Alekhine Defense: the complete guide
1. e4 Nf6
Introduced by future world champion Alexander Alekhine in 1921: provoke the white pawns forward, then attack the chain. Hypermodernism turned into a defense, adopted for a while by Fischer himself.
How it starts, move by move
- 1. e4e4 occupies the center.
- ... Nf6Nf6 develops the knight and controls e4 and d5.
Both sides plans
White's plan
Occupy the center, develop quickly, castle, then pick a wing.
Black's plan
Contest the center before White occupies all of it.
What is actually played
Real shares of the continuations after 1. e4 Nf6, Lichess games by Elo band.
| Continuation | Elo 1400 | Elo 1600 | Elo 1800 | Elo 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2... Nd5 | 33 % | 45 % | 52 % | 57 % |
| 2... d5 | 10 % | 11 % | 14 % | 16 % |
| 2. d3 | 7 % | 6 % | 6 % | 5 % |
| 2... Ng8 | 3 % | 2 % | 2 % | 1 % |
| 2. Bc4 | 4 % | 3 % | 2 % | 1 % |
The main variations
- Alekhine DefenseB021. e4 Nf6
- Normal VariationB021. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5
- Alekhine DefenseB031. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4
- Alekhine DefenseB031. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6
- Alekhine DefenseB031. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4
- Four Pawns AttackB031. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6
- Modern VariationB041. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3
- Two Pawns AttackB021. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4
- Exchange VariationB031. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6
- Scandinavian VariationB021. e4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5
- Modern Variation, Main LineB051. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 Bg4
- Two Pawns Attack, Lasker VariationB021. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. c5
Frequently asked questions
- What moves start the Alekhine Defense?
- The Alekhine Defense starts with 1. e4 Nf6. Every move is explained in the interactive explorer.
- How many named variations does the Alekhine Defense have?
- 56 named variations, from the Lichess ECO database. The main ones are listed on this page; the full tree lives in the branch map.
- What is the most played continuation?
- Around 2000 Elo, the most frequent continuation is 2... Nd5, played in 57% of games (Lichess data).
- How can I learn the Alekhine Defense for free?
- The explorer, free play, review cards and the essential ★1 course of the Alekhine Defense are free on OpeningMate. The ★2 to ★5 levels and per-variation courses are part of Premium.
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