Richter-Veresov Attack
7 variations · 1.3M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · Overall
51.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. Its best is the same figure — the band is too tight to plot.
Measured over 1.3M games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.4 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 1.3M games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- #30 of 56
- Games in this context
- 1.3M
- Best context
- 55.0% at 2500+ Blitz
- Worst context
- 46.2% at 1800-1999 Classical
- Variations measured
- 7
- Average game length
- 34 moves
Best and worst are the strongest and weakest squares with at least 500 games behind them. The table further down shows every square, including thinner ones.
What to play from here
White · OverallThese are the moves players actually choose from here, ranked by how they score. A higher score is a better bet on the numbers alone — familiarity and playstyle still matter.
Where it holds · White score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It gets better as the rating rises: 46.9% at 0-999, 56.2% at 2500+.
| Rating | UB | Bulle | Blitz | Rapid | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-999 | |||||
| 1000-1199 | |||||
| 1200-1399 | |||||
| 1400-1599 | |||||
| 1600-1799 | |||||
| 1800-1999 | |||||
| 2000-2199 | |||||
| 2200-2499 | |||||
| 2500+ |
Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control
- 0-999 rating, UltraBullet: 47.8% expected score (21 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 48.3% expected score (13,297 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 50.2% expected score (40,812 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 47.9% expected score (22,709 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 40.5% expected score (229 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 43.2% expected score (35 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 50.4% expected score (19,566 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 51.8% expected score (74,244 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 51.1% expected score (36,177 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 46.4% expected score (723 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 48.7% expected score (111 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (27,856 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 52.1% expected score (106,186 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 51.4% expected score (53,263 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 48.2% expected score (2,061 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 42.6% expected score (221 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.4% expected score (38,279 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (116,234 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 50.7% expected score (53,928 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 48.0% expected score (3,825 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 51.2% expected score (328 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 51.0% expected score (48,330 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.1% expected score (120,679 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 50.9% expected score (41,833 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 49.1% expected score (2,308 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 55.5% expected score (419 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (38,287 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 52.0% expected score (105,684 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 50.4% expected score (25,212 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 46.2% expected score (1,200 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 62.2% expected score (117 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 52.7% expected score (46,189 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.6% expected score (91,198 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 51.4% expected score (12,154 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 45.8% expected score (309 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 51.2% expected score (40 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.9% expected score (60,178 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.8% expected score (80,174 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 52.5% expected score (5,698 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 54.4% expected score (102 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 54.4% expected score (29,665 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 55.0% expected score (8,270 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 53.9% expected score (139 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 67.7% expected score (7 games)
7 variations · ranked by floor
Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Richter-Veresov Attack family scores 51.6% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 51.6% and 51.7% — from 1.3M Lichess games across 7 variations. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.
How the figures are made
- Whose games these are
- 1.3M+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-12 to 2025-11). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt January 2026.
- Which games we count
- Rated games only — nothing casual.
- Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
- At least 2 moves played.
- A game is filed under White’s rating.
- Why every number comes with a range
- A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
- How much we need before we say anything
- An opening page needs 100 games. A gambit needs 50 games at a rating before we will say whether it pays there. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Richter-Veresov Attack win rate?
Across the Richter-Veresov Attack's 7 variations, White wins 49.4%, draws 4.4% and loses 46.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.6%. It rests on 1.3M rated games from Lichess.
How many Richter-Veresov Attack variations are there?
7 Richter-Veresov Attack variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.
At what rating does the Richter-Veresov Attack perform best?
The Richter-Veresov Attack family performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 54.5% (38K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.
Is the Richter-Veresov Attack better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Richter-Veresov Attack scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 52.0% in Blitz (743K games) against 50.7% in Rapid (251K games).
How sharp is the Richter-Veresov Attack?
Richter-Veresov Attack games are 95.6% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 34 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.
Is the Richter-Veresov Attack a good opening family?
The Richter-Veresov Attack family is about level overall. Across its games, White wins 49.4% and loses 46.2%. Results differ between its 7 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.