Alekhine's Defence is a sharp and controversial opening in which Black attacks from the very first move, provoking White into lunging forward in the centre. White is often able to construct an impressively large central pawn formation, but Black's hope is that this becomes over-stretched and disintegrates in the face of a vicious counterattack. Unsurprisingly, Alekhine's Defence has always been a favourite amongst uncompromising players such as Fischer and Alekhine himself, while more recently it's been utilised by the likes of Ivanchuk and Short.

In this easy-to-read guide, openings expert John Cox goes back to basics, studying the essential principles of Alekhine's Defence and its numerous variations. Throughout the book there are an abundance of notes, tips and warnings to guide the improving player, while key strategies, ideas and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated.

• User-friendly lay out to help readers absorb ideas

• Concentrates on the key principles of Alekhine's Defence

• Ideal for the improving player

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  List of Content
  004 Bibliography and Acknowledgements
  005 Introduction
  010 1 Main Line with 4...dxe5
  048 2 Main Line with 4...Bg4
  077 3 Main Line with 4...g6 / 4...Nc6
  095 4 Exchange Variation with 5...cxd6
  114 5 Exchange Variation with 5...exd6
  125 6 The Four Pawns Attack
  151 7 The Chase Variation
  163 8 Other Tries for White
  188 Index of Variations
  191 Index of Complete Games