Alekhine's Defense Traps: 5 Real Traps for White and Black
Alekhine's Defense starts with 1.e4 Nf6. Black does not fight for the centre at once. The knight invites White's pawns forward, then Black attacks them. The game gets sharp fast, so it is full of traps. This article shows 5 real Alekhine's Defense traps: 3 traps for White (one of them in the Four Pawns Attack) and 2 traps for Black (one of them against the Four Pawns Attack). Each trap has its own board with the side lines, a Stockfish evaluation and a short "how to avoid it".
8 min readPublished November 2026By Surajit Paul5 traps · 5 boards
This video from our Stockfish channel is not only about Alekhine's Defense: Stockfish 18 shows six opening traps from different openings. Watch it, then replay the five Alekhine traps below on the boards, at your own speed.
Stockfish 18 Shares 6 Chess Opening Traps That You Must Know | Chess Opening
How to use the boards: press ▶ Play or tap a move. The buttons above each board switch to the side lines (what if the other player plays something else). Arrows show the threats; draw your own with a right-click drag. The numbers are Stockfish 18 evaluations: + means White is better, - means Black is better.
Alekhine's Defense traps for White
These are the Alekhine defense traps for White. In all three, Black makes one natural move: a knight move that hits a bishop, a knight move that trades the e5 knight, and a calm castling move. Each one leaves a piece without a guard.
WHITE TRAPTrap 1: The queen trap in the Balogh Variation (4.Bc4)
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Bc4 dxe5 5.dxe5Black falls for it with 5...Nb6??6.Bxf7+ - White wins the queen
After 4...dxe5 5.dxe5 the d-file is open, and only the d5 knight stands between the two queens. If the knight moves away to hit the bishop, a check on f7 pulls the king away from its queen. Press Play, then try the side lines.
How to avoid it: as Black, after 4.Bc4 dxe5 5.dxe5 guard the d5 knight with 5...c6 or play 5...e6. In general: when the queens face each other on an open file, do not move the piece that stands between them.
WHITE TRAPTrap 2: The 6.Nxf7 sacrifice in the Larsen Variation
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 dxe5 5.Nxe5Black falls for it with 5...Nd7?!7...Kg8?? 8.Qxd5+ - mate next move
In the Modern Variation Black often trades the e5 knight with ...Nd7. But then f7 is weak, and White can give the knight on f7. After 7.Qh5+ only one king move holds. The wrong one gets mated in two. Press Play.
How to avoid it: as Black, after 5.Nxe5 play 5...g6 or 5...c6, not 5...Nd7. If White has already taken on f7, the king must go to e6 after 7.Qh5+, where it guards the d5 knight. Never g8.
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WHITE TRAPTrap 3: The 10.d5 trap in the Four Pawns Attack
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 Nc6Black falls for it with 11...O-O??12.dxc6 - White wins a knight
The main line of the Four Pawns Attack. Black develops normally, and White pushes the d-pawn into the c6 knight. After the pawns are traded, the knight has only one good square. Any other move loses it. Press Play.
How to avoid it: as Black, after 10.d5 exd5 11.cxd5 play 11...Nb4! at once. Do not castle, and do not grab the e5 pawn. In the Four Pawns Attack, always ask: where does my c6 knight go when the d-pawn comes to d5?
Alekhine's Defense traps for Black
These two are traps for Black. One comes from the 5.f4, the other from the 2.Nc3 d5 line. In both, White makes one natural move and a pawn with no guard falls.
BLACK TRAPTrap 4: The weak d4 pawn in the Four Pawns Attack
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 Nc6White falls for it with 7.Nc3?7...Qxd4! - Black wins a pawn
A Four Pawns Attack trap for Black. After 5...dxe5 6.fxe5 the d4 pawn has no pawn to guard it, and the d-file is open. The knight and the queen both hit d4. One natural developing move by White, and the pawn falls. Press Play.
How to avoid it: as White, guard d4 at once with 7.Be3. In the Four Pawns Attack the d4 pawn is the weak point: count its guards before every move.
BLACK TRAPTrap 5: The 3...d4 trap in the 2.Nc3 d5 line
1.e4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e5 d4 4.Nce2 Ng4White falls for it with 5.d3?5...Nxe5 - Black wins the e5 pawn
Against 2.Nc3 Black can play 2...d5. When White pushes 3.e5, Black does not move the knight. The d-pawn hits the c3 knight instead. When the knight steps back, the e5 pawn is left alone, and the black knight jumps to g4 to win it. Only one White move saves the pawn. Press Play.
How to avoid it: as White, after 3...d4 play 4.exf6, or after 4.Nce2 Ng4 guard the pawn at once with 5.f4!. Never put the knight on e4 here: the f6 knight takes it.
Where the names come from
Alekhine's Defense is named after Alexander Alekhine, the fourth world champion. He played it at the Budapest tournament in 1921, against Endre Steiner and Fritz Saemisch. Its ECO codes are B02 to B05. Bobby Fischer played it twice against Boris Spassky in their 1972 world championship match, in games 13 and 19.
The Modern Variation is 4.Nf3, the most popular way to play against it. Trap 2 comes from the Larsen Variation, 4...dxe5 5.Nxe5. Trap 1 comes from the Balogh Variation, 4.Bc4. The Four Pawns Attack, 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4 (traps 3 and 4), is the sharpest try: White grabs the whole centre and Black tries to show it is weak. The Scandinavian Variation of Alekhine's Defense is 2.Nc3 d5 (trap 5).
How to play Alekhine's Defense without falling into traps
Most Alekhine's Defense traps come from three ideas. Learn them and you will see the traps before they happen:
Watch the d-file. When the d-pawns are traded, the queens often face each other. The piece between them must not move away (trap 1), and a pawn on d4 with no pawn guard can fall (trap 4).
Count the guards of f7. In the Larsen Variation the e5 knight and the queen on h5 both hit f7. Do not take away its last guard (trap 2).
Every knight needs a square. In the Four Pawns Attack the c6 knight is chased by d4-d5 (trap 3). In the 2.Nc3 line ...d4 chases the white knight, and when it steps back the e5 pawn has no guard (trap 5).
What are the best Alekhine's Defense traps for White?
The Balogh queen trap: 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Bc4 dxe5 5.dxe5 Nb6?? 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Qxd8 wins the queen. In the Larsen Variation, 5...Nd7?! allows 6.Nxf7!, and 7...Kg8?? loses to 8.Qxd5+ and mate. In the Four Pawns Attack, 10.d5 wins a knight if Black does not play 11...Nb4.
Is there a Four Pawns Attack trap for Black?
Yes. After 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 Nc6, the natural 7.Nc3? loses the d4 pawn to 7...Qxd4!. White must guard d4 with 7.Be3.
What is the Four Pawns Attack in Alekhine's Defense?
It is 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4. White puts four pawns in the centre (c4, d4, e5, f4). It is the sharpest answer to the Alekhine. White gets space, and Black attacks the pawns, especially d4.
Is Alekhine's Defense good for beginners?
It can be, but it is risky. Black gives White the centre on purpose and must know how to attack it. The traps in this article show that one natural move can lose a piece, so learn the main lines first.
What is the 6.Nxf7 sacrifice in the Alekhine?
It is 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 dxe5 5.Nxe5 Nd7 6.Nxf7!?. White gives a knight to pull the black king out. After 6...Kxf7 7.Qh5+ Ke6 Black keeps the piece, but the king is stuck in the middle. Stockfish gives White about +1.1.
How do I avoid traps in Alekhine's Defense as Black?
Never move the knight on d5 away from an open d-file with the queens facing each other, keep f7 guarded, and in the Four Pawns Attack always know where your c6 knight will go when White plays d4-d5.
Set these traps in your own games
Play Alekhine's Defense against a bot and see who loses a knight first.
