Richter-Veresov Attack 3. Bg5 Bf5
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Statistics from Lichess
351,410 games: White 50.1% / Draw 5.1% / Black 44.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Richter Variation | 125,368125K | |
| Veresov Variation | 86,36286K | |
| 67,66968K | ||
| 46,57147K | ||
| 10,39310K | ||
| 5,9045,904 | ||
| 2,7852,785 | ||
| 2,0282,028 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 27, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.04 The position is about equal
Best play: 4. e3 e6 5. Bd3 Bg6 6. e4 dxe4 7. Bxe4 Bxe4 8. Nxe4 Qd5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for Black: Black scores 50% under 1400, 45% at 2200 and up and 50% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 127K | |
| 1400–1799 | 201K | |
| 1800–2199 | 180K | |
| 2200 and up | 67K | |
| Masters, over the board | 551 |
Master games
- Nakamura, H. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Agamaliev, G. – Sakaev, K.
- Shimanov, A. – Ovetchkin, R.
- Miles, A. J. – Hort, V.
- Anton Guijarro, D. – Bartholomew, J.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Richter-Veresov Attack (ECO D01, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Richter-Veresov Attack, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Bg5 Bf5 (3 moves).
In 351,410 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.1%, Black 44.8% and 5.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. f3, in 36% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Richter-Veresov Attack: Richter Variation and Richter-Veresov Attack: Veresov Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 3…Bf5
The most played answer, 4. f3 (Richter Variation), also scores best for White: 59.3%, with White winning 56.9% and Black 38.3% of 125K games. Of the main answers, 4. Nf3 scores lowest: 47.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 4. e3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
This line holds steady at about 0.013% of Lichess games a year since 2016.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.014% | 4,945 |
| 2017 | 0.014% | 7,542 |
| 2018 | 0.014% | 11,344 |
| 2019 | 0.013% | 16,579 |
| 2020 | 0.014% | 41,337 |
| 2021 | 0.014% | 53,277 |
| 2022 | 0.014% | 50,941 |
| 2023 | 0.013% | 50,085 |
| 2024 | 0.014% | 49,099 |
| 2025 | 0.013% | 46,008 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.013% | 14,565 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Richter-Veresov Attack (D01)”. Lichess data as of 27 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/richter-veresov-attack-2