Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Larsen Variation
Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Larsen Variation is a chess opening with the ECO code B04, part of the Alekhine Defense family. It goes 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 dxe5. White opens with 1. e4 (the king's pawn) and Black answers 1... Nf6. After 8 moves it is White to move. After the last move Black is a pawn ahead in material. 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. Nf3 – White plays the knight to f3
4... dxe5 – Black captures on e5 with the d-pawn
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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