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Scandinavian Defense · As Black · updated November 2026

Play the Scandinavian like Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

A repertoire in the Scandinavian built from 36 of Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Shakhriyar Mamedyarov chose most often. Where Shakhriyar Mamedyarov has fewer than 3 games, the course takes the other top-50 players' most played move, then Stockfish's. Learn a line on the board, then each position comes back in a short daily review until it sticks.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by Shakhriyar Mamedyarov or Chess.com.

  • Shakhriyar Mamedyarov was #26 in Chess.com blitz in November 2026 (3,243) and scored 78% against opponents averaging 2,793 in these games.
  • You play Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's own move in 14 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Train lines

Learn a new line move by move. Lines due for review go to your daily review first.

Next: line 1

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#26

Chess.com

Rating

3,243

as of 8 Nov 2026

Games

36

in this opening

Score

78%

in these games

Opponents

2,793

average rating

Based on 36 games, Jun 2020–Nov 2026

More about Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

Use arrow keys to navigate the board. Press Enter to select a piece, then use arrow keys and Enter to move. Press Escape to cancel a move.
Line 1 after 12 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 9% at top level

    2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Bc4 Bf5 6.Ne2 e6 7.O-O Nc6

    Next

  2. Line 2 · 8% at top level

    2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.Nf3 Nf6

    New

  3. Line 3 · 6% at top level

    2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Bc4 Bf5 6.Bd2 c6 7.Nf3 e6

    New

  4. Line 4 · 6% at top level

    2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Bc4 Bf5 6.Nf3 e6 7.Bd2 Bb4 8.a3 Bxc3 9.Bxc3 Qb6 10.Qe2 O-O 11.O-O-O Nc6 12.Ne5 Rfd8

    New

  5. Line 5 · 6% at top level

    2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bf5 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bd2 Bb4 8.a3 Bxc3 9.Bxc3 Qb6 10.O-O O-O

    New

  6. Line 6 · 5% at top level

    2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.Be2 Nc6

    New

  7. Line 7 · 4% at top level

    2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bf5 6.Bd2 e6 7.Bc4 Bb4

    New

  8. Line 8 · 3% at top level

    2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Bc4 Bf5 6.Bd2 c6 7.Nd5 Qd8

    New

  9. Line 9 · 3% at top level

    2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Bc4 Bf5 6.Ne2 e6 7.Bd2 Qb6

    New

  10. Line 10 · 3% at top level

    2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Bc4 Bf5 6.Ne2 e6 7.Ng3 Bg6

    New

  11. Line 11 · 3% at top level

    2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.Nge2 Bf5

    New

  12. Line 12 · 3% at top level

    2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.d3 a6 6.Bd2 Qc5

    New

  13. Line 13 · 3% at top level

    2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.d4 Bf5 6.Nf3 e6 7.O-O Nbd7

    New

  14. Line 14 · 3% at top level

    2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bf5 6.Ne5 c6 7.Bc4 e6 8.g4 Bg6 9.h4 Nbd7 10.Nxd7 Nxd7 11.h5 Be4

    New

  15. Line 15 · 3% at top level

    2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.g3 Nf6 5.Bg2 Nc6 6.Nge2 Bg4 7.h3 Bh5 8.a3 O-O-O

    New

Ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. Learned lines join your daily review.

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's main line in the Scandinavian, move by move

The most common line at top level: 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Bc4 Bf5 6.Ne2 e6 7.O-O Nc6.

  1. 2.exd5 Reply · Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's games A common reply here is 2.exd5. At top level, this comes up about 97% of the time.
  2. 2…Qxd5 Your move · Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's games Shakhriyar Mamedyarov played 2…Qxd5 in 35 games, scoring 80%.
  3. 3.Nc3 Reply · Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's games A common reply here is 3.Nc3. At top level, this comes up about 92% of the time.
  4. 3…Qa5 Your move · Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's games Shakhriyar Mamedyarov played 3…Qa5 in 33 games, scoring 80%.
  5. 4.d4 Reply · Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's games A common reply here is 4.d4. At top level, this comes up about 64% of the time.
  6. 4…Nf6 Your move · Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's games Shakhriyar Mamedyarov played 4…Nf6 in 23 games, scoring 76%.
  7. 5.Bc4 Reply · Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's games A common reply here is 5.Bc4. At top level, this comes up about 31% of the time.
  8. 5…Bf5 Your move · Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's games Shakhriyar Mamedyarov played 5…Bf5 in 10 games, scoring 75%.
  9. 6.Ne2 Reply · Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's games A common reply here is 6.Ne2. At top level, this comes up about 15% of the time.
  10. 6…e6 Your move · Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's games Shakhriyar Mamedyarov played 6…e6 in 5 games, scoring 80%.
  11. 7.O-O Reply · Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's games A common reply here is 7.O-O. At top level, this comes up about 9% of the time.
  12. 7…Nc6 Your move · Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's games Shakhriyar Mamedyarov played 7…Nc6 in 2 games, scoring 50%.

Questions about this course

How does Shakhriyar Mamedyarov play the Scandinavian?
After 1.e4 d5, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's most common line is 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Bc4 Bf5 6.Ne2 e6 7.O-O Nc6. At top level it comes up about 9% of the time.
Is this Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this Scandinavian course based on?
36 of Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's Chess.com blitz games in the Scandinavian Defense as Black, against opponents with an average rating of 2,793. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov scored 78% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
15 lines covering 40 positions, ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. The first 5 lines need no account; saving your progress with an email unlocks the rest, free.
Who is Shakhriyar Mamedyarov?
GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov was ranked number 26 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,243 when this course was built.

More openings to play like Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

Play the Scandinavian like other top players