Chess opening · ECO B01
Scandinavian Defense: Main Line
Black meets 3.Nc3 with 3...Qa5 in the Scandinavian Main Line. The queen leaves the center but stays active, standing on the same diagonal as White's c3 knight, d2 pawn and king. Black's usual plan is ...Nf6, ...c6 and ...Bf5 or ...Bg4, with ...e6 to finish a compact setup.
- Rank by weighted share
- #83 of 159
Key moves
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5
- 3. Nc3The knight comes out with a hit on the queen. It is White's natural developing move, and it forces Black to spend the next move on a retreat instead of on a new piece.
- 3... Qa5From a5 the queen lines up with the c3 knight and the white king on e1, with only the d2 pawn between them. It also watches the whole fifth rank, all the way to h5.
The pin that appears after d4
When White plays d4, the d2 square empties and the c3 knight is pinned to the king. White usually unpins with Bd2, which puts a piece back between knight and king.
That bishop on d2 has a second job. It stands behind the knight on the diagonal to a5, so any knight move from c3 uncovers an attack on Black's queen. Ideas like Nd5 or Nb5 become real threats, often aimed at c7 as well.
Why ...c6 is part of the setup
The pawn on c6 takes d5 and b5 away from the white knight, which blunts those discovered attacks. It also opens c7 as a retreat square for the queen.
Black's compact setup
4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 c6 6. Bc4 Bf5 7. Bd2 e6
Black's light-squared bishop is outside the pawn chain on f5, and the c6 and e6 pawns cover the central squares. White's Bd2 breaks the pin and lines the bishop up behind the c3 knight against the queen.
Top replies by rating
Nf3 leads below 1600, and d4 takes over from 1600 up. Bc4 replaces d3 in the top three from the same band.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1200 | Nf3 50% | d4 29% | d3 21% |
| 1200–1399 | Nf3 42% | d4 22% | d3 11% |
| 1400–1599 | Nf3 36% | d4 26% | d3 11% |
| 1600–1799 | d4 35% | Nf3 34% | Bc4 9% |
| 1800–1999 | d4 49% | Nf3 27% | Bc4 12% |
| 2000 and up | d4 53% | Nf3 23% | Bc4 18% |
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.