Ponderchess / Openings
Play the guided film, or select a scene to pause and study its position.
Opening
The Alekhine Defense in 3D
1.e4 Nf6. Black provokes White's pawns forward, then tries to show that the advanced pawns are targets rather than strengths.
Rebuild the sequence yourself. The board responds to each move, and hints are available.
Click or drag to move · Arrow keys + Enter to play
Your turn · white to play
Select a piece, then its destination. Switch to 2D for a clear overhead view or rotate the 3D board to explore the position.
Alekhine Defense: Two Pawns Attack, Mikenas Variation, move by move: e4 Nf6 e5 Nd5 c4 Nb6 c5 Nd5 …
The white pieces
Gain space but keep the pawns protected. Overextension is exactly what Black wants.
The black pieces
Undermine the pawn centre with ...d6, ...c5 and piece pressure.
Look a little deeper · 01
After 2.e5 Nd5, White can chase the knight with c4 and d4. The Four Pawns Attack (with f4 as well) is the most ambitious answer.
Look a little deeper · 02
Quieter systems such as the Modern Variation (4.Nf3) give White a smaller but steadier edge.
Alekhine Defense: Two Pawns Attack, Mikenas Variation, move by move: e4 Nf6 e5 Nd5 c4 Nb6 c5 Nd5 …
Keyboard: Space pauses, the arrow keys step. Gold arrows are White's moves, violet are Black's, red rays are threats, green shows support, blue shows plans.
