Alekhine Defense: Exchange Variation, Karpov Variation is a chess opening with the ECO code B03, part of the Alekhine Defense family. It goes 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. White opens with 1. e4 (the king's pawn) and Black answers 1... Nf6. After 21 moves it is Black to move. The lesson on the board explains every move of the line and lets you play it yourself; it is free.
The moves
1. e4 – White plays the pawn to e4
1... Nf6 – Black plays the knight to f6
2. e5 – White plays the pawn to e5
2... Nd5 – Black plays the knight to d5
3. d4 – White plays the pawn to d4
3... d6 – Black plays the pawn to d6
4. c4 – White plays the pawn to c4
4... Nb6 – Black plays the knight to b6
5. exd6 – White captures on d6 with the e-pawn
5... cxd6 – Black captures on d6 with the c-pawn
6. Nc3 – White plays the knight to c3
6... g6 – Black plays the pawn to g6
The line goes on for 9 more moves; the lesson shows them all.
About the Alekhine Defense
Black answers 1.e4 with 1...Nf6, inviting White's pawns to chase the knight. The idea is to make White over-extend, then attack the big centre.
After e5 Nd5 c4 Nb6 d4, White has a big centre that can become a target.
Black hits the centre with ...d6, ...Nc6, ...Bg4 and ...c5.
The quiet 4.Nf3 (Modern) is White's safest way to keep a small edge.
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