harassing the black queen.
Strategic Significance
The Scandinavian offers Black a direct and relatively forcing reply to 1.e4, removing much of White’s choice in the early center struggle. Its theoretical reputation has swung back and forth: once considered dubious because of the queen’s early outing, it is now fully respectable at master level, thanks to precise queen retreats and modern preparation.
Historic Notes
- One of the oldest recorded openings (Greco, 1619; Boncourt – de la Bourdonnais, 1834).
- Became fashionable in the 1990s when grandmasters like Curt Hansen and Ian Rogers employed it successfully.
- Magnus Carlsen used it in the 2012 World Blitz Championship—proving that even World Champions can embrace “early-queen” systems.
Illustrative Mini-Game
Mieses–Kotrč Variation (Main Line)
Definition
The Mieses–Kotrč Variation is the most popular branch of the Scandinavian Defense. It arises after:
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5
Origins of the Name
The line is named after German-British grandmaster Jacques Mieses (the first player formally awarded the GM title) and Czech master Vlastimil Kotrč, both early advocates of 3…Qa5.
Main-Line Continuation
- 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5
- 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 (or 5.Bc4) c6 6.Bc4 Bf5 7.Bd2 e6 — the so-called Main Line.
Strategic Ideas
- Black keeps the queen on a5 where it eyes both a2 and c3, supports …c5 breaks, and sidesteps tempos with Nc3-b5.
- White aims to build a classical pawn center (d4-e4-c4), drive the queen back with Bd2 or b4, and exploit development lead.
- The tabiya is rich in imbalances: opposite-side castling, the IQP (isolated queen pawn) for Black, or kingside pawn storms for White often occur.
Example Game
Caruana – Carlsen, Wijk aan Zee 2015: Carlsen equalized comfortably with the Mieses-Kotrč and eventually drew an opposite-colored-bishop ending. The game reinforced the line’s solidity at the highest level.
Fun Facts
- Mieses loved offbeat queen moves; in his eighties he still played 3…Qa5 in simultaneous exhibitions.
- Computer engines initially disliked 3…Qa5 but modern neural-net evaluations now rate it almost equal.
Main Line (opening theory)
Definition
In chess jargon, a Main Line is the sequence of moves currently considered most critical or theoretically important for both sides in a given opening. By contrast, alternative continuations are called sidelines, sub-variations, or off-beat lines.
How It Is Used
- Authors typically present a branching diagram where the bolded path is labelled “Main Line.”
- Players preparing for tournaments prioritize main-line study because it is what they are most likely to face.
- In notation, main lines are printed before parentheses; e.g., “5…c6 is the main line (while 5…g6!? is rare).”
Why Main Lines Matter
Opening theory is crowd-sourced; the line that grandmasters test most frequently becomes the main line when practical results and engines confirm its soundness. When a stunning novelty refutes or improves on it, the label can migrate to a new branch—illustrating chess’s evolving metagame.
Illustrative Example
In the Najdorf Sicilian the move 6.Bg5 is still treated as the main line, even though 6.Be3 and 6.Bc4 score well. Historical inertia plus accumulated analysis keep 6.Bg5 at the top of the theoretical pyramid.
Anderssen Counterattack
Definition
The Anderssen Counterattack is a sharp response inside the Scandinavian Defense:
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 !?
Instead of the customary queen recapture, Black defers winning back the pawn and accelerates development, counting on tactical pressure against d5 and the center.
Historical Background
Named after the romantic-era genius Adolf Anderssen, who employed the idea in informal games of the 1850s. Although theory later doubted its soundness, it epitomizes Anderssen’s attacking style—sacrificing material for initiative.
Typical Continuations
- 3.d4 (most common) Qxd5 4.Nc3 Qa5 — transposing to Mieses-Kotrč but with colors reversed developmentally.
- 3.c4 c6 4.d4 cxd5 5.Nc3 — Black regains the pawn but may accept an isolated queen’s pawn.
- 3.Nf3 Nxd5 4.d4 Bg4 — Black recovers material immediately and pins the knight.
Strategic Themes
- Initiative vs. Pawn: Black often sacrifices the d-pawn (or delays its recovery) to gain lead in development.
- Piece Activity: Knights jump to f6 and d5; bishops target b4 or g4; the queen can recapture on d5 in one swoop.
- Risk Factor: If White consolidates, the extra pawn or spatial edge can tell; hence the line is more popular in rapid and blitz.
Notable Example
Short – Yusupov, Tilburg 1991: Yusupov unleashed the Anderssen Counterattack, equalized rapidly, and eventually ground out a win in a rook ending—highlighting the variation’s practical value.
Interesting Tidbits
- Modern databases show the surprise value of 2…Nf6: White scores drop nearly 10 % compared to facing 2…Qxd5.
- Grandmaster Christian Bauer revived the line in the 2000s, dubbing it “the Scandinavian without Queen moves.”