Learn the Trompowsky Attack

A45 · a repertoire for white · 5 chapters · 27 annotated lines

"Meet 1.d4 Nf6 with 2.Bg5 — a low-theory sniper that dodges every mainline defence."

The Trompowsky Attack (1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5) is the ultimate anti-theory weapon for the 1.d4 player. By pinning — or immediately trading — the f6 knight on move two, you sidestep the King's Indian, the Nimzo-Indian, the Grünfeld and every other heavily-analysed Black setup, and steer the game into positions you understand far better than your opponent. It is sound, aggressive, and remarkably easy to learn: a handful of clear plans cover everything Black can try. This course gives you a complete, engine-checked repertoire — the 3.Bf4 lines with f3 against 2...Ne4, the big-centre 3.e4 against 2...e6, and the bishop-for-knight structures with a lasting pull against 2...d5, 2...c5 and 2...g6 — with every idea explained so you know not just the moves but the reasons behind them.

What's inside

• Chapter 1: The Main Line — 2...Ne4
  Lines: The ...d5 System: 3.Bf4, f3 and e4, The ...Qa5+ Check and the d5 Clamp, Grabbing the Pawn: 4...Nf6 5.dxc5, The ...Qb6 Double Attack, 5...Bf5: The g4 Space Gainer
• Chapter 2: The Big Centre — 2...e6 and 2...d5
  Lines: 2...e6: The Big Pawn Centre, 2...d5: The Doubled f-Pawns, The ...Bb4 Pin: 6.Qd2 and f4, Quiet Play: 3...Be7 and the e5 Space Edge, 2...d5: The Solid ...c6 Wall
• Chapter 3: The Space Clamp — 2...c5 and 2...g6
  Lines: 2...c5: The d4-d5 Clamp, 2...g6: Trade and Squeeze, 4...e6: The Immediate Break, 2...g6 with ...Bg7: The Counter-Fianchetto
• Chapter 4: Sidelines & Strategy
  Lines: The Sharp 2...Ne4 3.Bf4 g5!?, The Solid 2...c6
• Chapter 5: Rare Second Moves
  Lines: 2...e5?! and the d8 Snap, 2...b6: The Queenside Fianchetto, 2...h6: The Immediate Question

Free sample: the main line, move by move

• 1. d4 — You claim the centre and open the diagonal for your dark-squared bishop — the whole Trompowsky idea depends on getting that bishop to g5.
• 1... Nf6 — Black develops naturally and eyes the e4 square.
• 2. Bg5 — The Trompowsky move. You pin nothing yet, but you threaten Bxf6 to inflict doubled pawns, and you dodge every mainline defence in one stroke.
• 2... Ne4 — The most common and most challenging reply: Black leaps into the centre and hits your bishop, refusing to allow the pin to bother them.
• 3. Bf4 — Retreat, but stay aggressive. From f4 the bishop keeps an eye on the c7/b8 squares and is far more active than the passive 3.Bh4. The knight on e4 looks strong, but it has no support — and you are about to challenge it.
• 3... d5 — Black shores up the e4 knight with a pawn on d5, planning a solid, French-like structure.
• 4. f3 — The key move of the whole system: you kick the e4 knight. It must retreat, and the pawn on f3 is not a wall — it is the launch pad for e4 next.
• 4... Nf6 — The knight returns home. Note that you have gained time and space, and Black's early knight sortie has achieved nothing lasting.
• 5. Nc3 — Develop before you commit a pawn. This is the club main move here and the engine's choice: the knight backs up the coming e4 push. The routine 5.e3, blocking your own bishop in, is the one move at which the engine hands Black the pull.
• 5... e6 — Black prepares ...Be7 and castling — the solid, most popular set-up.
• 6. e4! — There it is. Two-thirds of club players find this and they are right: the f3 pawn existed to support this break, and now your centre rolls while Black's pieces are still at home.
• 6... dxe4 — The most common answer — Black releases the tension rather than let you play e5.
• 7. fxe4 — Recapture toward the centre. Count what you have: pawns on d4 and e4, both bishops staring at Black's kingside, a half-open f-file pointing at f7, and a knight already on c3. This is the position the Trompowsky's move order was built to reach.
• 7... Bb4 — Black's main try (two games in three): pin the c3 knight to hit the e4 pawn behind it.
• 8. Bd3 — Ignore the pin and develop. The bishop defends e4 a second time, and the a3 push is coming to put the question to the b4 bishop.
• 8... c5 — Black strikes at the base of your centre before it steamrolls him.
• 9. a3! — The move to remember. Black must decide: retreat with ...Ba5, when dxc5 gives you the extra pawn and the initiative, or give up the bishop with ...Bxc3+ bxc3, when your two bishops and the huge centre more than pay for the doubled c-pawn. Either way you are the one with a comfortable pull, straight out of the opening.

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