What Is the Alekhine's Defense?
Alekhine's Defense is the reply 1...Nf6 to 1.e4. Many players search for it as the Alekhine Defense, and in British English it's spelled Alekhine's Defence. Black's knight comes out on move one and invites the e pawn to chase it. After 2.e5 Nd5, White can push more pawns at the knight and build a big center, and that's the point: a big center is also a big target. The opening carries the name of Alexander Alekhine, world champion from 1927 to 1935 and again from 1937 to 1946. He introduced it at the Budapest tournament of 1921, in games against Endre Steiner and Fritz Sämisch. Its ECO codes are B02 to B05. Is it sound? Yes, but it gives White more than the main replies do. We ran Stockfish 19 to depth 30 in October 2026. After 1.e4 Nf6 the engine gave White about 0.9 pawns, against about 0.4 after the Caro-Kann, 1.e4 c6, and about 0.23 after 1.e4 e5. Our Alekhine's Defense course has 5 lines, all from Black's side: two against the Four Pawns Attack, one against the Exchange Variation and two against the Modern Variation.
Key Moves in the Alekhine's Defense
After 1.e4 Nf6, White's most natural move is 2.e5, and the knight goes to d5. Then 3.d4 d6 is the usual start, and White picks how many pawns to throw at the knight. 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4 is the Four Pawns Attack: the c, d, e and f pawns all step forward. 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6 is the Exchange Variation, where White trades on d6 and keeps a smaller center that's easier to hold. 4.Nf3 is the Modern Variation and the most common line of all: White keeps the e5 pawn, develops a piece and doesn't overreach. Against it, 4...Bg4 is Black's usual reply, 4...g6 is the Alburt Variation and 4...dxe5 is the Larsen Variation. White has quieter choices on move two as well. 2.Nc3 is often met by 2...d5, the Scandinavian Variation, and 2.Bc4 is the Krejcik Variation. Two odd knight moves even have names of their own: 2...Ng8 is the Brooklyn Variation and 2...Ne4 is the Mokele Mbembe.
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Be2 e6Alekhine's Defense Strategy & Ideas
Black's plan is to let White build a center and then hit it. The knight on d5 is the bait. Every pawn White pushes at it gains space, but it also leaves squares behind and gives Black's pieces something to aim at. So Black's ideas come in a fixed order. First ...d6, to challenge the e5 pawn at once. Then pressure on d4 and e5, either with ...Nc6, ...g6 and ...Bg7, or with ...Bg4 against the knight that guards them. In the Modern Variation, Black often gives up the bishop for that knight with ...Bxf3. The knight is one of the main defenders of White's center, so trading it weakens d4 and e5. White's plan is the opposite: keep the space, keep the pawns protected and leave the black knight stuck on b6. If White holds the center without weaknesses, Black stays cramped for the whole game. If Black breaks it with ...c5, ...e5 or ...f6 at the right moment, the white pawns become targets. Our view: below master level, knowing these pawn breaks matters more than memorizing long lines.
Typical Pawn Structures
The pawns tell you which Alekhine you're in. In the Four Pawns Attack, after 5...dxe5 6.fxe5, White has pawns on c4, d4 and e5, and the f file is half open. The e5 pawn cramps Black, but no pawn guards d4, so Black lines up pieces against it with ...Nc6, ...Bf5 or ...Bg4, and ...e6, and later breaks with ...c5 or ...f6. In the Exchange Variation, Black chooses the structure. 5...cxd6 keeps two center pawns on d6 and e7 against White's c4 and d4, and the c file opens for Black's rooks. 5...exd6 gives a more symmetrical position. Both are playable: in our test with Stockfish 19 at depth 22, White was about 0.5 pawns better after 5...exd6 and about 0.7 after 5...cxd6. In the Modern Variation, the pawn on e5 stays, backed only by d4 and the knight on f3. That's why ...Bg4 and ...dxe5 matter so much there.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The one tactic every Alekhine player has to know is the queen trap on the d file, and it's in the traps section below. Apart from that, four mistakes come up again and again. First, for Black: playing slowly against the Four Pawns Attack. After 5.f4, Stockfish 19 at depth 22 gave White about 0.9 pawns, the highest score of any main line in our test, so Black has to start hitting the center at once with ...dxe5, ...Nc6 and ...Bf5. Second, also for Black: in the Larsen Variation, 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 dxe5 5.Nxe5, the natural 5...Nd7? runs into 6.Nxf7! Kxf7 7.Qh5+, and the king has to walk out to e6. The engine scored White about 1.3 pawns better. Third, for White: pushing every pawn and forgetting the pieces. Our view: this happens most in the Four Pawns Attack, because each pawn move is one less developing move. Fourth, for White: 2.Bc4, the Krejcik Variation, leaves the e4 pawn hanging. After 2...Nxe4, White's best try is 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.Qh5+, which wins the knight back, but our engine test still rated Black about a pawn better.
Common Traps in the Alekhine's Defense
The trap to learn first in Alekhine's Defense is one Black has to avoid. When the d file opens between the queens and a white bishop stands on c4, Bxf7+ followed by Qxd8 wins Black's queen. It comes up in two common ways. In the Sämisch Attack, 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.Nc3 Nxc3 4.dxc3 d6 5.Bc4 dxe5?? 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Qxd8, and Stockfish 19 at depth 22 rated White more than eight pawns better. The safe move there is 5...Nc6, which the same test rated level. In the Balogh Variation, 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Bc4 dxe5 5.dxe5 Nb6?? looks natural because it hits the bishop. But the knight on d5 was the only piece blocking the d file, and 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Qxd8 wins the queen again. The engine's choice was 4...Nb6 5.Bb3 dxe5, which keeps the queens apart. Now a pawn you can win as Black. Against the Krejcik Variation, 1.e4 Nf6 2.Bc4, simply take with 2...Nxe4. The reply 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.Qh5+ looks dangerous, but after 4...Kg8 5.Qd5+ e6 6.Qxe4 d5 it only gets the knight back, and Black keeps the better game.
Famous Alekhine's Defense Players & Games
Alexander Alekhine first played the defense at Budapest in 1921, against Endre Steiner and Fritz Sämisch. Its biggest stage came in 1972. In game 13 of the world championship match in Reykjavik, Bobby Fischer chose it against Boris Spassky, answered 4.Nf3 with 4...g6, and won in 74 moves after a Spassky blunder on move 69. That win put Fischer ahead 8 to 5. Fischer played it again in game 19, with the more common 4...Bg4, and that game was drawn. Lev Alburt played the opening almost exclusively at grandmaster level and added a lot of its theory, and the 4...g6 line carries his name. Viktor Korchnoi and Vassily Ivanchuk used it too, and Levon Aronian, Michael Adams and Hikaru Nakamura bring it out now and then. Magnus Carlsen plays it rarely, but he used it to beat Veselin Topalov at Morelia in 2008.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Alekhine's Defense a good opening?▼
Yes. It's sound, and it suits players who like to attack a big center, although it gives White more than 1...e5 or 1...c6 do. In our October 2026 test, Stockfish 19 at depth 30 rated 1.e4 Nf6 about 0.9 pawns better for White, against about 0.4 after 1.e4 c6 and about 0.23 after 1.e4 e5. Fischer, Alburt, Ivanchuk and Carlsen have all won with it. Our view: below master level, that gap matters much less than knowing the plans, and White's main choices come down to three systems you can learn in a few weeks.
What is the main line of Alekhine's Defense?▼
The Modern Variation, 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3, is the most common line, and 4...Bg4 is Black's most common answer. White usually goes 5.Be2, and 5...e6 follows. The Four Pawns Attack, 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4, is White's most ambitious try, and its main line runs 5...dxe5 6.fxe5 Nc6 7.Be3 Bf5. Our trainer covers both systems, plus the Exchange Variation.
How should White play against Alekhine's Defense?▼
Most players choose the Modern Variation, 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3, which keeps a space edge without pawns that need constant care. In our test, Stockfish 19 at depth 30 rated it about half a pawn for White, with 4...dxe5 as Black's best reply. The Four Pawns Attack scored higher, about 0.9 at depth 22, but it asks White to know far more theory and to defend an exposed center. The Exchange Variation, 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6, sits in between, at about 0.5 to 0.7 in our test. Our view: start with 4.Nf3 and learn the Four Pawns later.
What traps should Black know in Alekhine's Defense?▼
Three. The first is the queen trap: when the d file opens between the queens and a white bishop is on c4, Bxf7+ and Qxd8 win Black's queen, as in 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.Nc3 Nxc3 4.dxc3 d6 5.Bc4 dxe5?? The second is 5...Nd7? in the Larsen Variation, which loses to 6.Nxf7! Kxf7 7.Qh5+. The third is good news: against 1.e4 Nf6 2.Bc4, Black can take the e4 pawn, and the Bxf7+ sacrifice only wins the knight back.
What is the Scandinavian Variation of Alekhine's Defense?▼
It's 1.e4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5. White avoids 2.e5, and Black strikes at e4 with the d pawn, as in the Scandinavian Defense, 1.e4 d5. After 3.exd5 Nxd5, the game can look like a Scandinavian. 3.e5 chases the knight again, and 3...Nfd7 4.e6 is the Spielmann Gambit. In our test with Stockfish 19 at depth 22, 3.e5 rated about 0.3 pawns for White and 3.exd5 about 0.2.
Should I play Alekhine's Defense or the Caro-Kann?▼
Play the Caro-Kann if you want a solid position with few early risks, and Alekhine's Defense if you want to provoke White and fight a big center from move two. In our October 2026 test with Stockfish 19 at depth 30, 1.e4 c6 rated about 0.4 pawns for White and 1.e4 Nf6 about 0.9. Our view: the Alekhine is quicker to start with, because White's main choices come down to three systems, while the Caro-Kann holds up better against well prepared opponents.
Related Openings
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