Opening family
Alekhine Defense Lines and Variations
The Alekhine Defense family contains 56 named lines in this opening book, spanning ECO B02 to B05. Use this page as the map, then open individual lines for exact move orders and diagrams.
How to study this family
White
White should use the move order as a checkpoint: finish development, identify the central break, and compare the continuations below before memorizing moves.
Black
Black should ask what White is threatening in the center, then choose development moves that prepare a clean pawn break or a useful exchange.
Start with the shortest line, then branch to the variations that change the pawn structure or tactical target. Memorizing every branch before understanding the family plan is usually wasted work.
Main named lines
- B02 · Alekhine Defense
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Krejcik Variation
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Maróczy Variation
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Brooklyn Variation
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Mokele Mbembe
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Normal Variation
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Scandinavian Variation
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Buckley Attack
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Krejcik Variation, Krejcik Gambit
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Two Pawns Attack
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Welling Variation
- B03 · Alekhine Defense
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Brooklyn Variation, Everglades Variation
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Mokele Mbembe, Modern Line
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Mokele Mbembe, Vavra Defense
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Scandinavian Variation, Geschev Gambit
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel
- B03 · Alekhine Defense
- B03 · Alekhine Defense: O'Sullivan Gambit
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Scandinavian Variation, Myers Gambit
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Spielmann Gambit
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation
- B02 · Alekhine Defense: Two Pawns Attack, Lasker Variation
Deep theory branches
- 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 Qd7 10. Be2 O-O-O 11. O-O Be7 — Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Tartakower Variation
- 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. exd6 cxd6 6. Nc3 g6 7. h3 Bg7 8. Nf3 O-O 9. Be2 Nc6 10. O-O Bf5 11. Bf4 — Alekhine Defense: Exchange Variation, Karpov Variation
- 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 dxe5 6. fxe5 Bf5 7. Nc3 e6 8. Nf3 Be7 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O f6 — Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Korchnoi Variation
- 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 — Alekhine Defense: Exchange Variation, Voronezh Variation
- 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 dxe5 6. fxe5 Nc6 7. Nf3 Bg4 8. e6 fxe6 9. c5 — Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Ilyin-Zhenevsky Variation
- 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. c5 Nd5 5. Bc4 e6 6. Nc3 d6 7. Nxd5 exd5 8. Bxd5 — Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Mikenas Gambit
- 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. c5 Nd5 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 d6 7. Bg5 — Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Matsukevich Gambit
- 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 dxe5 6. fxe5 Nc6 7. Be3 — Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line
- 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 g6 5. Bc4 Nb6 6. Bb3 Bg7 7. a4 — Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Keres Variation
- 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. c5 Nd5 5. Bc4 e6 6. Nc3 d6 — Alekhine Defense: Two Pawns Attack, Mikenas Variation
- 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. c5 Nd5 5. Bc4 e6 6. Nc3 — Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit
- 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Be2 — Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Alekhine Gambit
- 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. c4 Nb6 6. d5 — Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Vitolins Attack
- 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 g5 — Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Cambridge Gambit
- 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 g6 — Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Fianchetto Variation
- 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 Bf5 — Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Trifunovic Variation