Caissa Codex
D01

Richter-Veresov Attack: Boyce Defense

Chess diagram: Richter-Veresov Attack: Boyce Defense after 3…Ne4

Type a move and press Enter: e4, Nf3, O-O, or from and to squares like g1f3 (e7e8q to promote). The board is also played with the mouse.

Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.

Statistics from Lichess

151,652 games: White 50.8% / Draw 4.9% / Black 44.3%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
141,091141K
2,7622,762
2,5782,578
1,5881,588
1,2161,216
985985
296296
254254

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.79 White is better

Best play: 4. Nxe4 dxe4 5. e3 h6 6. Bh4 c5 7. c3 Qb6 8. Qc2 cxd4

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

Richter-Veresov Attack: Boyce Defense (ECO D01, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a variation of the Richter-Veresov Attack, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Bg5 Ne4 (3 moves).

In 151,652 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.8%, Black 44.3% and 4.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Nxe4, in 93% of those games.

Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.

Write a description or report a mistake
What would you like to send?

Markdown supported (headings ###, bold, lists, links). Submissions are reviewed before publishing.

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 3…Ne4, the position after Richter-Veresov Attack also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Richter-Veresov Attack: Boyce Defense (D01)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/richter-veresov-attack-boyce-defense

https://chesscodex.org/openings/richter-veresov-attack-boyce-defense