Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Alburt Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
303,759 games: White 46.3% / Draw 5.6% / Black 48.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 134,276134K | ||
| 73,76774K | ||
| 36,26936K | ||
| 17,57018K | ||
| 9,0519,051 | ||
| 8,0768,076 | ||
| 6,3336,333 | ||
| 5,5965,596 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.76 White is better
Best play: 5. c4 Nb6 6. exd6 cxd6 7. h3 Bg7 8. Nc3 O-O 9. Be2 Bf5
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 46% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 40% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 15K | |
| 1400–1799 | 49K | |
| 1800–2199 | 182K | |
| 2200 and up | 89K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,363 |
Master games
- Kasparov, G. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Spassky, B. V. – Fischer, R. J.
- Hou Yifan – Ding Liren
- So, W. – Vocaturo, D.
- Aronian, L. – Kamsky, G.
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: Modern Variation, Alburt Variation (ECO B04, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, reached after 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 g6 (4 moves).
In 303,759 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.3%, Black 48.0% and 5.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Bc4, in 44% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Keres Variation.
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: Modern Variation, Alburt Variation
The most played answer, 5. Bc4, also scores best for White: 52.8%, with White winning 50.0% and Black 44.4% of 134K games. Of the main answers, 5. c4 scores lowest: 44.8%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. c4.
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: Modern Variation, Alburt Variation peaked in 2018 at 0.015% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.011% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.011% | 3,837 |
| 2017 | 0.012% | 6,864 |
| 2018 | 0.015% | 11,664 |
| 2019 | 0.014% | 17,020 |
| 2020 | 0.014% | 40,172 |
| 2021 | 0.011% | 44,223 |
| 2022 | 0.011% | 42,351 |
| 2023 | 0.012% | 44,226 |
| 2024 | 0.012% | 41,252 |
| 2025 | 0.011% | 36,983 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0097% | 10,609 |
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
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Alekhine Defense: Modern Variation, Alburt Variation (B04)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/alekhine-defense-modern-variation-alburt-variation