Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Ilyin-Zhenevsky Variation

An entry in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO B03), reached after 17 half-moves: 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 dxe5 6. fxe5 Nc6 7. Nf3 Bg4 8. e6 fxe6 9. c5.

Black rook — Use ← → arrows or click moves to step through.

Black queen — Use ← → arrows or click moves to step through.

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No further variations branch from this position in our database. To explore neighbouring ideas:

About this opening

Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Ilyin-Zhenevsky Variation is an opening in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, classified under code B03. ECO group B (B00–B99) covers semi-open games (1.e4 with Black playing anything other than 1…e5), with the Sicilian, French, Caro-Kann and Pirc/Modern at its heart. This particular variation is reached after 17 half-moves from the starting position, with the move sequence 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 dxe5 6. fxe5 Nc6 7. Nf3 Bg4 8. e6 fxe6 9. c5.

It belongs to the Alekhine Defense family. Within that family this is a level-2 branch (the Four Pawns Attack → Ilyin-Zhenevsky Variation line). The immediate parent line is Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, transitioned via 9.c5.

The opening sequence in prose form: 1.e4 Nf6, 2.e5 Nd5, 3.d4 d6, 4.c4 Nb6, 5.f4 dxe5, 6.fxe5 Nc6. From this position the encyclopaedia records no further canonical continuations — practical play branches into unnamed transpositions or returns to the parent line for alternative ideas.