Queen's Gambit Declined: Ragozin Defense, Alekhine Variation

An entry in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO D38), reached after 9 half-moves: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qa4+.

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

Black knight — 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: Ragozin Defense, Alekhine Variation is an opening in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, classified under code D38. 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 9 half-moves from the starting position, with the move sequence 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qa4+.

It belongs to the Queen's Gambit Declined family. Within that family this is a level-2 branch (the Ragozin Defense → Alekhine Variation line). The immediate parent line is Queen's Gambit Declined: Ragozin Defense, transitioned via 5.Qa4+.

The opening sequence in prose form: 1.d4 Nf6, 2.c4 e6, 3.Nf3 d5, 4.Nc3 Bb4, 5.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.