Trompowsky Attack
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5
A repertoire for White · ECO A45
The Trompowsky Attack — 1.d4 followed by 2.Bg5, whatever Black does — sidesteps the entire mainstream of 1.d4 theory on move two. You get a solid, positionally rich game with surprise value that lasts: Nimzo, King's Indian and Grunfeld specialists all find their preparation useless.
Start the Trompowsky Attack course
Mainline
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 c5 4.f3 Qa5+ 5.c3 Nf6 6.d5
Key ideas
- Play 2.Bg5 against everything: one system replaces a library of main-line theory.
- Meet 2...Ne4 with 3.Bf4 — the bishop keeps its influence and Black's knight must justify its travels.
- Double Black's f-pawns with Bxf6 when it favors you: a structural edge that lasts into the endgame.
- Keep the surprise working: most Black players face the Trompowsky a few times a year, you play it weekly.
Typical plans and structures
Against the critical 2...Ne4 3.Bf4 c5, White grabs the center with f3 and d5 — the main line where the course invests its deepest work. Against 2...e6 or 2...d5, White chooses between Bxf6 structures (doubled pawns, then a slow squeeze with e3, c4 and long-term pressure) and flexible setups with e3 and Nd2. The recurring trumps: an unbalanced structure Black rarely knows, the two-bishop trades on White's terms, and middlegame plans you have rehearsed and your opponent is improvising.
Who should play it
1.d4 players who want a complete, low-maintenance repertoire weapon with genuine bite — ideal if you would rather understand one system deeply than memorize five defenses' main lines.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly defines the Trompowsky Attack?
The position after 1.d4 with 2.Bg5 — played whether Black responds 1...Nf6 (the pure Trompowsky) or 1...d5 (the related Pseudo-Trompowsky/Hopton). The defining idea is the immediate queen's-bishop sortie before Black's setup gets a say.
Is the Trompowsky sound or just a surprise weapon?
Both: it is theoretically respectable — used by elite players from Julian Hodgson to Magnus Carlsen, and famously by Vladimir Kramnik — while ALSO carrying surprise value, because most Black repertoires give it a fraction of the attention the main lines get.
What is Black's most critical answer?
2...Ne4, hitting the bishop immediately, followed by ...c5 — met by 3.Bf4 and the ambitious f3 and d5 center. That tabiya is the theoretical heart of the Trompowsky and the centerpiece of this course's repertoire.
New to a concept? Every term is defined in the chess terms glossary.