Raptor Variation

The Raptor Variation answers the knight's attack on g5 with 3. h4, defending the bishop with a pawn instead of retreating it to f4 or h4. The point is conditional. If Black takes with 3...Nxg5, the recapture 4. hxg5 half-opens the h-file for White's rook, and the doubled g-pawn supports pressure against the kingside. The price is the bishop pair, which passes to Black after the exchange. Some sources treat the capture as a mistake. Even so, it is the most frequent reply in the database, and it scores about as well as the alternatives. One sharp way to follow it is the Hergert Gambit, 3...Nxg5 4. hxg5 e5, in which Black hits the center at once and leaves the e-pawn en prise.

The engine prefers to ignore the bishop and play in the center with 3...d5 or 3...c5, or to question it with 3...h6, holding ...h6 in reserve to chase it away later. The engine assesses the position as level, and results are close to even, with White slightly ahead. The variation is an aggressive but uncommon sideline of the Trompowsky.