Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel

Alekhine Defense: The Squirrel

Definition

“The Squirrel” is an off-beat sub-variation of the Alekhine Defense that begins with the standard moves 1. e4 Nf6 but soon features Black’s king-knight making a series of quick, darting retreats and sidesteps that remind observers of a squirrel scampering up and down a tree. The most common move order is:

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. c5 Nd5.

By voluntarily moving the same piece several times in the opening, Black tempts White to seize space with pawns, intending to undermine that centre later. The line is classified under ECO code B02 with a handful of games also appearing in B04 when Black combines it with …d6 and …g6 setups.

How the Variation Is Used

• Surprise Weapon – Because it is rarely seen in elite play, it serves as a practical surprise in rapid or online games.
• Psychological Tool – The unorthodox knight hops can make a theoretician feel uncomfortable, pushing them out of memorised lines as early as move three.
• Transpositional Device – After the initial “squirrel jumps,” Black can transpose to more familiar Alekhine main lines (Modern Variation with …d6 and …g6, or Exchange Variation structures) depending on White’s set-up.

Strategic & Historical Significance

The entire Alekhine Defense embodies hyper-modern principles: provoke a broad pawn centre and then attack it. “The Squirrel” pushes this idea to an extreme by spending tempi on knight manoeuvres to lure the pawns even farther forward. Historically the line was tried sporadically in the 1920s and 30s after Alekhine himself experimented with multiple early knight retreats in simultaneous exhibitions. British master C. E. Bright reportedly dubbed the line “The Squirrel” in a 1935 magazine column, writing that the knight “scampers from branch to branch, daring the pawns to follow.”

Typical Ideas for Each Side

• White
  1. Gain space with pawns (c4, d4, f4) and develop smoothly.
  2. Prevent Black’s thematic …c5 or …e5 breaks.
  3. Exploit a lead in development by opening the centre early.
• Black
  1. Target the advanced e5-pawn through …d6, …Bg4 and …Nc6.
  2. Undermine the c4/c5 chain with …d6 followed by …dxe5 or …b6.
  3. Launch counterplay on dark squares once the centre clarifies.

Illustrative Sample Line

The following miniature shows the key manoeuvre and typical counterplay:

Black eventually strikes at the long pawn chain with …c5 and …b6, proving that the lost tempi can be compensated by structural counterplay.

Famous (or Infamous) Games

• Bondarevsky – Kotov, USSR Ch. 1940 – Bondarevsky punished an over-optimistic central advance, illustrating White’s attacking potential if Black mis-times …d6 breaks.
• Nikolic – Spraggett, Wijk aan Zee 1988 – A modern grandmaster example where Black equalised comfortably, showing the line’s viability at high level.
• Online Bullet, “Hikaru” vs. “Penguin”, 2022 – A blitz skirmish in which Nakamura used the Squirrel to confuse his opponent and win in 25 moves; the clip went viral on streaming platforms.

Interesting Facts & Anecdotes

• The line has been jokingly compared to the children’s song “The Grand Old Duke of York” – marching the knight up to the top of the hill (d5) and marching him down again (b6).
• In an interview, GM Nigel Short called it “the chess equivalent of trash-talk,” claiming the back-and-forth knight moves dare White to overcommit.
• A handful of computer engines (notably Komodo) rate the position after 4…Nd5 as fully playable for Black, while earlier versions of Stockfish dismissed it—highlighting the evolution of engine assessment.

Practical Tips

• If you play White and meet “The Squirrel,” resist the urge to push every pawn; instead, finish development and keep pieces coordinated.
• Black players should memorise the key pawn breaks (…d6, …c5, …e6) to avoid getting squeezed for space.
• In rapid time controls, the mere surprise value often nets Black the equivalent of a free tempo on the clock.

Further Study

For a deeper dive, consult the chapters on Alekhine sidelines in The Alekhine Defence by Nigel Davies, and explore online databases with the ECO code B02 filter to see how modern masters treat 3.c4 Nb6 4.c5 Nd5.