Three New Books on the Scandinavian by IM John Donaldson

Recently three books have appeared on 1.e4 d5, written by three English titleholders. They are:

THE ESSENTIAL CENTER-COUNTER: A Practical Guide for Black

Author: Andrew Martin

142 pages

$22.50

Thinker's Press

THE SCANDINAVIAN DEFENSE

Author: James Plaskett

192 pages

$22.95

Batsford (2004)

THE SCANDINAVIAN 2nd edition

Author: Jonathan Emms

176 pages

$19.95

Everyman (2004)

Reviewed by John Donaldson

Considering that one of the great virtues of the Scandinavian is its directness (after 1...d5 White has only one real reply, 2.exd5) and relative lack of opening theory, it came as a bit of a surprise that these books could cover such different material. I knew going in that 2...Nf6 and 2...Qxd5 led to quite different play, but not that Black had so much variety and schemes of development to choose from when employing the latter.

THE ESSENTIAL CENTER-COUNTER is the most focused of the three books, concentrating on the position reached after 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 c6 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.Bc4 Bf5 and earlier deviations by White. This includes lines like the Blackmar-Diemer (1.e4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3) which is not likely to be seen in Master chess but is a not infrequent guest in club tournaments. Martin’s work, which is aimed solely from the Scandinavian player’s perspective, is an excellent repertoire book for club players (say up to 2200) who are looking for plenty of instructive model games with good notes. It is not the book for you if you play 2...Nf6 or 2...Qxd5 and answer 3.Nc3 with any one of the other Queen moves (3...Qd6, 3...Qd8 or 3...Qe5+). THE ESSENTIAL CENTER-COUNTER has a good index which allows the reader to quickly find the relevant line.

In contrast to THE ESSENTIAL CENTER-COUNTER, James Plaskett’s THE SCANDINAVIAN DEFENSE and THE SCANDINAVIAN 2nd edition by Jonathan Emms cover a much wider range of material. Both English GMs examine all the relevant lines but weight the material differently. If you like the modern 3...Qd6, then Plasketts’ book, with 50 pages of games and analysis, is definitely the best one for you. He also gives more than a quick glance at the so-called Patzer variation (3...Qe5+ that Andrew Martin(!) has played and written about). For overall coverage, Emms comes out on top and is the best for those who want a book on how to meet the Scandinavian. Emms not only covers all lines of the Scandinavian but also offers an answer to the Panov-Botvinnik Attack (1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.d4) from the Black perspective. This is important as both Plaskett and Emms find the Icelandic Gambit (1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.c4 e6?!) coming up short.

These three books cover such different material that the right one to buy depends very much on what line you intend to play. All three should do the job from the Black perspective for their respective lines. The Plaskett and Emms books are both fine for White players looking for answer to 1.e4 d5 with the one caveat that if you intend to meet 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 with 3.c4 you will need an independent work devoted to the Panov-Botvinnik.

Click to buy Plaskett’s THE SCANDINAVIAN DEFENCE.

Click to buy Martin’s THE ESSENTIAL CENTER-COUNTER.

Click to buy Emms’ THE SCANDINAVIAN (2nd Edition).