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It appears that openings are named after almost any country or city in the world. Spanish opening, Italian game, French defense, Hungarian gambit, London system and so on.

Because I am from Sweden I want to learn and play an opening related to Sweden. But to my surprise and dismay I haven't found a single one named after a Swedish location or Swedish chess player (Scandinavian Defense doesn't count because it is for the whole of Scandinavia).

Can you help me find one? The more closely related to Sweden the better.

2
  • Yes, anything with a Swedish connection. E.g player had a girlfriend from Sweden, Swedish ancestry, anything you can think of. May 16, 2020 at 18:21
  • 1
    Does it work with a Swedish player having used the line in some capacity? In that case you have many options. But I'm a bit confused why you wish to play an opening just because of its name. Are you planning to use it as a main opening in your games, or are you just interested in trying it out?
    – Scounged
    May 17, 2020 at 13:17

3 Answers 3

6

Stockholm variation of the Grunfeld

[FEN ""]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bg5

With immediate threat of Bxf6 and wins the d5 pawn

1
  • Perfect! I've tried this line a few times now in blitz. But because it is four moves deep I haven't been able to put it on the board yet. I'll keep trying tough. May 17, 2020 at 15:10
9

The Swedish Variation of the Tarrasch Defense is the move 6...c4 in the line below. The name is also used for the same plan in slightly different positions with the same pawn structure.

[FEN ""]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 {Tarrasch Defense} 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.g3 c4 {Swedish Variation}

Its ECO code is D33. Black tries to capitalize on his queenside majority, while White is going to play e2-e4. I think theory considers the line dubious right now.

There is also the Göteborg variation in the Najdorf Sicilian, famous for its origin story. In 1955, one of the Interzonal tournaments was held in Göteborg, and in round 14 it happened that three Argentinian grandmasters (Panno, Pilnik and Najdorf) had black against three Soviet grandmasters (Geller, Spassky and Keres). All three reached the position below with the new move 9...g5 that the Argentinians prepared beforehand, and all three Soviet players reacted with the same piece sacrifice 11.Nxe6 and won.

[FEN ""]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 h6 9.Bh4 g5 {Göteborg Variation} 10.fxg5 Nfd7 11.Nxe6 fxe6 12.Qh5+ Kf8 13.Bb5

I think it's considered drawish these days.

1
  • +1 I didn't know ...c4 there was called that. May 17, 2020 at 1:40
3

(Scandinavian Defense doesn't count because it is for the whole of Scandinavia)

However, the Scandinavian Defense inherited its name from analysis by Swedish masters in the late 19th century who showed it is playable for Black.

The name originated from its adoption by Ludvig and Gustav Collijn, two Swedish brothers who played in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the 1897 Nordic Championship, they played the opening many times, each time meeting 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 with 3...Qd8, which is a rarely played variation these days. (Source: chess.com)

Ludvig Collijn (Nov-20-1878 – Oct-04-1939 in Stockholm), was a chess author and chairman of the Swedish Chess Federation from 1917 to 1939. He played this opening with success.

Gustaf Collijn (Nov-11-1880 - Nov-06-1968 Sweden) was a younger brother of chess patron Ludvig Collijn. Author, theatre director, and his whole life a chess enthusiast. A celebrity at every major chess event in Sweden.

In 1896 the brothers authored their "Textbook of Chess", Lärobok i Schack.

[FEN ""]

1.e4 d5

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