Alekhine Defense: what should White play?

In the Alekhine Defense (ECO B03), White's most critical and statistically favored response is c4, which directly kicks the advanced knight on d5 while staking a claim in the center. Modern engine analysis ranks this thrust highest with an evaluation of +0.61, making it the choice in 46.5% of the 6.77M recorded games from this position. While natural developing moves like Nf3 score higher for White at 51.1% across 2.06M games, c4 remains the primary theoretical test of Black's opening setup.

The Strategic Aims of c4

By playing c4, White immediately attacks d5, driving Black's best-placed minor piece away before Black can consolidate. White achieves a 47.9% score across 3.15M recorded encounters with this aggressive space grab. A representative continuation involves c4 Nb6 f4 Bf5 Nc3 dxe5, where White accepts a high-stakes, expansive pawn front to contest central squares while Black attempts to undermine the advanced pawns.

Alternatives to the Main Line

Players seeking a calmer setup often prefer Nf3 (eval +0.54, 30.4% share), which develops naturally and leads toward lines such as Nf3 dxe5 Nxe5 g6 Bc4 Bg7. White may also clarify the pawn structure immediately with the Exchange Variation via exd6 (eval +0.34, 14.8% share, scoring 50.2%), frequently followed by exd6 cxd6 c4 Nf6 Nc3 g6. Another aggressive option is Bc4 (eval +0.32, 8.3% share), which pressures f7 and can prompt variations like Bc4 Nb6 Bb3 dxe5 Qh5 e6.