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Alekhine's_defence.png
Alekhine's Defence is a chess opening for black beginning with the moves 1. e4 Nf6 (in algebraic notation).
The main continuation in modern play is 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Be2. Among other lines are the Exchange Variation (2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6) and the Four Pawns Attack (2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4). It is these lines which perhaps illustrate the basic idea of the defence best: Black will allow White to make several tempo-gaining attacks on the knight, and also allow an apparently imposing pawn centre to be errected in the belief that it can later be destroyed. This basic strategy makes the opening an example of hypermodernism.
The first prominent player to employ it with black with any regularity was Alexander Alekhine, who first used it in two games in the 1921 Budapest tournament: one against Endre Steiner (which he won) and the other against Fritz Saemisch (which he drew). Another early exponent of the defence was Ernst Gruenfeld.
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