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B60Opening

Sicilian Defense:Richter-Rauzer Variation

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5

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Black to move

Legal moves
33
Games in the next 4 moves
2,403,999
Different positions among them
770,807
Named lines from here
20

See it on the mapOn the opening map

Named after Kurt Richter and Vsevolod Rauzer: White pins the f6 knight with Bg5 and often castles long.

It is reached after 11 moves: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5. It is a line of the Sicilian Defense.

Black is to move and has 33 legal moves. Over the next four moves — two for each side — the game can branch into 2,403,999 different games. Those games reach 770,807 different positions: most positions can be reached in more than one way, 3.1 on average.

The Lichess opening list names 20 further lines after this position, such as Modern Variation (6... Bd7) and Dragon Variation (6... g6).

The same moves can be played in 3,924 different legal orders that all reach this position. For example 1. e4 d6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5, which starts as the Pirc Defense.

Map of every game of the next four moves after the Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation
Every game of the next four moves from this position, as the map draws it. Each ring is one more move; the outer ring holds all 2,403,999 games.

Move by move

  1. 1. e4King's Pawn Game
  2. 1... c5Sicilian Defense
  3. 2. Nf3Sicilian Defense
  4. 2... d6Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations
  5. 3. d4Sicilian Defense
  6. 3... cxd4Sicilian Defense
  7. 4. Nxd4—
  8. 4... Nf6Sicilian Defense: Modern Variations, Main Line
  9. 5. Nc3—
  10. 5... Nc6Sicilian Defense: Classical Variation
  11. 6. Bg5Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation

Named lines from here

Related openings

FEN

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