Scandinavian Defense for Black - The Revolutionized 3...Qd6 

Theodorou's Revolution: When a "Refuted" Line Becomes Revolutionary

In the 3...Qd6 Scandinavian Defense, the move 5...Nc6 was dismissed for decades as dubious—a theoretical footnote that strong players avoided. White's straightforward 6.Nb5 followed by 7.d5 was considered the final word, a refutation so clear that the line vanished from serious practice. Then GM Nikolas Theodorou looked closer. What he discovered wasn't just a defensive resource—it was a complete paradigm shift. The supposedly flawed 5...Nc6, coupled with the stunning 8...Na6, has transformed this Scandinavian variation from a niche system into a legitimate fighting weapon that Abdusattorov, Dubov, and other elite players are now deploying with success.

A Fresh Arsenal Against 1.e4

Scandinavian Defense for Black: The Revolutionized 3...Qd6 is the collaborative work of GM Baadur Jobava and GM Pier Luigi Basso, who have taken Theodorou's groundbreaking concept and built a complete repertoire around it. This course doesn't simply analyze the novelty—it provides a systematic approach to the entire 3...Qd6 system, showing how Black can avoid the well-trodden paths of 3...Qa5 and the heavily analyzed 5...c6 while maintaining objective soundness. The authors' reasoning is clear: modern opening preparation demands surprise value without sacrificing quality, and this revolutionized Scandinavian delivers exactly that.

What sets this course apart is its practical orientation. Rather than drowning students in encyclopedic variations, Jobava and Basso focus on the strategic ideas that make the line work—the flexible knight maneuvers, the pawn structure nuances, and the concrete tactical justifications behind moves that look counterintuitive at first glance. You'll understand not just what to play, but why the traditional assessments were incomplete and how to exploit opponents who are unprepared for Black's modern approach.

Variation Map: Scandinavian Defense with 3...Qd6

Main Line: 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Nc6!?

Early Deviations

• 2.e5 — Advance Variation (Chapter 10 + other 2nd move sidelines)
• 3.Nf3 — Safe alternative (Chapter 9)
• 4.Bc4 — Systems without d2-d4 (Chapter 8)

After 4.d4 Nf6 - White's 5th Move

• 5.Nf3 Nc6!? — The Theodorou Innovation (leads to main lines)
• 5.Nb5 — Early challenge with c2-c4 plans (Chapter 7)

After 5.Nf3 Nc6!? - White's 6th Move

• 6.Nb5 Qd8 7.d5 — Main Critical Line
• 6.Bb5 — Alternative challenge to 5...Nc6 (Chapter 6)

After 6.Nb5 Qd8 - White's 7th Move Options

• 7.d5 Nb4 8.c4 — Most Direct and Principled (Former "refutation")
• 7.c4 — Positional approach avoiding theoretical fight (Chapter 5)
• 7.Be2 — The Magnus Carlsen Line (Chapter 4)
• 7.Bf4 Nd5 8.Bg3 a6! (Chapter 4)

The Revolutionary 8...Na6!!

After 7.d5 Nb4—White's 8th Move:

• 8.c4 Na6!! — The Game-Changing Innovation (Chapters 1-2)
• 8.Bd2 — Rare but dangerous move (Chapter 3)

Key Position: After 8.c4 Na6!!, Black plans ...c6 or ...e6 depending on White's continuation, completely reshaping the theoretical evaluation. Only 19 games exist with this move, yet it has already produced victories for Abdusattorov, Dubov, and Theodorou.

What sets this course apart is its practical orientation. Rather than drowning students in encyclopedic variations, Jobava and Basso focus on the strategic ideas that make the line work—the flexible knight maneuvers, the pawn structure nuances, and the concrete tactical justifications behind moves that look counterintuitive at first glance. You'll understand not just what to play, but why the traditional assessments were incomplete and how to exploit opponents who are unprepared for Black's modern approach.

Course Structure

• 10 Chapters covering all critical variations and sidelines
• 30 Test Positions to sharpen your tactical and strategic understanding
• Memory Booster for efficient retention of key lines
• 2 hours and 46 minutes of video instruction
• To Go Version of every chapter for quick study
• Multilingual PGN availability (English, German, French, Spanish)

The course methodically covers White's main tries: the principled 7.d5, the positional 7.c4, Magnus Carlsen's tricky 7.Be2, and important alternatives like 6.Bb5 and 5.Nb5. Each chapter builds on Theodorou's central discovery while providing complete coverage of the opening complex from Black's perspective.

Building Your Repertoire

The authors' recent courses continue their exploration of dynamic opening systems. If you've studied The Albin Countergambit - A Revolutionary Approach for Black, you'll recognize the same philosophy: challenging conventional wisdom with concrete analysis. White players who enjoyed Pseudo-Trompowsky for White will appreciate the mirror image—here, it's Black who dictates unfamiliar terrain while maintaining full soundness.

Ready to surprise your 1.e4 opponents? Add the revolutionized 3...Qd6 Scandinavian to your repertoire and start winning with Black in positions your opponents have never seriously studied. Explore the course now and discover why "refuted" lines sometimes just need the right perspective.

INTRODUCTION BY GM PIER LUIGI BASSO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Introduction – ? *

B01 Theodorou Scandinavian 2025.??.?? [GM Pier Luigi Basso]

1. e4 d5 Welcome to the Theodorou Scandinavian for Black! If you want to have a practical, surprise but objectively sound weapon against 1.e4, you are in the right place. 2. exd5

( In Chapter 2. e5 [%emt 0:00:10] and other second move sidelines. )

2… ♕xd5 3. ♘c3

( In Chapter 3. ♘f3 [%emt 0:00:09] which is White's second most common move, and it's considered a safe one. )

3… ♕d6 Tiviakov's favorite line.

( 3… ♕a5 is Black's most common continuation, but it's not our way for this course. )

4. d4

( In Chapter 4. ♗c4 [%emt 0:00:08] and other systems where White plays without d2-d4. )

4… ♘f6 5. ♘f3

( In Chapter 5. ♘b5 [%emt 0:00:07] Interesting sideline because White plans c2-c4. )

5… ♘c6!? This single move 5...Nc6!? completely reshapes the theory of the Scandinavian: fresh, ambitious, and objectively solid. Until just one to two years ago, this was simply considered bad, until GM Theodorou found a new way for Black. Now I personally consider this line absolutely playable for Black, and practically very interesting because you avoid the main theory and at the same time achieve fighting positions, where it's possible to play for three results.

( For many years, GM Tiviakov used 5… c6 which soon became Black's mainline in the 3...Qd6 Scandinavian. It's a playable line, but risky and a lot of theory already exists here. )

6. ♘b5 White's best.

( In Chapter 6. ♗b5 [%emt 0:00:06] which is another attempt to challenge our last move 5. ..Nc6. )

6… ♕d8 7. d5 White's most direct and principled continuation. For many years, this was considered the refutation of the 5... Nc6 variation.

( In Chapter 7. c4 [%emt 0:00:05] positional line which White uses when he is not ready for the theoretical fight arising after 7.d5. )

( In Chapter 7. ♗e2!? [%emt 0:00:04] Magnus Carlsen line. It has some venom, that's why it's important to know how to face it. )

( In Chapter 4 we will also see 7. ♗f4 which is a direct move, but doesn't cause any problem to us after 7… ♘d5 8. ♗g3 a6! )

7… ♘b4 8. c4

( In Chapter 8. ♗d2!? [%emt 0:00:03] rare move that happened in only three games. We will study it carefully because I have the feeling this will become very popular soon. )

8… ♘a6!! a revolutionary move which has been used in only 19 games, but it changes the theoretical evaluation completely. On the next move, we will probably continue with c6 or with e6, depending on White's continuation.

( For many years, Black's continuation was 8… e6 9. a3! ♘a6 10. ♕a4⁺₌ and now White has some advantage. )

9. ♗f4 is one of White's most direct moves. In general, we will study 8...Na6 immediately in Chapters 1-2. Players like Abdusattorov, Dubov, and Theodorou have already scored many important wins with this powerful new concept. Now it's your turn — let's dive in and start surprising 1.e4 players with this ambitious and under-explored weapon! *

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Chapter 1 – 6.Nb5 Qd8 7.d5 Introduction *

B01 Theodorou Scandinavian 2025.??.?? [GM Pier Luigi Basso]

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 ♕xd5 3. ♘c3 ♕d6 4. d4 ♘f6 5. ♘f3 The most critical position you will face in most of your games in the Scandinavian. 5… ♘c6!? This move was considered bad in the past, but in recent times, GM Abdusattorov, Firouzja, and mainly Theodorou have started to use this line frequently.

( 5… c6 This was GM Tiviakov's approach in the Scandinavian. 6. ♘e5 Most critical. 6… ♘bd7 And this is how Tiviakov played it with Black, but this will not be our way. )

6. ♘b5 Mainline and White's most logical way to take advantage of our last move 5...Nc6. 6… ♕d8 We are ready for a6, so White needs to do something concrete now to justify Nb5. 7. d5 The critical line, which was considered to refute this line.

( 7. ♗e2 If White just continues normally 7… a6 8. ♘c3⇄ we get a good version of 6.Be2, as it's our move. )

7… ♘b4

( 7… ♘xd5?? 8. ♕xd5+- Key tactical idea. )

8. c4 ♘a6! Key move that has been used by GM Theodorou in 2025. His idea was that in the 8...e6 line, a3 is more useful than e6.

( 8… e6 For many years, this was Black's usual move, but after 9. a3 ♘a6 10. ♕a4! c6 Forced.

( 10… ♗d7? 11. dxe6 fxe6 12. ♕c2± White has a fantastic game. )

11. dxc6 bxc6 12. ♘c3 After all the strange moves, White has a positional advantage. For example: 12… ♘c5 13. ♕c2⁺₌

( 13. ♕xc6+?? ♗d7-+ )

)

9. a3 White has other options, but we first check the difference between this and the 8...e6 line. 9… c6 Obviously, we will not play e6. 10. ♘c3 Probably the best.

( 10. dxc6 Also possible. 10… ♕xd1+ 11. ♔xd1 bxc6 12. ♘bd4

( 12. ♘c3 Allows 12… ♗f5! 13. b4 g6⇄ )

12… g6! My recommendation is to play dynamically and sacrifice the pawn. 13. ♘xc6 Critical. 13… ♗g7 Full compensation. For example 14. ♔e1 Best for the engine. A prophylactic move against 0-0-0.

( 14. ♗d3 Logical development. 14… ♘c5 15. ♗c2 ♗b7 16. ♘a5 O-O-O+ 17. ♔e2 ♗e4 We activate all our pieces. 18. ♗xe4 ♘fxe4 19. ♖b1 ♖d6₌^∞ With active ideas against White's king. )

14… ♘e4 Activating the bishop.

( 14… ♗b7? 15. ♘a5+- 0-0-0 doesn't come with check, so White is winning. )

15. ♖b1 ♗d7! 16. ♘fe5

( 16. ♘ce5 Also possible, but it allows 16… ♗a4 17. b3 ♖b8 18. b4 ♘ac5₌^∞ With a very interesting position to play. )

16… ♖c8 17. ♘xa7 Critical move.

( 17. ♘xd7?? ♖xc6-+ )

17… ♗xe5 18. ♘xc8 ♗xc8⇄ Balanced position with equal chances, but easy to go wrong with White. For example 19. ♗e3 Logical development.

( 19. ♗e2 ♗f5⁼₊ )

19… ♗e6 20. ♗e2 O-O We finish the development, and already White is worse. 21. f3 ♘d6 22. b3 ♘f5⁼₊ Great game for Black )

10… g6

( 10… cxd5? Premature due to 11. cxd5 g6 12. ♗b5+! ♗d7 13. ♗xd7+ ♕xd7 14. ♘e5± )

11. ♗f4 Most logical move, preparing dxc6 and delaying the development of Bf1.

( 11. ♗e2 cxd5 Here we can take, as White has already developed the bishop. 12. cxd5 ♗g7 13. O-O

( 13. ♗b5+ Comparison line to 10...cxd5. 13… ♗d7 14. ♗xd7+ ♕xd7 15. ♘e5 ♕f5 16. ♕a4+ ♘d7⁼₊ Big difference, since we are up a tempo. )

13… O-O Bg4-Nc7 next with a good position. For example: 14. h3 ♘c7 15. ♗c4 b5! ⇄ )

( 11. dxc6 Here, White has Nxd1, so it makes sense to look at this endgame. 11… ♕xd1+ 12. ♘xd1 bxc6 13. b4 ♗g7 14. ♗b2 ♘b8! To not face problems on c6. 15. ♗e2 a5 16. b5

( 16. O-O Allows 16… axb4 17. axb4 ♖xa1 18. ♗xa1 ♘a6! Na6 stays well, if White has no a3. 19. ♗c3 O-O 20. ♘e3 Logical continuation and after 20… ♘e4 21. ♗xg7 ♔xg7⁼₊ White has some problems. )

16… ♗b7 Safe move. With a good endgame, for example

( 16… cxb5?! 17. cxb5⁺₌ Even if Black can block the b-pawn, it's still unpleasant. )

17. O-O O-O 18. ♘e5 ♘e4⇄ )

11… ♗g7

( 11… cxd5?! We only go for this if White spends a tempo on Be2. 12. cxd5 ♗g7 13. ♗b5+ The extra tempo can make a difference. For example 13… ♗d7 14. ♗xa6 bxa6 15. O-O⁺₌ )

12. dxc6 ♕xd1+ 13. ♖xd1 bxc6 14. b4 ♘d7 15. ♔d2 Best for the engine.

( 15. ♘e4 Human move. 15… f5 16. ♘eg5 e5⇄ )

15… O-O 16. ♗e2 c5! 17. b5 e5 We play for the d4-square in a nice concept. 18. ♗g3 ♘c7⇄ Ne6-Nd4 next with a great game. *

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