Facing the Alekhine Defense: Qf3 as White

Faced with Black's bold ...e5, the engine points to Bc4 as your best response. This develops a piece to an active diagonal and prepares a quick central occupation with d4 or, if Black allows, a smooth transition into a favourable Italian-style setup. Stockfish evaluates the position at -0.32, meaning a small edge for Black — but Bc4 is the only move that keeps the game close. From 1,824,742 games played from this position, White scores 48.4% with Bc4, a perfectly playable result. After Bc4, the engine's most likely continuation runs Bc4 c6 Nc3 d5, leading to a sharp but balanced fight where your bishop on c4 and knight on c3 give you real counterplay.

With a sample of 3,082,988 games from Lichess, the numbers paint a clear picture: White wins 47.8%, draws 3.8%, and Black wins 48.4%. That is almost dead even in practice, even though the engine gives Black a whisper of an edge. The takeaway? This is a perfectly viable opening for club players. Black's advantage is tiny, and the overwhelming majority of games are decided by who navigates the middlegame better — not by the opening's objective evaluation. The draw rate is low (3.8%), so expect a fight. If you make the right first move (Bc4), you will have every chance to outplay your opponent from a roughly equal position.

The statistics and engine analysis flag three popular moves that will cost you real equity. Avoid them unless you are willing to fight from a worse position. They are listed from least to most harmful. d3 (378,950 games, 49.9% score) is graded as an inaccuracy, costing about 0.8 pawns — better was Bc4. It is too passive, handing Black the centre without a fight. h3 (205,397 games, 50.9% score) is also an inaccuracy, losing about 0.9 pawns. It wastes a tempo and does nothing to challenge Black's pawn on e5 or develop your pieces. Be2 (99,859 games, 53.0% score) is worse still: a full mistake that costs about 1.1 pawns. The move looks natural but tucks the bishop away on a harmless square, allowing Black to seize the initiative. In every case, Bc4 was the better option.

Once you play Bc4, the engine expects c6 from Black, securing their centre and preparing ...d5. Your reply: Nc3, developing with tempo and eyeing the d5 square. Black will likely push d5, and you will face a familiar Italian-like structure where your bishop on c4 targets the f7 pawn. Your long-term plan is straightforward: complete your development (Nf3, 0-0, d4 or Re1), maintain pressure on d5, and look for opportunities to open the centre on your terms. Do not rush — Black's ...d5 advance has slightly weakened their own pawn chain, and your pieces are already well placed to exploit it. The drill below will let you practise this exact line against the engine so you can build confidence in the critical early moves.