The Exchange Variation is one of the best and most popular ways to confront the Alekhine! It gives white space and a small edge, but it also provides black with enough potential counter play.
For the basics of the Alekhine, watch this introductory video: https://youtu.be/aGqrrBLcaMM
After the opening knoght chase, and the advance of white’s central pawns, black’s main move in the Alekhine is d6. This move attacks the overextended e5 pawn – white’s main liability, and it also makes room for the black pieces to start developing. White’s decision to exchange his weakness with exd6 is more than sensible!
By taking the pawn, white traded his e5 pawn and created another weakness in his pawn center – the d4 pawn. This is going to be black’s main target, and his play is often going to be based around fixing and attacking d4.
Black has two options after 5. exd6. He can recapture with the c pawn, bringing another pawn towards the center, or with the e pawn. 5…cxd6 is considered more ambitious. It immediately creates imbalances in the position which means more potential counter play. It is in style of the Alekhine Defense, more fighting than e takes. 5…exd6 creates a symmetrical pawn structure with identical pawn islands. In the long run, this means that piece exchanges will lead to an equal endgame.
During the middlegame, both moves are ok for black. White has more space and piece activity, black lacks them and has a harder time developing, but it’s not too bad. Black’s main aim should be quick counter play! If white plays carelessly, that could easily happen.
White’s setups are easy to learn. Nc3, Nge2, Be3, Bd3, 0-0, b3 should be the ideal constellation. This setup is not only hard to break, but it also gives white nice attacking prospects along the diagonals towards the black king.
Black has two possible setups. The more popular one is Nc6, Be7-f6, 0-0, and the eventual d5. This setup aims to fix and pressure the d4 weakness. The second possibility, often seen after 5…cxd6 is fianchetto setups with an early g6, Bg7, 0-0. These positions often lead to Sicilian structures for black.
The Exchange Variation of the Alekhine is a solid, yet fighting try for white. It’s flexible and volatile and it could result in various pawn structures in the middlegame. Most importantly, it’s fun to play!
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