White grabs even more central space and prepares to develop their pieces.
Widely considered White's most testing and solid reply. Rather than chasing the knight further with more pawn pushes, White simply develops a piece and defends the center. Black usually responds here with 4... Bg4 to pin the knight or 4... g6 to fianchetto the dark-squared bishop. ⚖️ Pros and Cons of Playing the Alekhine 🚀 Why you should play it: The Alekhine Defence: Move by Move
Stake a claim in the center and open up diagonals for the queen and light-squared bishop. White grabs even more central space and prepares