Trompowsky Attack
You play White · 3 variations
Mixed practice
The machine picks a different variation every time.
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10 positions: find the next theory move in each. No take-backs, no hints.
Main variations · 2
Other variations · 1
What is the Trompowsky Attack?
The Trompowsky Attack is 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5. Named after Octávio Trompowsky, it attacks the f6 knight at once and threatens to double Black's pawns with Bxf6, sidestepping the main lines of the Indian defences. It is an offbeat but respected weapon used at all levels, with a direct, practical character: it takes Black out of their preparation on move two and often leads to unbalanced positions in which you trade bishop for knight for structural or developmental gains.
Main ideas and plans
Black's most popular answer is 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4, attacking the bishop. You can retreat with Bf4 or defend the bishop with the sharp h4. A main line is 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 c5 4.f3 Qa5+ 5.c3 Nf6 6.d5, where you gain space in the centre and Black looks for counterplay against your queenside. Against 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6, the most direct plan is 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 3.e4 h6 4.Bxf6 Qxf6 5.Nc3: you give up the bishop pair for a big centre and quick development, and follow with Qd2 and often O-O-O.
Against 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5, you can take on f6 and play against Black's damaged structure, or keep the tension with e3, c3 and Nd2 for a solid, London-like position. Against 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.d5 Qb6, Black attacks b2; you can defend it with Qc1, or offer it with 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.d5 Qb6 4.Nc3 Qxb2 5.Bd2, gaining time against the black queen. Black also has offbeat tries such as an early ...g5 or ...c5 without ...Qb6, and the general rule is the same: keep your pieces active and do not hesitate to take on f6 when it damages Black's pawns.
Who is it for?
The Trompowsky suits practical, aggressive players who want to avoid heavy theory against the King's Indian, Grünfeld and Nimzo-Indian, and who are happy to give a bishop for a knight in return for structure or development. Its downside is that Black has several sound replies, and if you treat it as a passive system you get little; you must be willing to play imbalanced positions. First learn the main answers to ...Ne4 and the plan after ...e6 with the bishop-for-knight trade, and remember that the opening only works after ...Nf6, so you need something else after 1.d4 d5.