The Alekhine Defence is a provocative hypermodern opening: with 1...Nf6 Black attacks e4 at once and lures White's pawns forward in order to attack the overextended centre later. The main branches are gathered here: the Modern Variation, the Four Pawns Attack, the Exchange Variation and the Fianchetto System. At each branching point, choose which line to play.
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The starting position. Choose your moves - at a branching point several continuations are available.
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The Alekhine Defence is named after the fourth world champion, Alexander Alekhine, who used it in 1921. With 1...Nf6 Black attacks the e4 pawn at once and provokes 2.e5, after which the knight steps to d5 and teases White's pawns forward: 3.d4 d6 - and White's centre becomes the target.
This is the classic hypermodern approach: instead of occupying the centre with pawns, Black lets White seize it, planning to strike at it and attack it with pieces later. A risky strategy, but rich in counterplay.
The main question is whether White's pawn centre can take the pressure. If it can, Black will be squeezed; if it cannot, its collapse leaves White with weaknesses.
The healthiest route is the Modern Variation 4.Nf3: White develops calmly and keeps a flexible centre. The most ambitious is the Four Pawns Attack 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4, where White builds the c4-d4-e4-f4 avalanche and goes all in.
If White does not want to take risks, he plays the Exchange Variation 5.exd6 and simplifies. Black, in turn, can choose the flexible fianchetto 4...g6, preparing pressure with the bishop on the long diagonal.
The Alekhine is built on provocation: the knight steps to f6 into the line of fire, Black lets it be chased, and trades tempi for pawn weaknesses. After 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 White gets an imposing centre - and that centre is precisely the target.
Black's plan is always the same: strike at the centre. The moves ...dxe5, ...c5, ...Nc6 and ...Bg4 hit d4 and e5, and the pieces gather around them - knight on b6, bishop on f5 or g4, queen ready to join in. The further White's pawns advance, the weaker the squares behind them become.
What matters to understand: the temporary loss of tempi is the opening's price, not a mistake. Do not try to play normally and defend everything. If White's centre has held and he has finished developing, Black is simply worse - the whole idea lies in the break.
The temptation is to chase the knight and grab space. The most aggressive route looks exactly like that: 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4, the Four Pawns Attack. The centre is huge, but so are the weaknesses: Black hammers it with ...dxe5, ...c5 and ...Bf5, and without precise knowledge White quickly ends up in trouble.
The quiet schemes are more practical. The most popular today is 4.Nf3 (the Modern Variation): White develops, plays Be2 and 0-0, and keeps the centre compact. There is also the Exchange system 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6 - it releases the tension and leaves White a small positional plus with no risk.
A general rule: do not push pawns just because you can. Every unnecessary pawn move in this opening is a square where a black piece will settle.
The typical set-ups this opening leads to - learn them, and the plan follows by itself.
The main line today: White does not chase the knight but develops calmly and holds the solid d4-e5 centre. Black fianchettoes the bishop and presses on the e5 pawn.
The most critical reply: White builds the c4-d4-e5 pawn wall and seizes all the space. The point of the opening is that this wall still has to be held.
These are the main named variations. Click any one of them and it loads straight onto the board above, where you can play it out move by move. The trainer itself holds more lines than this: it also covers main-line continuations and transpositions that have no name of their own.
What to avoid, and what catches an unprepared opponent.
The only sensible knight retreat is 2...Nd5. After 2...Ne4? White plays 3.d3 and the knight starts running: 3...Nc5 4.d4 - every hop hands White a tempo and more space.
You cannot trap the knight: after 4.c5?! Nd5 White's pawns are overextended, d5 belongs to the knight for good, and the breaks ...d6 and ...e6 tear the chain apart. Chase development, not the knight.
In the Four Pawns Attack (d4, e5, f4, c4) White has to keep pace with development. Keep pushing pawns and the breaks ...d6, ...c5 and ...f6 open the game - and Black's pieces reach the white king first.
Traps in other openings - the 12 most common opening traps.
Take a short quiz and find out which chess opening suits your MBTI personality type - 16 types, each with its own opening and a walkthrough on the board.
The fourth world champion, Alexander Alekhine, who used it to striking effect in 1921. The opening became a showcase of hypermodernism - the school that proposed giving up the centre with pawns in order to attack it with pieces.
That is both the point and the risk of the opening. If White plays carelessly, his overextended centre becomes weak and collapses. But with precise play (the modern 4.Nf3) the centre holds and Black stays slightly cramped - which is why the defence demands understanding rather than cramming.
It is the most aggressive reply: 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4, where White occupies the centre with four pawns at once - c4, d4, e4 and f4. Enormous space in exchange for risk: such an avalanche is hard to hold, and Black strikes at its base with ...d6 and ...c5.
Rather for those who already have the basics: the opening demands a subtle feel for playing against a centre, and accuracy. In return it teaches a vital idea - that an occupied centre can be a target rather than a strength.
Want the tactics that decide these positions? Start with the 12 most common opening traps and tactics for beginners. If you are just starting out, read the rules of chess and how to set up the board.
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