Schiller-Pytel Variation

The Schiller-Pytel Variation is a branch of the Gubinsky-Melts Defense, the Scandinavian line in which Black retreats the queen to d6 after 3. Nc3. Keeping the queen central lets it watch important squares, but it also leaves it more exposed than on a5 or d8, with Nb5 and Bf4 as the standard ways to harass it. The early 4...c6 takes b5 away from the knight and gives the queen extra room along the diagonal, after which Black typically develops with ...Nf6 and ...Bf5 behind a structure similar to the Caro-Kann's.

5. Nf3 is by far the most common reply, with 5. Bc4 and 5. Be3 well behind. Be3 is the engine's first choice, and the engine gives White a slight edge. In online games, however, the results are almost exactly even. A related position arises in the Modern Variation, where Black plays ...Nf6 before ...c6: after 4...Nf6 5. Bc4 c6 6. Nge2 Bf5 7. Bf4, the queen avoids the attack by moving to b4.