Scandinavian Defense
also known as: Center Counter Defense · 1...d5
1. e4 d5
Named after
Named for the Scandinavian masters — especially Danes and Swedes around Ludvig and Gustav Collijn — whose analysis revived it in the late 19th century.
Origin
The oldest recorded Black defense: 1.e4 d5 appears in the Valencian poem "Scachs d'amor" (c. 1475), the first game of modern chess ever written down.
The story
Black's most direct retort — challenge e4 immediately, before White adds a second center pawn. The cost is famous: after 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 the queen must move again, and every beginner is warned about it. The Scandinavians of the 1880s showed the lost tempo buys a French-like structure with the good bishop free, and the defense has been periodically respectable ever since — never more so than when Anand used it against Kasparov in their 1995 World Championship match and drew comfortably.
Why it matters
The simplest solution to 1.e4 in existence: one forcing sequence, one solid structure, minimal theory. A standing demonstration that a tempo can be worth less than a plan.
Notable games
- Scachs d'amor, Valencia c. 1475 (the first recorded game)
- Kasparov–Anand, New York WCh 1995 (game 14)