Trompowsky Attack

The Trompowsky Attack arises after 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5. The bishop eyes the f6-knight with the idea of Bxf6, saddling Black with doubled pawns. The threat is not serious, and several replies simply allow it. White's main gain is practical. Instead of the usual 2. c4 or 2. Nf3, the bishop move avoids the deep theory of the King's Indian, Nimzo-Indian, Queen's Indian and Grünfeld. The opening honors Octávio Trompowsky (1897–1984), once champion of Brazil, who used it in the 1930s and 1940s. Because Karel Opočenský also adopted it then, it is sometimes called the Opočenský Opening, and the nickname Zot is also recorded.

2...Ne4 is the traditional main line. Black moves the knight a second time to hit the bishop. White usually retreats with 3. Bf4 or 3. Bh4, the latter being the Edge Variation. Black then tries to keep the knight on e4 or to extract a concession before it withdraws. Kicking it with f3, for example, takes the natural square from White's own knight. After 3. Bh4 the thrust 3...g5 is met most often by 4. f3 gxh4 5. fxe4 c5, an unbalanced and sharp position. The Borg Variation, 3. Bf4 g5, is a similar lunge. The Raptor Variation, 3. h4, guards the bishop with a pawn. There 3...Nxg5 would open the h-file for White's rook, so Black prefers central play and a later ...h6. The naive 3. Nf3 runs into 3...Nxg5 4. Nxg5 e5, regaining the time and leaving Black the bishop pair.

The Classical Defense, 2...e6, is the most frequent reply in the database. It lets the queen recapture on f6 and frees the dark-squared bishop, at the cost of an awkward pin. White can steer into the Torre Attack with 3. Nf3 or claim the center with 3. e4. After 2...d5, White may double the pawns with 3. Bxf6. Black then usually takes back with 3...exf6, although 3...gxf6 is also common and was Sergey Karjakin's choice against Magnus Carlsen in the first game of their 2016 world championship match. After 2...g6, 3. Bxf6 forces 3...exf6. The counterattack 2...c5 3. d5 Qb6 4. Nc3 is the Poisoned Pawn Variation. In it Black can grab the b-pawn with 4...Qxb2, giving White development and play against the queen in return. The quieter 2...c6 prepares ...Qb6, and 3. e3?? fails to 3...Qa5+, winning the bishop.

The engine regards the position as level, and results on Lichess are close to even, with White slightly ahead. Julian Hodgson, Antoaneta Stefanova and Arjun Erigaisi are regular exponents among grandmasters, and Carlsen has used it on occasion.