Alekhine Defense, Modern Variation

Alekhine's Defense begins when Black's knight moves to f6, attacks e4, and invites the e-pawn to advance before the knight retreats. After White also plays d4 and Black answers ...d6, the Modern Variation is defined by 4.Nf3, moving White's knight from g1 to f3. The move brings out a piece, protects the e5-pawn, and prepares castling, the single move of king and rook that usually places the king in greater safety. Instead of advancing more pawns immediately, White tries to turn the space advantage into a stable position.

Black continues to attack the center. With ...Bg4, Black can pin the f3-knight to the queen on d1, so moving the knight would have a cost. With ...g6, Black prepares to develop the bishop to g7, where it will pressure the center. With ...dxe5, Black directly exchanges one of White's advanced pawns. White must develop without allowing e5 and d4 to become easy targets.

This choice is less committal than the Four Pawns Attack because the c- and f-pawns have not been fixed yet. It also leaves possible central pawn exchanges unresolved for longer than the Exchange Variation. Modern is a traditional classification name for this piece-based approach, not a claim that the variation was created recently.