The Modern Chess-Lifestyle

I became an IM in 1997 and a GM in 2013. Many of my students have asked me when I will start writing a book, because they know that I like writing and explaining things. I come from a teaching family; my father was a teacher at a German academic high school and I always loved and still love reading and writing. Nowadays it is no longer easy to find enough silence for reading, because I have three small children between the ages of 3 and 6.

After one move of the Scandinavian opening, 1.e4 d5, Black decides where the battle will be fought - a significant gain for any competitive player.

Grandmaster Christian Bauer is one of the world’s leading experts on the Scandinavian and in this book he reveals the secrets of his over-the-board success.

Grandmaster David Smerdon plays the Scandinavian, but not in the typically solid style of this popular opening. He gives the Scandinavian a welcome twist by using it as an all-out attacking weapon! The repertoire he presents in this book is an enhanced version of the one he has successfully employed at grandmaster level over many years.

This series provides an ideal platform to study chess openings. By continually challenging the reader to answer probing questions throughout the book, the Move by Move format greatly encourages the learning and practising of vital skills just as much as the traditional assimilation of opening knowledge. Carefully selected questions and answers are designed to keep you actively involved and allow you to monitor your progress as you learn. This is an excellent way to study any chess opening and at the same time improve your general chess skills and knowledge.

An Unsidesteppable Response to 1.e4

The Scandinavian Defence is one of the most popular chess openings among amateur players, and it is easy to see why. Black players immediately limit the opening theory they have to know because there is no way White can side-step Black’s first move. What’s more, the Scandinavian requires only very little theoretical knowledge, so it has an extremely low maintenance factor. To cap it all, Black gets a solid structure.