Anglo-Scandinavian Defense, Malvinas Variation

The Malvinas Variation arises after 1. c4 d5 2. cxd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5. After White gains a tempo on the queen with 3. Nc3, Black retreats it to a5 rather than d8 or elsewhere, borrowing the placement familiar from the Scandinavian Defense. From a5 the queen stays active along the fifth rank and eyes the knight on c3 along the a5–e1 diagonal, so any advance of the d-pawn leaves that knight pinned. Compared with the Scandinavian proper, colors and wings are shifted: White has given up the c-pawn instead of the e-pawn and keeps both central pawns, while Black retains the c- and e-pawns, with the c- and d-files half-open.

The three main replies are played about equally often. 4. g3 fianchettoes the king's bishop toward the long diagonal and the queenside, where Black's queen stands. 4. Nf3 develops flexibly, and 4. d4 occupies the center at once and accepts the pin in exchange for space. The engine gives White a slight edge, and White scores somewhat better in online games, consistent with the general view that Black's early queen sortie concedes time.