Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System
46K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
51.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 51.8%.
Measured over 46K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 5.4 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 46K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 46K
- Best context
- 54.0% at 2500+ Bullet
- Worst context
- 47.8% at 1400-1599 Rapid
- Average game length
- 36 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 94.6%
- Draws
- 5.4%
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.
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: 54.4% at 0-999, 60.6% 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, Bullet: 51.7% expected score (204 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 53.4% expected score (492 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 42.6% expected score (175 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 52.8% expected score (520 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.7% expected score (1,647 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 48.1% expected score (451 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 44.7% expected score (8 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 52.5% expected score (712 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 52.7% expected score (3,286 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 49.5% expected score (1,186 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 45.8% expected score (34 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 50.7% expected score (1,006 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 52.1% expected score (4,037 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 47.8% expected score (1,875 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 48.8% expected score (120 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 50.6% expected score (1,177 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 52.0% expected score (4,084 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 51.5% expected score (1,643 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 47.2% expected score (103 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 54.0% expected score (11 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.3% expected score (1,132 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.3% expected score (3,301 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 50.6% expected score (1,022 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 39.8% expected score (57 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 52.1% expected score (1,384 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 50.3% expected score (4,698 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 49.7% expected score (703 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 56.1% expected score (23 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 51.4% expected score (2,825 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 53.2% expected score (5,201 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 54.8% expected score (383 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (10 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 54.0% expected score (1,324 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (917 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 65.8% expected score (8 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System scores 51.4% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 51.0% and 51.8% — from 46K Lichess games. 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
- 46K+ 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: Two Knights System win rate?
Playing the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System, White wins 48.7%, draws 5.4% and loses 45.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.4%. It rests on 46K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System perform best?
The Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System performs best for White at 2200-2499, with an Expected Score of 52.7% (8.4K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 51.8% in Blitz (28K games) against 49.7% in Rapid (7.4K games).
How sharp is the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System?
The Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System has a sharpness score of 94.6 (decisive), meaning 94.6% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.
What is the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 48.9%, draws 3.8% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.9%. It rests on 872 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 48.8%, draws 3.6% and loses 47.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.6%. It rests on 2.6K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 49.8%, draws 4.1% and loses 46.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.9%. It rests on 5.2K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 48.9%, draws 3.6% and loses 47.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.7%. It rests on 7.0K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 49.2%, draws 4.6% and loses 46.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.5%. It rests on 7.0K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 47.8%, draws 4.8% and loses 47.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.2%. It rests on 5.5K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 47.2%, draws 6.9% and loses 45.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.7%. It rests on 6.8K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 49.1%, draws 7.1% and loses 43.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 8.4K Lichess games, which average 38 moves.
What is the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 48.7%, draws 9.5% and loses 41.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.5%. It rests on 2.3K Lichess games, which average 41 moves.
What is the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 49.5%, draws 4.3% and loses 46.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.7%. It rests on 10K Lichess games.
What is the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 48.9%, draws 5.8% and loses 45.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.8%. It rests on 28K Lichess games.
What is the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 47.0%, draws 5.4% and loses 47.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.7%. It rests on 7.4K Lichess games.
What is the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 43.7%, draws 7.1% and loses 49.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.3%. It rests on 357 Lichess games.
Is the Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System a good opening?
The Richter-Veresov Attack: Two Knights System is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 48.7% of its games and loses 45.9%. It performs best at 2200-2499. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.