Alternatives To 2.exd5
There are several ways for White to avoid the main lines of the Scandinavian Defense. One option is to defer or avoid the exchange of e-pawn for d-pawn. This is most often done by 2.Nc3, which transposes into the Dunst Opening after 2...d4 or 2...dxe4. If instead 2.e5?! is played, Black can play 2...c5, develop the Queen's bishop, and play e6, reaching a favorable French Defense setup, since here unlike in the standard French Black's light-squared bishop is not shut in on c8. This line can also be compared to the Caro–Kann variation 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5!?; since in the Scandinavian line Black has played c5 in one rather than two moves, he has a comfortable position.
White can also gambit the e-pawn, most frequently by 2.d4, transposing into the dubious Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. Other lines are possible, but are seldom seen, and generally considered highly dubious; among these are 2.Nf3?! (Tennison's Gambit), 2.g4?! (the Zilbermints Gambit), and 2.d3 dxe4 3.Nc3. Other second moves for White are very rare.
In general, none of these sidelines are believed to offer White more than equality, and the overwhelming majority of masters opt for 2.exd5 when facing the Scandinavian. The Scandinavian is thus arguably Black's most "forcing" defense to 1.e4, restricting White to a relatively small number of options. This has helped to make the Scandinavian Defense fairly popular among club-level players, though it is rare at the Grandmaster level.
Read more about this topic: Scandinavian Defense
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