Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...d5/2. exd5/2...Nf6

Black elects to play 2...Nf6 instead of the traditional reply, 2...Qxd5. This allows Black to develop a piece before recapturing the pawn. By taking the time to develop another attacker on d5, Black intends to win it without losing tempo.

Now if 3. Nc3!?, Black can trade off the knights 3...Nxd5 4. Nxd5 Qxd5 and centralise their queen without the loss of tempo associated with 2...Qxd5 3. Nc3. (5. c4?! runs into the same issues as 2...Qxd5 3. c4.)

White can try 3. c4 to hold onto the pawn where Black can then chip away at the pawn chain with either 3...e6 or 3...c6. With 3...e6, Black offers a pawn in exchange for developing their bishop. After 3...c6, where 4. dxc6 Nxc6 gives Black a development lead and compensation for the pawn, White usually gives the pawn back and play usually transposes into a Caro-Kann Panov attack after 4. d4 cxd5 5. Nc3.

Therefore 3. d4 is the most robust reply for White: giving back the pawn and consolidating in the centre instead. Black then has options for how to recapture the pawn: 3...Qxd5, inviting 4. Nc3 and transposing into a Mieses-Kotrč mainline, or with 3...Nxd5, the Marshall variation. 3...Bg4+!? is the Portuguese gambit.

For explanation of theory tables, see theory table and for notation, see algebraic notation..

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6

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Wikipedia has related information at Scandinavian Defense

• Kasparov, Garry, & Keene, Raymond 1989 Batsford chess openings 2. ISBN 0-8050-3409-9.