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Reviews

The Scheming Scandinavian

Reviewed by Bill Whited

9/29/02

The Scheming Scandinavian, by Andrew Martin (Bad Bishop Productions, 2002). Video.

Black’s constant quest to find an answer to 1.e4 continues into the 21st Century. All the average Black player is looking for is a defense that doesn’t take a lifetime to master (that rules out the Sicilian), doesn't require that he learn 20 different openings not including individual variations (1…e5 just disappeared) and doesn’t require him to defend for 50 moves to get a draw (there goes the French and the Caro Kann). This leaves the Modern, the Pirc, Alekine’s Defense, and (for the truly brave hearted) the Nimzowitch Defense or Owen’s Defense. All of these responses are fully playable and all of them have their adherents. The problem is that the average club player just wants something he can learn in a couple of days as opposed to a lifetime. Enter the Scandinavian, or as Andrew Martin calls it in his new video, The Scheming Scandinavian. Martin covers the variation 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5. Those of you yearning to play 2..Nf6 or 3..Qd8 will have to be content with the standard book format for now.

A number of things distinguish this videotape from other products on the market. First, it is over two hours long, so Martin gives you a good solid look at the defense. It is comprehensive in that it looks at all of the main ideas, including the Blackmar Diemer Gambit, which is a response that essentially ignores the defense and offers a pawn. While he gives concrete variations, Martin concentrates on teaching a player the strategies and concepts behind the opening. In addition to learning about the opening, you get pointers on the middlegame strategy necessary to win with opening as well.

Unlike a chess book, videotapes allow you to learn visually. This solves the problem many players have of acquiring books, but never getting time to read them or play through the games. It also makes it easy to refresh your memory by simply replaying the tape. At $29.95, it is reasonably priced and should fit into the budget of anyone looking to play the Scandinavian Defense. The production quality is good and a pamphlet is included with most of the games that are used as illustrations on the tape. Naturally, it is impossible to cover every line in-depth in a little over two hours, so a player who wants to learn the opening should probably supplement the tape with a monograph on opening or at least a copy of Nunn’s Chess Openings.

The variations illustrated by the tape include some of White's unusual responses to the defense such as 2.e5 and 2. Nc3 dxe4 3.Nxe4 Qd5. Martin also spends some time on a response to the Blackmar Diemer Gambit, an opening that can arise as a response to the Scandinavian. He recommends the Ziegler Defense, a line that results in a pawn structure very closely related to the Scandinavian and one which Martin thinks should be adequate for the player of the Black pieces. The tape also covers third move alternatives, unusual fourth move alternatives after 3.Nc3 Qa5, and lines with 4.Bc4 or 4.Nf3 for White. Martin concentrates his efforts 4.d4 Ncf6 5.Nf3 c6 with a detailed analysis of the White responses 6.Bd3, 6 h3, and 6.B2. He then turns his attention to the two main lines beginning with 6.Ne5 or 6.Bc4 for White.

One of the most useful elements of the tape centers on the discussion of pawn structure and piece placement. By illustrating why a certain move or set of moves is played in the opening, Martin can help a novice or intermediate player get a firm grasp on the types of middlegames that arise from this opening. He does this so well that it probably justifies the purchase of the tape alone. The tape is not flawless however. Like all tapes in a lecture format, it tends to suffer from “talking head” syndrome and could be improved by more diagrams and an index so that you could go directly to a certain point on the tape and just watch that segment. Martin is an able presenter though, and his dry humor helps move the tape along. I found it to be a worthwhile addition to my library and I don’t even play the defense.

I would love to see Bad Bishop develop a series of middlegame and endgame instructional materials in a similar format. I think that would be a valuable addition to the market place and help a lot of novice and intermediate players improve their game. I would recommend this tape to any player who is stymied by what to play as Black against 1.e4, especially if they don’t have a lot of time to study the more complicated responses to that opening sally.