ECO C13

French, Alekhine–Chatard Attack

Also known as: Albin–Chatard–Alekhine Gambit, Chatard–Alekhine Attack

The Alekhine–Chatard Attack is White's most ambitious answer to the Classical French, arising after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.h4. Instead of retreating the pinned bishop, White thrusts the h-pawn and offers it as a gambit: if Black grabs it with 6...Bxg5 7.hxg5 Qxg5 8.Nh3, White gains a large lead in development and a menacing open h-file for a direct assault on the black king. Many players prefer to decline with 6...a6, 6...c5, 6...f6 or 6...O-O. Popularised by Alexander Alekhine at Vienna in 1922 and also credited to Eugène Chatard, it remains a dangerous, attacking try.

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. h4

Strategic ideas

The Alekhine–Chatard Attack injects immediate aggression into the usually manoeuvring Classical French. By meeting the routine ...Be7 with 5.e5 Nfd7 6.h4, White refuses to lose a tempo retreating the g5-bishop and instead offers it as a gambit. If Black accepts, White obtains a big lead in development and, crucially, an open h-file aimed straight at the black king, often combined with long castling and a rapid pawn-and-piece storm. The h4-pawn also supports a knight or rook lift, giving White a natural, ready-made attacking plan.

For Black the central question is whether to take the bait. Grabbing the bishop wins a pawn but cedes time and opens the very file White wants, so many players decline and get on with normal French counterplay against the d4-e5 chain, striking with ...c5 and ...f6, contesting the light squares and exploiting White's slightly loosened kingside. The resulting middlegames pit White's initiative and attacking chances against Black's solid structure and the long-term value of the extra tempo White has invested.

Main variations

The critical test is acceptance: 6...Bxg5 7.hxg5 Qxg5 8.Nh3, when the knight hits the queen and hurries into the game with tempo. After 8...Qe7 (8...Qh6 and 8...Qd8 are alternatives) 9.Nf4 White eyes e6, g6 and the d5-square, castles queenside and bears down the h-file, with more than enough activity for the pawn. Play is forcing and concrete, and Black must defend precisely to justify the extra material.

Declining is fully respectable and more common at the top level. The solid 6...a6, preparing ...c5 without allowing awkward checks, is a main line, while 6...c5, 6...f6 and 6...O-O each meet the gambit in a different way; after 6...O-O 7.Bd3 White simply plays for the attack with the bishop taken out of the pin. Whichever path Black chooses, the recurring themes are White's h-file and rapid development against Black's central breaks and structural soundness.

History and background

The line carries a trio of names. The pawn thrust 6.h4 was analysed by the French amateur Eugène Chatard and earlier by Adolf Albin, but it was Alexander Alekhine who brought it to prominence, notably at the great Vienna tournament of 1922, after which it is often called the Chatard–Alekhine or Albin–Chatard–Alekhine Attack. Ever since, it has served as White's principal try for an early initiative against the Classical French, valued as a sharp, practical weapon that poses immediate problems and rewards concrete preparation.

Key ideas

• White plays 6.h4, offering the g5-bishop to gain time and open the h-file.
• Acceptance with 6...Bxg5 7.hxg5 Qxg5 8.Nh3 hands White a big development lead.
• The open h-file and queenside castling fuel a direct attack on the king.
• Black can decline with 6...a6, 6...c5, 6...f6 or 6...O-O and play normally.
• Declining keeps the structure sound and fights the d4-e5 chain with ...c5 and ...f6.
• A sharp, practical gambit that poses immediate problems in the Classical French.

Typical plans

Related openings

• French Classical Variation
• French Defense, Steinitz Variation
• French Defense
• French Defense, MacCutcheon Variation
• French Winawer, Poisoned Pawn
• French Defense: Rubinstein Variation