Alekhine Defense: Normal Variation

Alekhine Defense: Normal Variation is a chess opening with the ECO code B02, part of the Alekhine Defense family. It goes 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5. White opens with 1. e4 (the king's pawn) and Black answers 1... Nf6. After 4 moves it is White 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

In chessGM's opening book this position continues with 3. d4.

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.

Related openings

It extends: Alekhine Defense (1. e4 Nf6)
Continues with: Alekhine Defense: Buckley Attack – adds 3. Na3
Continues with: Alekhine Defense: Kmoch Variation – adds 3. Bc4 Nb6 4. Bb3 c5
Continues with: Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack – adds 3. Nc3
Continues with: Alekhine Defense: Two Pawns Attack – adds 3. c4
Continues with: Alekhine Defense: Welling Variation – adds 3. b3
Continues with: Alekhine Defense – adds 3. d4
Related line: Alekhine Defense: Mokele Mbembe, Vavra Defense (1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Ne4 3. d4 e6)
Related line: Alekhine Defense: Scandinavian Variation (1. e4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5)
Related line: Alekhine Defense: Mokele Mbembe, Modern Line (1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Ne4 3. d4 f6)
Related line: Alekhine Defense: Scandinavian Variation, Geschev Gambit (1. e4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. exd5 c6)
Related line: Alekhine Defense: Mokele Mbembe (1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Ne4)
Related line: Alekhine Defense: Scandinavian Variation, Myers Gambit (1. e4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d3 dxe4 4. Bg5)

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