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ECO D01Closed game

Richter-Veresov Attack

The bishop goes first, the c-pawn stays home

  • Set-up systems

White plays 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bg5, pinning the f6 knight and holding back the c4 move. The idea is simple: develop fast, castle long, and prepare f3 and e4. Often the kings end up on opposite wings and the game turns sharp. It is rare at the very top, but as a surprise weapon it suits anyone who prefers to play by their own rules rather than by the book.

Interactive Opening Board

4.f3

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White
4.f3
Speed:

Moves

(7 plies • 4 moves)
4.f3Tabiya
  1. 1–4moves
  2. 1.
  3. 2.
  4. 3.
  5. 4.

Defining move

3.Bg5 — the bishop out, the c-pawn stays home

The move that sets the attack apart from the usual queen's pawn openings

The bishop presses on the f6 knight and spoils Black's comfortable development. White gives up c4 and plays for something else: f3, e4 and an attack on the kingside. The price is that the bishop on g5 gets in the way of the c-pawn, and Black can pin the c3 knight with …Bb4.

Tabiya

The Richter Variation: 3…Bf5 4.f3

White builds the centre: f3 prepares e4, and the king heads for long castling. Black's bishop on f5 watches e4 and makes the plan harder to carry out. The other main road here is 4.Bxf6, the Veresov idea: White damages Black's pawn structure at the cost of a bishop. Black wants to absorb the blow in the centre and keep White's attack from taking shape.

White’s plan

  • Prepare e4 with f3 and build the centre.
  • Develop fast and castle long.
  • Use the pin on f6, or damage Black's structure with Bxf6.

Black’s plan

  • Develop without hurry: …Nbd7, …e6 or …c6, as taste dictates.
  • Pin the c3 knight with …Bb4 and fight for the e4 square.
  • Do not let White play e4 unopposed; answer with …c5.

History

The opening carries the names of the German master Kurt Richter and the Soviet master Gavriil Veresov. The earliest known game with it is Marshall–Wolf in 1902; after the war Veresov showed that the opening held more depth than it seemed.

Notable players

David Bronstein

Games in the Atlas

No games in the Atlas yet

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