The new ternary metal-rich boride, Nb 2 OsB 2 , was synthesized by arc-melting the elements in a water-cooled copper crucible under an argon atmosphere. The compound was characterized from single-crystal X-ray data and EDX measurements. It crystallizes as a new superstructure (space group P4/mnc, no. 128) of the tetragonal U 3 Si 2 -structure type with lattice parameters a=5.922(1)Å and c=6.879(2)Å. All of the B atoms are involved in B 2 dumbbells with B–B distances of 1.89(4)Å. Structure relaxation using VASP (Vienna ab intio Simulation Package) has confirmed the space group and the lattice parameters. According to electronic structure calculations (TB–LMTO–ASA), the homoatomic B–B interactions are optimized and very strong, but relatively strong heteroatomic Os–B, Nb–B and Nb–Os bonds are also found: These interactions, which together build a three-dimensional network, are mainly responsible for the structural stability of this new phase. The density of state at the Fermi level predicts metallic behavior, as expected, from this metal-rich boride.