Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Trifunovic Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
206,437 games: White 46.9% / Draw 4.4% / Black 48.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 88,89789K | ||
| 67,29867K | ||
| 22,75323K | ||
| 16,76717K | ||
| 3,4973,497 | ||
| 1,4761,476 | ||
| 1,1531,153 | ||
| 1,0861,086 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 6, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.83 White is better
Best play: 6. Nf3 dxe5 7. fxe5 e6 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. Be2 Be7 10. O-O O-O
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 | 2,525 | |
| 1400–1799 | 64K | |
| 1800–2199 | 135K | |
| 2200 and up | 22K | |
| Masters, over the board | 201 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Firouzja, A.
- Morozevich, A. – Nakamura, H.
- Xiong, J. – Duda, J.
- Perunovic, M. – Berkes, F.
- Dominguez Perez, L. – Nogueiras Santiago, J.
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, Trifunovic 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 Bf5 (5 moves).
In 206,437 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.9%, Black 48.8% and 4.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Nf3, in 43% 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, Trifunovic Variation
6. Be3 scores best for White: 50.9%, with White winning 48.3% and Black 46.6% of 17K games. The most played, 6. Nf3, scores 48.8% in 89K games, and 6. Bd3 scores lowest: 48.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 6. Nf3.
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, Trifunovic Variation dipped to 0.0066% of Lichess games in 2021 and has recovered since: 0.0085% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0073% | 2,613 |
| 2017 | 0.0089% | 4,924 |
| 2018 | 0.0081% | 6,325 |
| 2019 | 0.0079% | 9,895 |
| 2020 | 0.0074% | 21,694 |
| 2021 | 0.0066% | 25,809 |
| 2022 | 0.0077% | 28,804 |
| 2023 | 0.0088% | 33,021 |
| 2024 | 0.0086% | 30,714 |
| 2025 | 0.0085% | 29,620 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0084% | 9,203 |
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, Trifunovic Variation (B03)”. Lichess data as of 6 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/alekhine-defense-four-pawns-attack-trifunovic-variation