Scandinavian Defense Traps: 5 Real Traps for White and Black
The Scandinavian Defense, also called the Center Counter, starts with 1.e4 d5. Black hits the e4 pawn on move one, and the game opens up fast. That is why it is full of traps. This article shows 5 real Scandinavian Defense traps: 2 traps against the Scandinavian for White, and 3 traps for Black. They come from the 2.exd5 Qxd5 lines and the 2.exd5 Nf6 lines (the Portuguese Variation and the Icelandic Gambit). Each trap has its own board with the side lines, a Stockfish evaluation and a short "how to avoid it".
8 min readPublished November 2026By Surajit Paul5 traps · 5 boards
This video from our Stockfish channel is not only about the Scandinavian: Stockfish 18 shows six opening traps from different openings. Watch it, then replay the five Scandinavian traps below on the boards, at your own speed.
Stockfish 18 Shares 6 Chess Opening Traps That You Must Know | Chess Opening
How to use the boards: press ▶ Play or tap a move. The buttons above each board switch to the side lines (what if the other player plays something else). Arrows show the threats; draw your own with a right-click drag. The numbers are Stockfish 18 evaluations: + means White is better, - means Black is better.
Traps against the Scandinavian (for White)
Both White traps punish a Black move that looks normal: a developing knight move in the 3...Qa5 main line, and a slow bishop move in the Portuguese Variation. In both, a black piece runs out of squares.
WHITE TRAPTrap 1: The queen trap in the 3...Qa5 main line
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bg4Black falls for it with 8...Nc6?10.a3 - the queen is trapped
Black plays the main line and brings the bishop out early. White chases it with h3 and g4, then jumps to e5. One natural developing move, 8...Nc6, and the black queen runs out of squares. Press Play, then try the side lines.
How to avoid it: as Black, after 8.Ne5 play 8...Nbd7! and challenge the knight. In general, play ...c6 early in the 3...Qa5 line: it gives the queen a way back to c7 or d8. Before you develop, count the squares your queen still has.
WHITE TRAPTrap 2: The 8.d5 trap in the Portuguese Variation
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.d4 Bg4 4.f3 Bf5 5.Bb5+ Nbd7Black falls for it with 8...Bc5?10.Bxd7+ - White is a piece up
In the Portuguese Variation Black gives a pawn for quick play. After the bishop takes back on e6, White pushes d4-d5 and hits it. The d7 knight is pinned by the b5 bishop, so the e6 bishop must move now. Press Play.
How to avoid it: as Black, after 8.d5 move the bishop at once with 8...Bf5!. Any "useful" move first, like 8...Bc5 or 8...c6, loses the bishop, because the pinned d7 knight cannot take part.
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Scandinavian traps for Black
These three are Scandinavian Defense traps for Black. One comes from the 2...Qxd5 lines, two from the 2...Nf6 lines. In all three, White makes one natural move and a pin, a discovered attack or a fork wins material.
BLACK TRAPTrap 3: The d-file pin after 3.Nf3 Bg4 and ...O-O-O
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.Be2 Nc6 5.d4 O-O-OWhite falls for it with 6.Ne5?7...Nxd4! - the d4 pawn falls
A trap for Black in the ...Qxd5 lines. Black castles long, so the queen and the rook both hit d4. If White trades the bishops with 6.Ne5, the d4 pawn falls with a knight fork, and the e5 knight is left hanging. Press Play.
How to avoid it: as White, guard d4 first: play 6.Be3, and do not move the f3 knight while d4 needs it. Never put a bishop on g5 here: 6.Bg5?? loses a piece to 6...Bxf3 and 7...Qxg5.
BLACK TRAPTrap 4: The Icelandic Gambit e-file trap
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.dxe6 Bxe6 5.Nf3 Qe7White falls for it with 6.Ne5?6...Bg4! - the knight is pinned
In the Icelandic Gambit the black queen often comes to e7, opposite the white king. Only the e6 bishop stands in between. When that bishop moves, it uncovers an attack along the e-file. Press Play, then see the 6.Qc2?? side line.
How to avoid it: as White, close the e-file with 6.Qe2 (or play 6.Be2). Do not put a piece or your queen where the bishop can hit it with a discovered check: 6.Qc2?? and 6.Ne5? both lose material.
BLACK TRAPTrap 5: The Portuguese gambit fork on c2
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.d4 Bg4 4.f3 Bf5 5.c4 e6 6.dxe6 Nc6White falls for it with 7.Qe2??8...Nc2+ - Black wins the a1 rook
Another trap for Black in the Portuguese Variation. Black gives two pawns, and the f5 bishop quietly watches c2. If the white queen leaves d1, the d4 pawn falls and a knight fork on c2 wins the rook. Press Play.
How to avoid it: as White, guard d4 with 7.Be3. Keep the queen on d1 while the black bishop sits on f5: it guards c2, and the knight fork on c2 is the whole point of Black's gambit.
Where the lines come from
The Scandinavian Defense is one of the oldest recorded openings. It appears in a game in the Catalan poem Scachs d'amor, written around 1475. Its ECO code is B01. It reached the top in 1995, when Viswanathan Anand played it against Garry Kasparov in game 14 of their world championship match in New York. Anand got a good position from the opening, but Kasparov won the game.
The 3...Qa5 line (trap 1) is the main line and the most popular way to play the ...Qxd5 Scandinavian. The Portuguese Variation, 3.d4 Bg4 (traps 2 and 5), is the sharpest way to play the ...Nf6 lines. The Icelandic Gambit, 3.c4 e6 (trap 4), is also called the Palme Gambit.
How to play the Scandinavian without falling into traps
Most Center Counter traps come from three ideas. Learn them and you will see the traps before they happen:
Give your queen a way back. In the ...Qxd5 lines the black queen comes out early. White gains time by hitting it with Nc3, Nc4, Bd2 and a3. A pawn on c6 gives it a safe road back to c7 or d8 (trap 1).
Watch the open e-file and d-file. When a queen or a rook stands opposite the king or a weak pawn, every piece on that file is in danger (traps 3 and 4).
Count the guards of d4 and c2. In the Portuguese gambits the black bishop on f5 watches c2, and the knights jump to d4 and c2 (trap 5).
What is the best Scandinavian Defense trap for Black?
In the Portuguese Variation, 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.d4 Bg4 4.f3 Bf5 5.c4 e6 6.dxe6 Nc6 7.Qe2?? Nxd4! wins a whole rook after 8.Qd2 Nc2+ 9.Kd1 Nxa1. In the Icelandic Gambit, the queen on e7 sets up discovered attacks on the e-file.
Are there traps against the Scandinavian for White?
Yes. In the 3...Qa5 main line, after 5...Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5, the natural 8...Nc6? lets White trap the queen with 9.Nc4 and 10.a3. In the Portuguese Variation, 8.d5! wins a piece if Black does not move the e6 bishop at once.
Is the Scandinavian Defense the same as the Center Counter?
Yes. The Scandinavian Defense (1.e4 d5) is also called the Center Counter or Centre Counter Defence. Its ECO code is B01.
Is the Scandinavian Defense a good opening for beginners?
Yes. The ideas are simple and White cannot easily avoid it after 1.e4. But the black queen comes out early, so you must know where it is safe. Most Scandinavian traps for White are queen traps.
What is the Icelandic Gambit?
It is 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.c4 e6, also called the Palme Gambit. Black gives a pawn for fast development and pressure on the e-file.
How do I avoid traps in the Scandinavian as Black?
Play ...c6 early so the queen can go back to c7 or d8, be careful with an early ...Bg4 in the 3...Qa5 line, and before each move count the squares your queen still has.
Set these traps in your own games
Play the Scandinavian against a bot and see who runs out of squares first.
