The Scandinavian for Club Players


Book Description

The Scandinavian Defence is one of the most popular chess openings among amateur players, and it is easy to see why. Black players immediately limit the opening theory they have to know because there is no way White can side-step Black’s first move. What’s more, the Scandinavian requires only very little theoretical knowledge, so it has an extremely low maintenance factor. To cap it all, Black gets a solid structure. And that’s not even the end of the good news, as Thomas Willemze demonstrates. Playing the Scandinavian teaches invaluable techniques that you can use in almost all of your other games. Pressuring the centre, improving your piece coordination, trading the right pieces and exploiting your opponent’s weak points are all typical ‘Scandinavian’ spin-offs that Thomas Willemze teaches you in his trademark lucid style. This book presents everything you need to know to be fully prepared to meet 1.e4. Willemze not just uses examples from the games of elite grandmasters. As an experienced trainer he knows that discussing club player’s adventures are particularly instructive for his target group.




Architecture in the Scandinavian Countries


Book Description

The most complete survey of Nordic architecture available today.




Understanding the Scandinavian


Book Description

The appeal of the Scandinavian Defence is easy to understand: it is very forcing - Black is virtually guaranteed to get his desired structure. There are no annoying 'Anti-Scandinavians' to study! But for many decades the Scandinavian was regarded with some suspicion, as Black apparently loses time recapturing on d5. Modern players have a different view. The great Danish player Bent Larsen kickstarted the revolution with his provocative assertion that it is an improved Caro-Kann (and, not least, beating Karpov with our opening)! But the 21st-century Scandinavian is a different beast altogether; the new main line of the whole opening (3...Qd6) has proven to have great strategic richness, with more than a few tactical tricks lurking just behind the scenes. The Scandinavian has been transformed into an opening that strong grandmasters are willing to use as their main defence, rather than as an occasional surprise weapon. This thoroughly modern guide focuses on these new approaches, while also covering the more traditional main lines. Kasparov guides the reader carefully through each system, explaining his recommendations with wit and clarity. With his help, you will have your opponents wishing there really were some 'Anti-Scandinavian' lines!




Scandinavian Defence


Book Description

The Scandinavian Defence, previously thought to be a rather primitive and sub-standard response to 1 e4, has now emerged from the doldrums and been employed with success by some of the world's strongest Grandmasters, including Bent Larsen, Curt Hansen, Ian Rogers, Alexei Shirov and Vishy Anand. The traditional form of the opening is 1 e4 d5 2 exd5 Qxd5 3 Nc3 Qa5, with a subsequent deployment of Black's Queen's bishop at f5 or g4, and indeed the current theoretical status of this line remains good. However, in recent years many alternative schemes have been tried. There has, for example, been a marked increase in the popularity of 3...Qd6!?, in conjunction with a swift ...a6 and ...b5, or ...Bg4, ...Nc6 and ...0-0-0, and sometimes even an early foray by the Black queen into the White kingside – all of which offers a radically different middlegame from the stonewalling so frequently associated with the older type of Scandinavian middlegames. Recent play also suggests that 3...Qe5, cheekily dubbed 'The Patzer Variation', might also not be so naive. Equally important are the latest lines arising from 1 e4 d5 2 exd5 Nf6, including the dangerous Icelandic Gambit and the aggressive Portuguese Variation which is currently at the cutting edge of chess theory.




The Scandinavian Home


Book Description

Discover classic and contemporary Scandinavian style with specially commissioned photography of homes in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Discover classic and contemporary Scandinavian style with specially commissioned photography of homes in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Scandinavia is famous for its distinctive style: homes are pared-back and simple, and form and function are combined to create aesthetically pleasing and practical interiors. Scandinavians are inspired by light, having an abundance of it in summer but so little of it in winter, and house designs tend to maximize the amount of natural light that enters the home, and allow the inhabitants to make the most of outdoor life during the summer. Similarly, nature and the weather are major influences: homes are made warm and cozy for the freezing winter months—not just literally with log burners, but also through incorporating wood and natural materials. Here Niki Brantmark, owner of the interior design blog My Scandinavian Home, presents a wide-ranging collection of these beautiful homes and explores how the Scandinavian lifestyle is reflected in them all. The first chapter, Urban Living, features styles ranging from minimalist to bohemian, and pale palettes to dramatic dark colors. By contrast, the Country Homes tend to have a softer, calmer feel, through color and textiles, in line with a slower pace of life. Finally, the spectacular Rural Retreats include a mountain cabin, beach house, and rustic summer cottage, and demonstrate how having somewhere to escape to is so important to many Scandinavians. This collection of stunning interiors will put Scandi style within every reader’s reach.




Play the Scandinavian


Book Description

When opening a chess game with the Scandinavian, 1.e4 d5, Black decides on the very first move where the battle will be fought - a significant gain for any competitive player. Grandmaster Christian Bauer is one of the world's leading experts on the Scandinavian and in this book he reveals the secrets of his over-the-board success.Bauer focuses particularly on 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5, the established main line of the Scandinavian. An understanding of the move order nuances is essential, and Bauer is an ideally-qualified guide.










Voices of the Scandinavian Waffen-SS


Book Description

'After what happened to Finland we had to fight communism. It was a terrible threat.' The interviews and images gathered by Jonathan Trigg are vital historical documents.