Richter Variation

The Richter Variation is an offshoot of the Modern Variation of the Scandinavian Defense. Black meets 3. d4 with 3...g6 instead of recapturing on d5 with the knight. The point is to develop the king's bishop on g7, aiming down the long diagonal at White's center; with a White pawn already established on d4, the f8-a3 diagonal promises the bishop little. The price is time. Black leaves the d5 pawn unattended for another move, and White can try to hold on to it. The most common reply, 4. c4, does exactly that, propping up d5 and asking Black to prove that faster development and pressure on the center make up for the material. The main alternatives, 4. Nf3 and 4. Nc3, bring pieces out first rather than immediately supporting the extra pawn.

The line is named after International Master Kurt Richter, who played it from time to time in the 1930s, and it remains uncommon. Engines regard White as clearly better, preferring c4, Be2 and Nf3, yet in online games Black has scored slightly more wins than White.