The appeal of the Scandinavian Defence is easy to understand: it is very forcing Black is virtually guaranteed to get his desired structure. There are no annoying Anti-Scandinavians to study But for many decades the Scandinavian was regarded with some suspicion, as Black apparently loses time recapturing on d5. Modern players have a different view. The great Danish player Bent Larsen kickstarted the revolution with his provocative assertion that it is an improved Caro-Kann (and, not least, beating Karpov with our opening) But the 21st-century Scandinavian is a different beast...
The appeal of the Scandinavian Defence is easy to understand: it is very forcing Black is virtually guaranteed to get his desired structure. There are...
An understanding of Hedgehog structures is an essential component in any chessplayer's knowledge. These structures arise when the black c-pawn is exchanged early on for the white d-pawn (as in the Sicilian Defence).
An understanding of Hedgehog structures is an essential component in any chessplayer's knowledge. These structures arise when the black c-pawn is exch...