Central Variation, Alekhine System

The Alekhine System answers the Central Variation, 3. e4, with 3...Nf6 instead of the usual 3...e5. The knight develops while attacking the e4-pawn at once, and instead of contesting the center with pawns Black invites White to advance. The direct 4. e5 Nd5 5. Bxc4 Nb6 produces a pattern familiar from Alekhine's Defense. White gains space and recovers the pawn, the knight on b6 hits the bishop and watches d5, and Black looks to undermine the advanced pawns on d4 and e5. At move five Black can also choose 5...Bf5 or 5...Nc6, while 5...e6 is considered dubious.

The engine prefers 4. e5 and rates the position as roughly balanced. On Lichess, however, the most frequent reply is 4. Nc3, chosen in about three games out of five. It simply protects e4 and leaves the recovery of the c4-pawn for later. Taking at once with 4. Bxc4 is uncommon, and White scores noticeably worse with it than with the other two moves. Overall, White scores well from this position in online play. 3...Nf6 counts as one of the modern responses to 3. e4.