Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense, Main Line, Alekhine Variation

An entry in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO D07), reached after 7 half-moves: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. Qa4.

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

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

End of this line

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

About this opening

Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense, Main Line, Alekhine Variation is an opening in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, classified under code D07. ECO group D (D00–D99) covers closed games and semi-closed games beginning 1.d4 d5, covering the Queen's Gambit, Slav, Grünfeld and related queen-pawn structures. This particular variation is reached after 7 half-moves from the starting position, with the move sequence 1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. Qa4.

It belongs to the Queen's Gambit Declined family. Within that family this is a level-3 branch (the Chigorin Defense → Main Line → Alekhine Variation line). The immediate parent line is Queen's Gambit Declined: Chigorin Defense, Main Line, transitioned via 4.Qa4.

The opening sequence in prose form: 1.d4 d5, 2.c4 Nc6, 3.Nf3 Bg4, 4.Qa4. 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.