Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5
What Is The Richter-Rauzer Variation?
6.Bg5 pins the f6 knight and takes the Dragon away from Black: meet it with 6...g6 and 7.Bxf6 wrecks your pawns before the bishop ever reaches g7. So Black replies 6...e6, and the position turns into a race. White's plan is fixed from move six: Qd2, long castling and a kingside pawn storm, while Black counterattacks down the half-open c-file.
White's exchange on f6 decides the middlegame. Take back with the g-pawn and your structure breaks but the g-file points at White's king; take back with the bishop and you stay solid while White gains time for the storm. Black's counterplay runs through ...a6, ...Bd7 and ...Rc8, with a knight heading for e5 and c4. Whoever lands first wins, so one slow developing move costs you the whole race.
How Does Play Continue From Here?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| e6 | 55% | 70 | |
| Bd7 | 12% | 15 | |
| g6 | 10% | 13 | |
| a6 | 6% | 7 |
The Named Lines Of The Richter-Rauzer Variation
| Line | Moves |
|---|---|
| Dragon Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 g6 |
| Modern Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 Bd7 7.Qd2 |
| Podebrady Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Nb3 |
| Vitolins Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Bb5 |
| Traditional Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 |
| Exchange Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Nxc6 |
| Neo-Modern Variation, Early Deviations | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6 |
| Classical Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 Be7 8.O-O-O O-O 9.f4 Nxd4 10.Qxd4 |
| Ivanov Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 Qb6 |
| Neo-Modern Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.O-O-O Bd7 9.f4 Be7 |
| Rauzer Attack | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 Be7 8.O-O-O O-O 9.f4 Nxd4 |
| Classical Variation, Kantscher Line | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 Be7 8.O-O-O Nxd4 9.Qxd4 a6 10.f4 b5 |
| Neo-Modern Variation, Nyezhmetdinov Attack | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.O-O-O Bd7 9.f4 Be7 10.Nf3 b5 11.Bxf6 |