- The moves1. e4 Nf6
- Chosen byBlack
- ECOB02–B05
- Also calledAlekhine's Defense
The Alekhine Defense begins with 1.e4 Nf6. The knight attacks e4, and White almost always answers 2.e5, chasing it to d5. Then White can keep chasing with c4 and take more and more space. Black's idea is that the white pawns become targets once they have gone too far: a center built in a hurry can collapse.
The opening is named after Alexander Alekhine, who introduced it at a tournament in Budapest in 1921, in games against Endre Steiner and Fritz Sämisch. Bobby Fischer played it twice against Boris Spassky in the 1972 world championship match, and Viktor Korchnoi had it in his repertoire. Today it is rare at elite level.
The main line, move by move
1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. Be2 e6 6. O-O Be7 7. c4 Nb6 8. h3 Bh5 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Be3 d5
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The ideas
White wants to
- Take space in the center with tempo, since every pawn move chases the knight.
- Keep the center together: the pawns on d4 and e5 give the pieces room.
- Don't go too far. A center built too quickly can become hard to defend.
Black wants to
- Lure White's pawns forward and then attack them with …d6, …c5 and piece pressure.
- Trade off White's knight on f3, which protects the center, with …Bg4 and …Bxf3.
- Place the knights so that they press on d4 and c4.
Important variations
Four Pawns Attack: 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4
White's most ambitious answer: four pawns in the center at once. The line shows the very idea behind the Alekhine Defense. White gains tempi by chasing the knight and gets an impressive center, but Black is counting on smashing it. Both sides have to play energetically, because things can go fast either way here.
1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 dxe5 6. fxe5 Nc6 7. Be3 Bf5 8. Nc3 e6 9. Nf3
5. f4
The fourth pawn. White has pawns on c4, d4, e5 and f4.
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Exchange Variation: 5.exd6
White trades on d6 and settles for a smaller but stable space advantage. Black chooses between the solid 5…exd6 and the more ambitious 5…cxd6, where Black keeps more pawns in the middle. Against 5…cxd6, the setup with Be3, Rc1 and b3 has become popular. It is called the Voronezh Variation, after the Russian city where it was developed.
1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. exd6 cxd6 6. Nc3 g6 7. Be3 Bg7 8. Rc1 O-O 9. b3
The trap: 5…Nb6?? in the Balogh Variation
A trap worth knowing comes after 4.Bc4. If Black trades on e5 with 4…dxe5 5.dxe5 and then retreats the knight with 5…Nb6??, Black loses the queen. 6.Bxf7+ is check, and when the king takes back, the queen on d8 is left unprotected against White's queen on the open d-file. The right move is to retreat the knight at once with 4…Nb6.
1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Bc4 dxe5 5. dxe5 Nb6 6. Bxf7+ Kxf7 7. Qxd8
7. Qxd8
The queen falls. White has won a queen for a bishop.
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How it goes in real games
How the games ended once the position had come up on the board, in blitz, rapid and classical games. White wins, draws and Black wins, as a percentage of the games.
| Position | Level | Games | White wins | Draw | Black wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alekhine Defense 1. e4 Nf6 | Club players | 28,186,007 | 46% | 5% | 49% |
| Beginners | 16,657,637 | 52% | 4% | 44% | |
| Alekhine Defense, main line 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. Be2 e6 6. O-O Be7 7. c4 Nb6 8. h3 Bh5 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Be3 d5 | Club players | 1,971 | 51% | 9% | 39% |
| Beginners | 7 | too few games for percentages | |||
| Four Pawns Attack: 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 dxe5 6. fxe5 Nc6 7. Be3 Bf5 8. Nc3 e6 9. Nf3 | Club players | 161,805 | 46% | 6% | 48% |
| Beginners | 1,645 | 51% | 4% | 45% | |
| Exchange Variation: 5.exd6 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. exd6 cxd6 6. Nc3 g6 7. Be3 Bg7 8. Rc1 O-O 9. b3 | Club players | 107,521 | 53% | 7% | 40% |
| Beginners | 204 | 63% | 4% | 33% | |
The most common continuations after 1. e4 Nf6
Club players, share of the games in the position.
- 2.e5 55% (15,638,502 games)
- 2.Nc3 31% (8,617,951 games)
- 2.d3 6% (1,602,044 games)
- 2.Nf3 4% (1,085,806 games)
- 2.Bc4 2% (422,850 games)
Source: games on Lichess, fetched October 28, 2026. Club players means games where the players average 1600 or more, beginners games where they average 1000–1599.
Is this opening for you?
The Alekhine Defense suits players who like to provoke and then counter. White has to decide early how much center is enough, and many White players haven't thought that question through in advance.
It is less suited to anyone who wants a quiet, safe position. If something goes wrong, Black can be smothered by White's space.
Practice the main line
Choose a color and one of the house players. Your opponent follows the main line, and you try to find your moves. If you play something else, you'll see the main line's move, but the game goes on. When the main line ends, you play freely.
Rather play freely? Choose an opponent · Play right away
The main line with all the comments as text
1. e4 Nf6 The knight attacks e4 at once. Black invites White to come forward. 2. e5 The natural reply: the pawn takes space and chases the knight. 2… Nd5 The knight stands centrally, but it can be chased again. 3. d4 White builds the center. 3… d6 Black challenges the pawn on e5 at once. 4. Nf3 The Modern Variation, the most common today. White settles for a smaller center and develops the pieces instead. 4… Bg4 Black's most common reply. The bishop pins the knight that protects e5 and d4, and Black is often ready to trade it off with …Bxf3. 5. Be2 White breaks the pin and prepares to castle. 5… e6 Black opens the way for the other bishop and protects the knight on d5. 6. O-O Be7 7. c4 Now the knight is chased again. 7… Nb6 The knight retreats. From b6 it presses on c4 and d5. 8. h3 White puts the question to the bishop: trade or retreat? 8… Bh5 Black keeps the pin. 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Be3 White has a stable center and more space. 10… d5 Black puts a pawn on d5 and forces White to decide what happens to the pawn on c4.
More openings
Scandinavian Defense
1…d5 at once. Black forces an open game from the first move.
Pirc Defense
Black fianchettoes and lets White take the center, then strikes at it.
Caro-Kann Defense
1…c6 and 2…d5. As stable as the French, but the bishop on c8 gets out.
French Defense
1…e6 and 2…d5. Black builds a wall and attacks White's pawn chain at the base.
Every move on this page has been checked against the rules of chess.
Updated November 6, 2026
1… Nf6
The knight attacks e4 at once. Black invites White to come forward.