Scandinavian Defense: what should White play?

In this position from the Scandinavian Defense, White's most critical choices revolve around exploiting the loose structure on the queenside or simply capturing the offered material. While the check Bb5+ carries the highest engine evaluation at +1.07, the capture dxe6 remains the overwhelmingly popular practical choice, appearing in 81.9% of games across 3.48M recorded encounters. White retains an advantage in both paths, making the choice dependent on whether an immediate tactical disruption or a clean pawn capture is preferred.

The tactical punch of Bb5+

Although Bb5+ is played in just 0.8% of recorded games (35K recorded), it achieves the highest evaluation (+1.07) and yields a 58.9% score for White. The check targets the king along the a4–e8 diagonal and forces an immediate reaction from Black's queenside pawns. An illustrative continuation follows Bb5+ c6 dxc6 bxc6 Be2 Nf6, where White liquidates the pawn on c6 and retreats the bishop safely while leaving Black to develop.

The standard capture with dxe6

The traditional main road is dxe6, which boasts 3.48M recorded games and scores 51.4% for White with an evaluation of +1.02. This move simplifies the center immediately and removes Black's central tension without committing minor pieces early. The engine's illustrative line continues dxe6 Bxe6 Nf3 Nf6 Nc3 Nc6, leading to rapid, classical development for both sides.

Quieter developing alternatives

Players seeking to maintain tension occasionally opt for Nf3 (9.1% of games, 388K recorded) or d4 (7.9% of games, 338K recorded), both evaluated at +0.19 with an identical 53.5% score for White. Rather than resolving the center immediately, these moves transition into open structures, as seen in the line d4 exd5 Nf3 Nf6 Bd3 Bd6. Another rare sideline is Qe2, appearing in only 0.2% of games (9.4K recorded) with an evaluation of +0.41 and a 48.1% score.