Alekhine: Scandinavian, Exchange, 4.Nxd5: what should Black play?

In the Alekhine: Scandinavian, Exchange, 4.Nxd5, Black's most effective continuation is Nc6, securing a slight engine preference of -0.15 while naturally activating the queenside knight. While Bg4 is the single most common choice in human practice, Nc6 provides efficient development toward central control without prematurely releasing the light-squared bishop. Both moves allow Black to maintain active piece play against White's standard development schemes.

Developing the Queenside with Nc6

Selecting Nc6 occurs in 29.9% of recorded games (1.38M recorded) and focuses immediately on central piece activity. A representative engine continuation runs Nc6 d4 Bg4 Be2 O-O-O O-O, where Black combines pressure on the d4 pawn with rapid queenside castling. Developing the knight to c6 also supports rapid coordination between the d5 and the minor pieces, avoiding immediate tactical concessions.

The Popularity of Bg4

The most frequent response found in the database is Bg4, chosen in 50.4% of games (2.33M recorded) with a near-equal evaluation of -0.06. This move immediately challenges White's knight on f3. In the illustrative sequence Bg4 Be2 Nc6 h3 Bxf3 Bxf3, Black voluntarily concedes the bishop pair to damage or deflect White's kingside defenders while keeping parity in development.

Central and Flank Alternatives

Black also possesses the energetic central strike e5, played in 16.7% of games (770K recorded) with an evaluation of -0.07. It leads to open, combative lines such as e5 d4 Nc6 Be3 Bf5 dxe5. Less critical flank alternatives include the fianchetto preparation g6 (3.1% of games, 142K recorded, evaluated at +0.16) and the aggressive thrust g5 (+0.02), though classical development remains the most reliable path.