Alekhine defense

Iceyww, you didn't initially say that, and only after I called you out. So, you can obviously see why AngryPuffer or others might get confused or irritated. The dude obviously read the forums or else he wouldn't have seen your unthoughtful post and sad attempt to bash an opening.

black has many options to strike at the center in the 4 pawns

my win rate in the 4 pawns as black is like 60%

This is the most underrated opening that I know of. But the problem is, the players who play the Alekhine do so to avoid theory. Alekhine is a very sound choice, but as black you need to be booked up.

Alekhine was at its peak in 1960-1980 where many players used it. However, back then it was said that the opening was refuted. The "Chase variation" was supposed to refute Alekhine and the white players learned to sac the c5 pawn and get an overwhelming attack that the black players failed to defend. Eventually, the Alekhine was close to abandoned. Until the computer era began. The chase variation was loaded into computers and shockingly, the position that were supposed to "refute" the Alekhine, was evaluated as -0.1. Why?

Because there was a move that grandmasters had missed for almost 100 years:

However, some variations for black was indeed prooved by computers to be unplayable, such as the old mainline in the modern variation (Bg4), and the early c5 push in the four pawns. But against all that white has to offer, black has computer founded lines to hold his own.

But now that the very reason the Alekhine stopped being popular is gone, we have surely seen the Alekhine gone up in popularity again? No, the Alekhine has not gotten any more popular since this g5 discovery, and this is the very reason that I believe that the Alekhine is one of the most underrated openings to this date.

i play the alekhine to avoid the boring italian game and the 4 knights italian setup

but @MisterOakwood id say the most challenging variation of the alekhine i must say is the 4 pawns attack. You say that the Bg4 modern main line is unplayable but if we look at the main line it seems that black does get a playable position

also the c5 push in the 4 pawns must be timed well or it means nothing. whites usually +0.7 in the 4 pawns but its very easy to lose that advantage below master level

Yes, to this day I also believe the four pawns is the most tough line for black to play. However, the four pawns attack is what I score the best in as black. Black has many options on how to play against white, and most often, it is white who is taking all the risk and need to be really booked up on theory. The bg5 line may be somewhat playable, but it has basically been abandoned at master level games since the computer era began and people rarely claim that it is the most accurate way to face the modern variation as black.

I don't know if the c5 variation in the four pawns has an official name, but this is the variation I was talking about. It has been refuted by computers:

ohh that c5 variation

i thought you were talking about this

but i think the best time to play c5 is here

if white does not know what hes doing here blacks usually better/equal despite this being +0.8

Yeah, I have spent some time looking at an early Nb4 + c5 but never really gotten too convinced. I may spend some more time studying and then trying it out for a few games. However, getting this pawn sac hits different and really fun to play for black, which is why I have been sticking to Be7:

dont forget about the main line, which is super sharp and very scary for black

one wrong move and you have lost

this line i like alot and i got it once and won, very coo

i think this is the most safe line for black though, it does not provide the sharpest games but is good