Veresov Attack, Classical Defense

Black answers White's Nc3, Nf3 and Bg5 development with the classical pawn pair on e6 and d5, so the position resembles a Queen's Gambit Declined without White's c-pawn on c4. The knight on c3 blocks that pawn, so White usually looks for central play with e2-e4 rather than queenside pressure. The pin on the f6-knight is the main point of 4. Bg5, because the knight is Black's chief defender of e4. With ...e6 already played, Black's dark-squared bishop is free, and the position does not commit either side to a fixed pawn structure.

The most common reply by a wide margin is 4...Be7, which breaks the pin and prepares castling in Queen's Gambit Declined style. 4...c5 attacks d4 immediately and has given Black the best practical results. 4...Bb4 answers the pin with a counter-pin on the c3-knight, increasing Black's control of e4. The engine also ranks 4...Nbd7 among its top choices. Engines rate the position as roughly balanced, and on Lichess the results are almost evenly divided, with Black scoring slightly better.