Boyce Defense

The Boyce Defense, 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Bg5 Ne4, avoids the usual responses to White's bishop sortie. Black does not defend the f6-knight with 3...e6 or contest e4 with 3...Bf5. Instead the knight jumps forward, hitting the bishop on g5 and offering itself for the c3-knight. This takes the sting out of Bxf6 and stops White from preparing e4 in the ordinary way. If White exchanges on e4, the d-pawn is the only piece that can recapture. Black's central pawn then moves from d5 to e4, and the character of the center changes.

White nearly always replies 4. Nxe4, the engine's first choice. Retreating the bishop with 4. Bd2 or 4. Bf4 keeps more pieces on the board, and 4. Nf3 ignores the attack. These alternatives are rare in practice, and Black has scored well against 4. Bf4 and 4. Nf3 in online games. The engine gives White a slight edge after 3...Ne4. In Lichess play the results are fairly even, with White a little ahead, and draws are uncommon. The line is a minor sideline of the Richter-Veresov, well outside the most frequently reached named positions.