Alekhine Defense

A provocative hypermodern defense: Black attacks e4 immediately and invites White to chase the knight with pawns, hoping the advanced centre will become overextended and a target. It is sharp and unbalancing.

• Provoke White's pawns forward (e5, d4, c4) to create targets
• Retreat the knight and later strike with ...d6, ...c5 or ...f6
• Undermine the big centre rather than contest it head-on
• Seek imbalanced positions where White's space can backfire