Alekhine's Defense

I just finished a game against a player who used this, he was higher rated, and I've never felt comfortable playing against the Alekhine; here's the game, any comments would be very helpful. Thanks!

Game 4818135

[Event "Challenge"]
[Site "http://www.playtheimmortalgame.com"]
[Date "2008.04.02"]
[EndDate "2008.04.15"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Lord Of Pie"]
[Black "matzdr"]
[WhiteRating "1215"]
[BlackRating "1323"]
[Result "1-0"]
[GameId "4818135"]

Alekhine’s Defense

1: e4 Nf6 2: e5 Nd5 3: d4 Nc6

Black makes a mistake here, I think, the variation I have always seen continued with e6. Either way I continue kicking the knights around, thinking of reaching a 4 pawns attack type position.

4: c4 Nc4

Here I decide not to do the four pawns attack with f4, because I felt with the position so open he could get behind the attack easily. Instead I reinforce my advanced pawns with...

5: Nf3 d6

Here he does d6, undermining my pawn chain. And I reply by further reinforcing my advance pawns, trying to keep my formation together.

6: Bf4 dxe5
7: Bxe5

At this point I feel that a knight in the center is more beneficial to me than the bishop, so I offer to give him the bishop pair.

7: ... e6
8: Bd3

I start to develop to castle and start a kingside attack

8: ... Nxe5
9: Nxe5 Be7?

Here he makes the game-breaking mistake, if there was one. He tries to castle but I reply with

10: Qh5

Threatening mate at f7 and also at h7 if he decides to castle. This provokes the response he gives:

10: ... g6?
11: Bxg6!

Utilizing the pin on the h-pawn, he can only retake with his f-pawn. I looked at it and it seemed as though if I took with the knight first and took back with the bishop with check, the king can escape to d7, in a spot where my queen and bishop can’t get to him. Also, if I take back with the knight I can win the rook for it.

11: ... fxg6
12: Nxg6 Bf6??

He blunders his rook to retake with bishop, thinking he can then take my b2 pawn and take my rook, sadly he forgets that my taking of the rook is a discovered-check!

13: Nxh8+ Kd7
14: Nf7 Qe7
15: 0-0

It is right here that I offer him a poisoned pawn.

15: … Bxd5?

He takes the bait &

16: Rd1!

Pinned, he loses the bishop and I add my rook into the final attack.

16: ... Qf6
17: Ne5+ Kd6
18: Rxd4+ Kc5
19: Nd7++ 1-0

A discovered double check forking the queen, he resigns.

Alekhine defence rules...nice opening as backup opening against e4 for OTB!...

I think the critical line vs. this particular variation of the Alekhine's Defense after:

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. c4 Nb6 is 6. e6! and since 6...Bxe6 loses a piece to d5, Black has to play 6...fxe6, when he some some problems with his kingside after 7. Bd3! It's difficult to deal with the threat of 8. Ng5, when White has all kinds of nasty threats like Bxh7, Qh5+ etc...

one mistake black made was at 4...Nc6. He should have played 4..d6 attempting to undermine white's pawn center. Black needs to start this plan immediatly, then develope his pieces behind the attack. Nc6 just gives white another piece to attack. Well played though (if you would like some practice against the Alekhine, I can give you a round or two!)

good analysis... also great attack.
when looking over it, its pretty hard to think it was played by a 1200,
so great job you made it look very strong 🙂

anybody have the sound line for black in the alekhine defense?

Shameless plug:
Club 101

Against Alekhine's Knight, (1. Nf6) I have recently found 2. Bc4, allowing Black to pick up the e-pawn... apparently.
1. e4 Nf6
2. Bc4 Nxe4
3. Bxf7+ Kxf7
4. Qh5+ Kg8 (for example; many other variations but none save the knight)
5. Qd5+ picks up the knight.

Originally posted by Adorea
good analysis... also great attack.
when looking over it, its pretty hard to think it was played by a 1200,
so great job you made it look very strong 🙂

Originally posted by Lord Of Pie
Gee, thanks. 😀

Finally getting above 1200 😳

Other players in my club, who I regularly massacre on the chessboard, are rated sometimes 100 points higher than me on RHP.

I think I'll put this on the club forum

Another shameless plug: Club 101

You should join, now that i'm in the party has started 😛

The only previous experience I have with the alekhines is I breifly skimmed over the 'four pawns attack' formation in my MCO about 2 and a half months before hand. Other then that I saw that queen move, analyzed (without the analysis board) saw the sac and went with it.

I played the Alekhine defense in a few of my games. Too lazy to sort through and find which ones. I'm black for 3/4 of my games anyways.

Originally posted by pijun
I played the Alekhine defense in a few of my games. Too lazy to sort through and find which ones. I'm black for 3/4 of my games anyways.

I love to play black because they always open with a bluder:

1: e4?? d6!! 😀

And they even make the same mistake with d4:

1:d4?? d6!! 😀

The Pirc = win =]

Originally posted by Lord Of Pie
I love to play black because they always open with a bluder:

1: e4?? d6!! 😀

And they even make the same mistake with d4:

1:d4?? d6!! 😀

The Pirc = win =]

Originally posted by Bifrost
Against Alekhine's Knight, (1. Nf6) I have recently found 2. Bc4, allowing Black to pick up the e-pawn... apparently.
1. e4 Nf6
2. Bc4 Nxe4
3. Bxf7+ Kxf7
4. Qh5+ Kg8 (for example; many other variations but none save the knight)
5. Qd5+ picks up the knight.

Originally posted by Adorea
Refute the pirc!

1. c4 !