Alekhine Defense win rate

White scored 50.7% (margin 0.9 points) in 12,640 rated games of the Alekhine Defense, ECO B02, played between players within 100 rating points on 1 September 2026. It ranked number 33 of 117 openings by popularity and made up 0.8% of all games.

48.4%

47.1%

White wins 48.4%
Draws 4.5%
Black wins 47.1%

12,640 games

How often does White win in the Alekhine Defense?

White won 48.4% of the 12,640 games, 4.5% were drawn and Black won 47.0%. White's score of 50.7% is lower than White's score across all openings (51.9%) by 1.2 points, more than the margin of 0.9 points.

Results of 12,640 Alekhine Defense games, 1 September 2026.
Result	Games	Share
White wins	6,122	48.4%
Draws	571	4.5%
Black wins	5,947	47.0%

Does the Alekhine Defense score differently at different ratings?

White's score is highest at under 1200 (52.7%) and lowest at 2000 and above (49.2%). That spread of 3.5 points is inside the two margins added together, so the data show no clear difference between the bands.

Players rated 2000 and above choose the Alekhine Defense most often relative to their other openings, in 1.4 percent of their games.

White's score in the Alekhine Defense by the lower rating of the two players, 1 September 2026.
Rating band	Games	Share of the band	White score	Margin (points)
under 1200	2,501	0.9%	52.7%	1.9
1200 to 1599	3,049	0.5%	52.4%	1.7
1600 to 1999	4,895	0.8%	49.3%	1.4
2000 and above	2,195	1.4%	49.2%	2.0

How does the Alekhine Defense do in blitz, rapid and classical?

The time control changes who tends to win, because the clock matters more in faster games. Rows with fewer than 1,500 games are left out.

White's score in the Alekhine Defense by time control, 1 September 2026.
Time control	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Blitz	9,872	50.1%	1.0
Rapid	2,663	52.6%	1.8

What are the most played lines of the Alekhine Defense?

The most played named line is the Scandinavian Variation, with 1,935 games and a White score of 49.5%. The table lists the ten most played lines that reached 300 games; a line below that is counted in the last row.

Named lines of the Alekhine Defense, most played first, 1 September 2026.
Line	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Scandinavian Variation	1,935	49.5%	2.2
Maróczy Variation	1,143	50.0%	2.8
Normal Variation	952	50.8%	3.1
Exchange Variation	723	47.7%	3.6
Two Pawns Attack	637	55.5%	3.8
Scandinavian Variation, Geschev Gambit	555	51.5%	4.1
Krejcik Variation	355	46.2%	5.1
Four Pawns Attack	329	46.2%	5.3
Main line and less played lines	6,011	51.5%	1.2

How were these opening statistics measured?

Rated Blitz, Rapid and Classical games on 1 September 2026 between players within 100 rating points, banded by the lower rating. A score is wins plus half the draws, with a 95 percent margin. The hub page explains the method in full.

Frequently asked questions

What is the win rate of the Alekhine Defense?

White won 48.4%, drew 4.5% and lost 47.0% of 12,640 games, a White score of 50.7% with a margin of 0.9 points. These are games on Lichess on 1 September 2026.

Is the Alekhine Defense good for White?

At these ratings White's score was lower than White's score across all openings (51.9%) by 1.2 points, more than the margin of 0.9 points. A difference of a point or two is small, and the side that picks an opening also picks which games reach it, so the number describes what happened at these ratings and is not a ruling on the opening.

What is the most popular line of the Alekhine Defense?

The Scandinavian Variation was the most played named line, with 1,935 games, which is 15.3% of the Alekhine Defense games.

Sources

Lichess open database, standard rated games (CC0), file for September 2026, read 2026-10-22

Related guides and tools

Last updated 2026-10-22.

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