Veresov Trap

MY opponent in round three at Mariánské Lázně walked into a trap in the Veresov.

It arises after the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bg5 Bf5 4.e3 e6 5.Bd3.

What should Black avoid?

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My opponent played the positionally plausible but tactically faulty 5...Be7?, which cost him a pawn after 6.Bxf5 exf5 7.Bxf6 Bxf6 8.Qf3 etc.

The full game can be seen at https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2022/01/marianske-lazne-round-three.html but here I want to look at what Black should have played.

A) 5....Bxd3

This is the main move in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database.

White normally replies 6.Qxd3 (6.cxd3!? is also popular), when the game David Bronstein - Robert Fischer, Mar del Plata 1960, continued 6...c5 7.Bxf6!? gxf6!? 8.dxc5 Nd7 9.e4 dxe4 10.Qxe4 Nxc5 11.Qf3 Bg7, when Black may have a slight edge, according to Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1 (½–½, 65 moves).

B) 5...Bg6

This is less popular in Mega22 but more common in my praxis.

Kurt Richter, whose name is often joined with Gavriil Veresov in naming the opening, liked to meet 5...Bg6 with 6.Nf3, when the mainline in Mega22 runs 6...Be7 7.Ne5 Nbd7 8.f4 with a position reminiscent of the Stonewall Attack except the white dark-square bishop is outside of the white central pawn-chain.

Nino Batsiashvili (2436) - Inga Charkhalashvili (2334), Women's Rapid World Championship, Batumi (Georgia) 2012, continued 8...Nxe5 9.fxe5 Nd7 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.0-0 0-0, when Stockfish14.1 prefers White but Komodo12.1.1 rates the position as equal (1-0, 47 moves).

An aggressive alternative is 6.h4!?, when Marcin Krzyżanowski (2457) - Iwo Godzwon (2240), EU Rapid Championship, Katowice (Poland) 2017, saw 6...Be7 7.h5 Bxd3 8.Qxd3 h6 9.Bf4 c6 with Stockfish14.1. preferring Black but Komodo12.1.1 rating the game as equal (½–½, 97 moves).

CONCLUSION: Black has nothing to fear in the diagrammed position as long as 5...Be7? is avoided.