Alekhine Defense

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The Alekhine defense after 1.… Ng8 – f6

The Alekhine Defense (after Alexander Alexandrowitsch Alekhine ) is an opening of the game of chess . The Alekhine defense is one of the semi-open games .

Each of their main variants starts with the trains:

1. e2 – e4 Ng8 – f6

Opening variations

The main lines now emerge after the most frequent continuation 2. e4 – e5, with an attack on the knight and gain of space. After 2.… Nf6 – d5 - the knight moves Nf6 – e4 ( Mokele-Mbembe ) and Nf6 – g8 are less common - the following variants are distinguished:

• Hunting variant: 3. c2 – c4 Nd5 – b6 4. c4 – c5
• Modern variant : 3. d2 – d4 d7 – d6 4. Ng1 – f3
• Four pawn attack: 3. d2 – d4 d7 – d6 4. c2 – c4 Nd5 – b6 5. f2 – f4
• Exchange variant: 3. d2 – d4 d7 – d6 4. c2 – c4 Nd5 – b6 5. e5xd6

Quieter white continuations on move two are:

• Scandinavian variant: 2. Nb1 – c3
  • 2. ... d7-d5 (after e7-e5 the game goes through diverter in the Vienna Game over) and now:
    • 3. e4 – e5 (with a possible transition to the Steinitz variant of the French defense by changing moves ) or
    • 3. e4xd5
• Maroczy variant: 2. d2 – d3

ECO system

The Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO) has four keys (B02 to B05) for the Alekhine Defense:

• B02: 1. e2 – e4 Ng8 – f6 (without 2. e4 – e5, 2. e4 – e5 without 2.… Nf6 – d5, 2.… Nf6 – d5 without 3. d2 – d4)
• B03: 1. e2 – e4 Ng8 – f6 2. e4 – e5 Nf6 – d5 3. d2 – d4 (without 3.… d7 – d6, 3.… d7 – d6 without 4. Ng1 – f3)
• B04: 1. e2 – e4 Ng8 – f6 2. e4 – e5 Nf6 – d5 3. d2 – d4 d7 – d6 4. Ng1 – f3 ( modern variant without 4.… Bc8 – g4)
• B05: 1. e2 – e4 Ng8 – f6 2. e4 – e5 Nf6 – d5 3. d2 – d4 d7 – d6 4. Ng1 – f3 Bc8 – g4 ( modern variant with 4.… Bc8 – g4)

history

The idea of ​​provoking an opposing pawn storm with the knight maneuver Ng8 – f6 – d5 – b6 was already known in the 19th century , but for a long time no one took up the new idea of opening.

It was only after Alekhine tried out this opening in August 1921 on the occasion of a consulting game with Donegan, Müller and Zimmermann in Zurich and introduced it to tournament practice in the same year at the international chess tournament in Budapest against Friedrich Sämisch and Endre Steiner that the idea found greater support and was examined in more detail .

The development of the system goes back to the Moscow master player Michail Kljazkin (1897–1926), whom Alekhine met several times before his emigration from Russia. Soviet authors initially called it "Moscow Defense", Savielly Tartakower christened it "Klyatskin-Alekhine Defense" in his theoretical work Hypermodern Chess Game (1925), later the name of the first researcher of the system was forgotten.

In the Grand Master’s practice, the opening is rarely found at the moment.

Opening idea

The idea of ​​defense consists in attacking the white pawn chain in the center . For this, however, significant disadvantages must also be accepted. The king jumper usually moves far away from his king and therefore has only a minor protective function. In general, because of the white pawn chain, Black has to be satisfied with less space .

White has a space advantage and the freer play of pieces, which is why he is often able to stage a direct attack on the opposing king. However, Black also has his trump cards in hand. The advance of the white pawns (especially in the four pawn attack) creates a kind of vacuum behind the pawn line and White remains behind in the development of pieces due to his many pawn moves. Black can use this time to attack the advanced center with counter attacks like d7 – d6 and c7 – c5. Usually it is then possible to dissolve the white pawn center and equalize the position.

Through these opposites often a rich and interesting game with complex and content-rich developed middlegame -positions.

literature

• Vladimir Bagirow : Alekhine Defense , 2nd edition. Rudi Schmaus, Heidelberg 1987.
• John Cox: Starting out: Alekhine's Defense , Gloucester Publishers, London 2004, ISBN 978-1-85744-370-7 .
• Valentin Bogdanow: Play the Alekhine , Gambit Publications 2010, ISBN 978-1906454159 .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Edward Winter : Article with excerpts from the Swiss chess newspaper
2. ↑ Michael Negele: The man who invented Alekhine's defense. In: Kaissiber , 19, June-August 2003, pp. 54–63.