Anglo-Indian Defense, Scandinavian Defense

The Scandinavian Defense of the Anglo-Indian arises after 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5. Black stakes an immediate claim in the center, challenges the c4-pawn and frees the diagonal of the c8-bishop, without first committing the e- or g-pawn to a Queen's Gambit or Grünfeld setup. The cost is that White can trade the c-pawn for Black's d-pawn, leaving White with two central pawns against one and a knight on d5 that may become a target.

That exchange, 3. cxd5, is chosen in roughly half of all games, and 3...Nxd5 is the Exchange Variation, where Black's knight is centralized but exposed to gains of time with moves such as e4 or Nc3. Quieter options are 3. e3, which keeps the tension and lets Black recapture comfortably if the pawns are later exchanged, and 3. g3, a fianchetto in Catalan style. The engine also rates 3. d4, which leads to Queen's Gambit positions, among the best tries. The engine gives White a slight edge, and White scores clearly better than Black in practice, particularly after 3. cxd5.