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Alekhine Defense

54 variations · 20M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Key Finding

Alekhine Defense is balanced for White at 51.1% expected score.

This opening produces roughly even results, with outcomes depending more on middlegame play than opening choice.

You play
Playable
Rating
Time
White Expected Score0.0%Range (90% confident): 51.1% – 51.1%Aggregated from 54 variations
0%51.1%100%
Range (90% confident): 51.1% – 51.1%
ContextOverall · n=20M
Outcome Distribution
49.1%3.9%47.0%
Win
Draw
Loss
4.c4
Alekhine Defense
Variations54
Games (Context)20M
Avg Length34 moves
Draw Rate3.9%

What Should I Play?

Player-controlled continuations for White · Overall

#1Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Matsukevich GambitTop Pick
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.c4 Nb6 4.c5 Nd5 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 d6 7.Bg5
Min adv +31.4% · n=1.6K
67.6%
#2Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Ilyin-Zhenevsky Variation
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 Nc6 7.Nf3 Bg4 8.e6 fxe6 9.c5
Min adv +14.9% · n=359
61.7%
#3Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Keres Variation
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 g6 5.Bc4 Nb6 6.Bb3 Bg7 7.a4
Min adv +14.6% · n=1.6K
59.3%
#4Alekhine Defense: Exchange Variation, Voronezh Variation
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.Nc3 g6 7.Be3 Bg7 8.Rc1 O-O 9.b3
Min adv +11.7% · n=47K
56.3%
#5Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Mikenas Gambit
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.c4 Nb6 4.c5 Nd5 5.Bc4 e6 6.Nc3 d6 7.Nxd5 exd5 8.Bxd5
Min adv +10.9% · n=1.2K
57.8%
#6Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.c4 Nb6 4.c5 Nd5 5.Bc4 e6 6.Nc3
Min adv +10.8% · n=58K
55.8%
#7Alekhine Defense: Spielmann Gambit
1.e4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e5 Nfd7 4.e6
Min adv +7.6% · n=29K
54.2%
#8Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Vitolins Attack
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.c4 Nb6 6.d5
Min adv +6.9% · n=860
56.2%
#9Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.Nc3
Min adv +6.7% · n=424K
53.5%
#10Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3
Min adv +5.7% · n=50K
53.3%

Continuations show the most common variations from this opening. Higher expected scores indicate better statistical outcomes, but familiarity and playstyle matter too.

What is the Alekhine Defense expected score for White?

Snapshot

Overall, the Alekhine Defense family has a 51.1% expected score for White (we're 90% confident it's between 51.1% and 51.1%), aggregated from 54 variations and 20M Lichess games.

White Win% by Rating

Improves with rating: 50% → 52%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 49.5% win rate (1,376,789 games)
  • 1000-1199: 51.4% win rate (1,265,103 games)
  • 1200-1399: 50.3% win rate (1,659,057 games)
  • 1400-1599: 49.5% win rate (2,342,496 games)
  • 1600-1799: 48.5% win rate (3,191,557 games)
  • 1800-1999: 47.8% win rate (4,079,453 games)
  • 2000-2199: 48.4% win rate (3,483,177 games)
  • 2200-2499: 50.0% win rate (2,054,181 games)
  • 2500+: 51.5% win rate (403,188 games)

White Win% by Time Control

Best in Classical (52%), worst in UltraBullet (48%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 48.3% win rate (225,267 games)
  • Bullet: 49.6% win rate (8,898,429 games)
  • Blitz: 48.4% win rate (8,556,487 games)
  • Rapid: 49.8% win rate (2,077,694 games)
  • Classical: 51.9% win rate (97,124 games)

Rating vs Time Control Matrix

Click cells to filter · White expected scores

White% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
0-999
1000-1199
1200-1399
1400-1599
1600-1799
1800-1999
2000-2199
2200-2499
2500+

Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control

  • 0-999 rating, UltraBullet: 40.3% expected score (2,066 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Bullet: 49.6% expected score (258,102 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 52.1% expected score (663,597 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 52.3% expected score (448,371 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Classical: 51.8% expected score (4,653 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 44.0% expected score (7,423 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 51.2% expected score (367,739 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 53.2% expected score (577,819 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 55.2% expected score (299,500 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 57.0% expected score (12,622 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 45.4% expected score (28,070 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 50.4% expected score (614,984 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 52.0% expected score (741,076 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 54.9% expected score (255,975 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 57.2% expected score (18,952 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 45.0% expected score (55,628 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.3% expected score (970,417 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.2% expected score (1,032,005 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 53.2% expected score (262,751 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 57.1% expected score (21,695 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 49.3% expected score (65,049 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.4% expected score (1,389,345 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 49.8% expected score (1,431,231 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 51.0% expected score (286,470 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 51.6% expected score (19,462 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 53.2% expected score (47,399 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.7% expected score (1,801,720 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 49.0% expected score (1,920,822 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 49.5% expected score (294,841 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 50.3% expected score (14,671 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 59.2% expected score (15,827 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 51.1% expected score (1,770,923 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 50.2% expected score (1,516,761 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 49.8% expected score (175,439 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 53.4% expected score (4,227 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 57.7% expected score (3,473 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.5% expected score (1,373,334 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 52.9% expected score (623,843 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 53.7% expected score (52,756 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 63.5% expected score (775 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 60.2% expected score (332 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 54.6% expected score (351,865 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 56.4% expected score (49,333 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 63.2% expected score (1,591 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 63.9% expected score (67 games)

Matrix view reveals how performance varies across rating brackets and time controls. Green indicates favorable, red indicates challenging contexts.

Variations (54)

1
Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Matsukevich Gambit1.6K games
67.6%
2
Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Ilyin-Zhenevsky Variation359 games
61.7%
3
Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Keres Variation1.6K games
59.3%
Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel63K games
56.4%
Alekhine Defense: Exchange Variation, Voronezh Variation47K games
56.3%
Alekhine Defense: Mokele Mbembe, Modern Line2.0K games
57.3%
Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Mikenas Gambit1.2K games
57.8%
Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit58K games
55.8%
Alekhine Defense: Mokele Mbembe438K games
54.4%
Alekhine Defense: Spielmann Gambit29K games
54.2%
Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Vitolins Attack860 games
56.2%
Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack424K games
53.5%
Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation50K games
53.3%
Alekhine Defense: Brooklyn Variation625K games
52.6%
Alekhine Defense5.1M games
52.5%
Alekhine Defense: Scandinavian Variation, Myers Gambit35K games
52.8%
Alekhine Defense: Two Pawns Attack, Lasker Variation495K games
52.3%
Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Larsen Variation177K games
52.4%
Alekhine Defense: Krejcik Variation, Krejcik Gambit81K games
52.4%
Alekhine Defense: Normal Variation1.4M games
51.7%
Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Main Line188K games
51.6%
Alekhine Defense: Mokele Mbembe, Vavra Defense126K games
51.5%
Alekhine Defense: Maróczy Variation1.9M games
51.1%
Alekhine Defense: Brooklyn Variation, Everglades Variation320 games
55.4%
Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Larsen-Haakert Variation131K games
51.0%
Alekhine Defense: Two Pawns Attack906K games
50.8%
Alekhine Defense: Two Pawns Attack, Tate Variation193K games
50.9%
Alekhine Defense: Kmoch Variation13K games
51.3%
Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Alburt Variation142K games
50.8%
Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Panov Variation24K games
50.8%
Alekhine Defense: Balogh Variation155K games
50.4%
Alekhine Defense: Buckley Attack1.6K games
52.0%
Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Schmid Variation231K games
50.0%
Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Tartakower Variation788 games
52.6%
Alekhine Defense: Exchange Variation1.2M games
49.7%
Alekhine Defense: Welling Variation12K games
50.3%
Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Flohr Variation16K games
50.2%
Alekhine Defense: Scandinavian Variation2.9M games
49.5%
Alekhine Defense: Scandinavian Variation, Geschev Gambit936K games
49.3%
Alekhine Defense: Steiner Variation43K games
49.4%
Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Trifunovic Variation96K games
49.2%
Alekhine Defense: Krejcik Variation569K games
48.8%
Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Cambridge Gambit17K games
49.0%
Alekhine Defense: Two Pawns Attack, Mikenas Variation3.4K games
49.7%
Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Alekhine Gambit38K games
48.5%
Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Main Line134K games
47.8%
Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Alekhine Variation16K games
48.1%
Alekhine Defense: Exchange Variation, Karpov Variation696 games
50.5%
Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Fianchetto Variation161K games
47.4%
Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack466K games
46.7%
Alekhine Defense: O'Sullivan Gambit109K games
44.8%
Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation38K games
43.6%
Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Korchnoi Variation399 games
46.8%
Alekhine Defense: Mar��czy Variation230 games
47.4%
Analyze Alekhine Defense PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Alekhine Defense win rate?

The Alekhine Defense family has a 49.1% (90% CI: 49.1%-49.1%) win rate for white, aggregated from 54 variations and 20M rated games from Lichess.

How many Alekhine Defense variations are there?

This analysis covers 54 Alekhine Defense variations with sufficient game data. Each variation has its own statistics page with detailed win rates by rating and time control.

At what rating does the Alekhine Defense perform best?

The Alekhine Defense family performs best at 1000-1199 Elo with a 51.4% win rate for white (1.3M games). Performance may vary by specific variation.

Is the Alekhine Defense better in blitz or rapid?

Classical (51.9%) outperforms UltraBullet (48.3%) by 3.6% across all Alekhine Defense variations.

How sharp is the Alekhine Defense?

Alekhine Defense games are 96.1% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 34 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.

Is the Alekhine Defense a good opening family?

The Alekhine Defense family is statistically balanced overall with a 49.1% (90% CI: 49.1%-49.1%) aggregated win rate. However, win rates vary significantly between the 54 variations—explore individual lines to find the best fit for your style.