1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 a6 4.e3 opens the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Alekhine Defense, ECO D22. Lichess records 57,136 games in this line, which gives us a reliable view of how it actually performs in practice.
History and Notable Players
It arises from the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Normal Variation. On the White side, Peter Lukacs (10 games), Igor A Novikov (9 games), Jan Hein Donner (8 games) top the database. Notable Black exponents: Alexander Baburin (35 games), Zoltan Varga (31 games), Yuri Yakovich (27 games).
Performance Across Rating Levels
The picture changes a lot as you climb the rating ladder. At 1200 Elo, the opening shows up in 0.00% of games (3,776 samples). White scores 53.6%, Black 42.7%, draws 3.7%. At 1800 the opening surfaces in 0.00% of games; White wins 56.1%, Black 38.4%, draws 5.5%. At 2500, 0.02% of games go into this opening; draws sit at 12.4% — the line is well-mapped at this level. White's edge erodes by 7.1pp from 1200 to 2500 Elo, suggesting Black's counterplay is easier to find with experience.
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
Move choice is far from uniform in the Queen's Gambit Accepted: Alekhine Defense. At 1200 Elo, the top reply is b5, played 72.7% of the time. There are 1 other moves seeing meaningful share, and 82.2% of games stick to established theory. Entropy: 1.70. By 2500, Bg4 dominates at 38.6% of replies; only 4 viable alternatives remain and 86% of moves are theory. Entropy drops to 1.97. Even elite players don't fully agree on the best continuation here, which keeps the position dynamic.
Common Mistakes
- Drifting away from main theory — At 400 Elo, theory adherence sits at 68.5% — versus 84.4% at 2000. The most popular deviation is h6 (played 8.1% of the time at 400, much less so up top). It looks fine but quietly hands the better-prepared side an edge.
- Neglecting development — Extra pawn moves in the opening are tempting, especially when you "know the moves". Developing a piece each turn is the simple correction.
- Overextending the attack — Gambits look like permission to throw everything forward. They aren't — every attacking move should improve a piece. Random checks and threats burn the initiative once they fail to coordinate.
Practice on Chessiverse
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