Scandinavian Defense

The Center Counter Defense or Scandinavian Defense is a chess opening characterized by the moves1. The Center Counter Defense is one of the oldest recorded openings, first recorded as being played between Francesco di Castellvi and Narciso Vinyoles in Valencia in 1475, and being mentioned by Lucena in 1497. It is one of the oldest asymmetric defenses to 1.e4, along with the French Defense.Analysis by Scandinavian masters including Collijn showed it is playable for Black. Although the Center Counter Defense has never enjoyed widespread popularity among top-flight chess players, Jacques Mieses frequently played it and greatly developed its theory around the turn of the 20th century. Bent Larsen played it from time to time, and defeated World Champion Anatoly Karpov with it at Montreal 1979, spurring a rise in popularity. Starting in the 1960s, David Bronstein and Nona Gaprindashvili would play it occasionally, and Ian Rogers has adopted it frequently starting in the 1980s. In 1995, the Center Counter Defense made a rare appearance in a World Chess Championship match. Viswanathan Anand as Black obtained an excellent position from the opening against Garry Kasparov, although Kasparov won the game.
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