Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Fianchetto Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
288,211 games: White 44.2% / Draw 4.5% / Black 51.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 171,439171K | ||
| 61,49561K | ||
| 36,58237K | ||
| 4,1744,174 | ||
| 3,3963,396 | ||
| 2,3242,324 | ||
| 1,8461,846 | ||
| 1,8041,804 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.91 White is better
Best play: 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Be3 dxe5 8. dxe5 Qxd1+ 9. Rxd1 Bg4 10. Rd2 Nc6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 49% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2,196 | |
| 1400–1799 | 55K | |
| 1800–2199 | 200K | |
| 2200 and up | 44K | |
| Masters, over the board | 171 |
Master games
- Caruana, F. – Carlsen, M.
- Topalov, V. – Bauer, C.
- Paravyan, D. – Movsesian, S.
- Maghsoodloo, P. – Baburin, A.
- Jones, G. – Cornette, D.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Fianchetto Variation (ECO B03, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, reached after 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 g6 (5 moves).
In 288,211 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.2%, Black 51.3% and 4.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Nf3, in 59% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Fianchetto Variation
6. Nc3 scores best for White: 50.9%, with White winning 48.4% and Black 46.6% of 61K games. The most played answer, 6. Nf3, scores lowest: 44.7% in 171K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. Nc3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Fianchetto Variation has gained ground since 2016: 0.012% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0085%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0085% | 3,029 |
| 2017 | 0.0096% | 5,269 |
| 2018 | 0.011% | 8,951 |
| 2019 | 0.013% | 15,730 |
| 2020 | 0.011% | 33,633 |
| 2021 | 0.0096% | 37,410 |
| 2022 | 0.01% | 38,821 |
| 2023 | 0.011% | 42,600 |
| 2024 | 0.012% | 43,582 |
| 2025 | 0.012% | 41,772 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.012% | 12,841 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Fianchetto Variation (B03)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/alekhine-defense-four-pawns-attack-fianchetto-variation