Alekhine Defense: Scandinavian Variation: what should Black play?

In the Alekhine Defense: Scandinavian Variation, Black's most reliable continuation is Bg7, which develops the dark-squared bishop along the long diagonal and prepares kingside castling. Across 88,794 games recorded at this position, Black prioritizes king safety and piece coordination over immediately recovering the pawn on d5. Computer analysis assesses this position at an evaluation of +0.58 in White's favor following the top engine recommendation.

The Strategic Value of Bg7

Developing the bishop with Bg7 aligns directly with Black's fianchetto setup, applying indirect pressure through the center. While White maintains an extra pawn on d5 guarded by the bishop on c4, Black gains rapid development and clear piece targets. An illustrative engine continuation demonstrates how play can unfold: Bg7 Bb3 Nbd7 Nf3 Nc5 Bc4. By redirecting a knight toward c5, Black immediately challenges White's active bishop on c4.

Alternative Approaches

Other candidate moves offer distinct ways to handle White's central wedge. The knight development Nbd7 yields an evaluation of +0.71, aiming for rapid queen-side mobilization as seen in Nbd7 d3 Nb6 Qf3 Bg4 Qe3. A similar evaluation of +0.71 is awarded to a6, where play may proceed along a6 a4 Nbd7 d3 Nb6 Qf3 to restrain White's queenside space. Black can also choose c6, evaluated at +0.81, which immediately chips away at the white pawn chain in the variation c6 dxc6 Nxc6 Nf3 Bg7 h3. A less critical try is Bh6, which carries an evaluation of +1.06 and leads to Bh6 Nf3 Nbd7 d4 Bg7 O-O.