Playing Against the

Alekhine Defense - Part 1:

The Exchange Variation

Samantha212

| Mar 20, 2015 at 7:56 PM

| Posted in: Samantha212's Blog

| 2109 reads

| 3 comments

Hello Chess Fans,

Today
we
will
look
at
a Hypermodern
Defense that was developed in the 1920s when a
group
of
players
known
as
the Hypermodernists suggested that it wasn't
necessary to occupy the center with pawns but
instead to develop your pieces to attack the center
from AFAR. It was with this idea in mind that

Alekhine developed the defense that bears his

name.
The Alekhine Defence is characterized by the
moves 1.e4 Nf6

Alexander Alekhine was a Russian Grandmaster

and the fourth World Chess Champion defeating
Jose Raul Capablaca in 1927 for the title. He is
widely considered one of the greatest chess
players amongst the patheon of players we admire
today. By the time he was 22, Alekhine was playing
against the strongest chess players in the world.
Having received a degree in Law in Saint
Petersburg in 1914, he left Soviet Russia in 1921,
moved to France and persued a Phd in Law at the
Sorbonne. By the 1930s he was known as "Dr.
Alekhine", although he was never known to
professionally practice law.
The editors of the Fourth Edition of Modern Chess
Openings wrote:

Nothing is more indicative of the iconoclastic conceptions of the "Hypermodern S

opposing to all tenets of the classical school, Black allows his King's Knight to be driven
provoking a weakness in White's centre pawns.

Currently, The Alekhine's Defence is not often seen

at the Master level. It's more likely to be played
amonst club members where this "Offbeat
Defense"will catch an opponent off guard if they
don't have a system to play against it. In this two
part series on Playing Against the Alekhine we
will prepare White with two variations: 1. The
Exchange Variation and 2. The Modern
Variation. Read on to make this system against
the
Alekhine
Defense
your
own!
So What are Black's Objectives to Playing
this HyperModern Defense?:
FIRST: To Lure White's Pawns Forward.
(White gains extra space with tempo by
kicking the knight around.)
SECOND: Complete Development Before
executing
an
Attack
THIRD: Then Counterattack
Squares with Flank Pieces.
The Alekhine Defense

the

Center

The Exchange Variation 5.exd6 | The Modern Variation

4.Nf3
1. e4[[Nf6The Alekhine Defense.
2. e5Pushing the pawn gains space and tempo
2... Nd5The knights common retreat square.
3. d4Solidifies the center and protects e5.
3... d6Challenges the e5 pawn.
4. c4Attacks the knight again!

(4. Nf3The Modern Variation. )4... Nb6Commonly

Retreats to the b6 square.
5. exd6The Exchange Variation.

The Alekhine Defense

Black's 3 Choices for his 5th Move After the Exchange Variation
1. e4Nf62. e5Nd53. d4d64. c4Kick the Knight Again!
4... Nb6[[5. exd6The Exchange Variation.
5... cxd6This Variation is thought to be the Most Aggressive.
(5... exd6This Variation is less Aggressive but is also
played. )(5... Qxd6The Queen Variation is the Least
Popular Move. )

The Alekhine Defense

Black's Response to the Exchange Variation | 5...Qxd6 The
Queen Variation
1. e4[[Nf62. e5Nd53. d4d64. c4Nb65. exd6Qxd6The Queen
Variation
6. c5POW! FORKs the knight and queen!
6... Qe6+A Minor check but a forced move by White.
7. Be2Blocks
7... Nd5Retreats
8. Nf3Normal developing move
8... g6Prepares to fianchetto the bishop.
9. O-OKing scoots to safety
9... Bg7DS Bishop commandeers the center dark squares from
his perch.
10. Bc4Pins the knight to the queen.
10... Nc6If Black should develop his knight now ...White can

mobilize the queen

(IF Black should move the pawn instead 10... c6Defending
the knight 11. Re1Attacks the
queen 11... Qf5Retreats 12. Bxd5Captures 12... cxd5Reca
ptures 13. Nc3As you can see, white has the space
majority and can easily develop his pieces to active
squares to attack his opponent. Black is prevented from
castling because of the hanging e7 pawn which needs
defending before he scoots to safety. )11. Qb3Double
attacks the d5 knight
11... Na5Attacking the queen
12. Qb5+BAM! Forking the King and Knight!
12... c613. Qxa5

Let's Review what we learned when Black

opts for the 5...Qxd6 Variation. White needs
to:
1. Develop the kingside pieces naturally
2. Castle kingside earlier than in the other two
variations
3. Black's choice to play the Queen Variation
5...Qxd6 is less ambitious and the least likely
choice you'll see in Alekhine Defense. It's very
easy for white to develop a strong central presence
backed by uncompromised piece development.

The Alekhine Defense

Black's Response to the Exchange Variation | 5...cxd6 - The
Mainline Variation

1. e4[[Nf62. e5Nd53. d4d64. c4Attack the knight

again and occupy more queenside space.
4... Nb6Retreats
5. exd6The Exchange Variation
5... cxd6The More Ambitious and Aggressive Capture.
The Mainline Variation.
6. Nc3White plans to QUICKLY develop his queenside
pieces when 5...cxd6 is played.
6... g6Prepares to Fianchetto the bishop - Commonly
seen in the Alekhine.
7. Be3The Beginning of the English Attack that we saw in
the Pirc Defense to Attack the Fianchettoed Bishop.
7... Bg7Commandeers control of the dark center
squares.
8. Rc1This is a CRUCIAL MOVE! Defends Nc3 so the dpawn can be pushed in the future.
8... O-OScoots the king to safety.
9. b3Solidifies white's pawn chain and space dominance
on the queenside.
9... e5This is the CORRECT MOVE FOR BLACK. Black
Strikes in the center to claim center space and contest
White's dominance. Black needs to be very careful at this
point. Some move choices will leave him weaker than
others.
(IF Black pushes the d-pawn. 9... d510. c5White pushes
the pawn, attacks the knight and gains more queenside

space. 10... N6d7Retreats 11. Nxd5The knight captures

black's only center pawn. Look at the board. White's
pieces and pawns are aggressively placed while black's
pieces and pawns and passive and underdeveloped. )
(9... Nc6This move is a MISTAKE! 10. d5PUSH THE PAWN!
White gains another tempo and more space making it
very cramped for the black
pieces. )10. dxe5Recommended to Exchange the Pawns.
10... dxe511. Qxd8The Queen Exchange is said to give
white an advantage since he's further developed than
black.
(11. c5If white chooses not to exchange the queens the cpawn is pushed to attack the
knight. 11... N6d712. Bc4White starts developing the
kingside pieces. 12... Qa5This is a common placement of
the queen - pinning the knight and placing a second
attacker on the c5 pawn. It's because of this additional
counter attack that white chooses to exchange the
queens. )11... Rxd8Recaptures.
12. c5Push the pawn and ATTACK!
12... N6d7This is the best square for the knight. Look at
the other variation to see how white gains the knight for
FREE.
(12... Nd5This is a MISTAKE. 13. Rd1Pinning the
knight. 13... Be6Defends a second time. 14. Bc4Adds a
third attacker to d5. White will win the exchange with 3

attackers to 2 defenders. )13. Bc4After the queens

exchange white develops the kingside pieces.
13... Nc614. Nf3White completes his kingside
development and prepares to castle. White has a
comfortable game advantage at this point.

Let's Review what we learned when Black

opts for the 5...cxd6 Variation. White needs
to:
1. QUICKLY develop the Queenside pieces before
the Kingside.
2. White avoids Nf3 initially to prevent the knight
from being pinned by the bishop with ...Bg4, which
will interfere with white's quick queenside
development.
3. It's CRUCIAL to Develop the rook to c1 to
defend the Nc3 from capture when the d-pawn is
pushed
in
the
future.
4. Exchange the pawns if Black should strike in the
center with 9...e5
5. Exchange the Queens if given the chance. White
has an advantage over black after exchanging
Queens because of his advanced development and
space. It also prevents a counter attack with

black's

queen

and

knight

on

the

c5

pawn.

6. After the queens exchange, QUICKLY develop the

kingside pieces and scoot the king to safety.
7. Pawnstorm on the queenside and the kingside to
break down black's defenses.

The Alekhine Defense

Black's Responses to the Exchange Variation | 5...exd6 Variation
1. e4[[Nf62. e5Nd53. d4d64. c4Nb65. exd6The Exchange
Variation.
5... exd6This Variation is less Aggressive but is the 2nd most
common response to the Exchange Variation. White needs to
QUICKLY develop the kingside pieces with this Variation.
6. Nc3First the knight development.
6... Be7Black usually doesn't fianchetto in this variation.
7. Bd3Kingside bishop develops first.
7... O-OUsually the king castles here.
(7... d5If black strikes in the center with the dpawn 8. c5Attack the knight again! )8. Nge2This prevents
the ...Bg4 pin on the knight. White can now defend with f3.
8... Nc69. O-OScoots to safety.
9... Bg4Black's LS Bishop doesn't have great squares to go to.
10. f3Attacks the bishop
10... Bh5Retreats
11. Nf4Attacks again.
11... Bg6Retreats
12. Nxg6Captures.

12... hxg6Opens up the h-file, which is now vulnerable to an

attack.
13. d5Pushes the pawn again to attack the knights!
13... Ne5Attacks the bishop.
14. f4Attacks the knight.
14... Nxd3Captures.
15. Qxd3Recaptures. Now white will push the f-pawn to crack
open black's kingside pawns, swing the queen over to h3 and use
the rook to force a mate on the h-file.

Let's review what we learned when Black

opts for the 5...exc6 Variation. White needs
to:
1. Develop the kingside pieces first.
2. Avoid Nc3 and instead move the knight to Ne2 to
avoid the Bishop pin with ...Bg4.
3. Castle more quickly than the 5...cxd6 Variation.
4. Gain more queenside space by attacking black's
knights with the c and d pawns.
5. This variation is easier to play than the 5...cxd6
variation.
6. Pawn storm with the f-pawn to Crack-Open
black's defenses.
7. White's space and piece development should
give white an advantage in the game.

I hope this sheds some light on Playing Against

The Alekhine Defense Using The Exchange
Variation. Look for the next in the series
- Playing Against The Alekhine Defense Using
the Modern Variation. Until then...Cheers.