Trompowsky Attack

Strategic Summary & Main Idea

The Trompowsky Attack leaves theory on move two: instead of c4, White plays 2.Bg5 and offers to trade the bishop for the f6 knight before any structure exists. The position measures −0.02 — that is, the move yields no advantage at all. What it yields is something else, and it is why Julian Hodgson and Magnus Carlsen have used it against prepared opponents: no memorised Nimzo-Indian, Grünfeld or King's Indian line survives 2.Bg5, and the game starts counting on move three. This entry measures Black's six most played replies, and the conclusion is that nearly all of them equalise — provided the trade on f6 is accepted without drama.

The pawn structure this opening produces

The Trompowsky has no structure of its own; it has a bargaining chip. The decision that shapes everything is what happens to the g5 bishop: if it takes on f6, Black chooses the recapture, and that choice is the whole game. Recapturing with the e-pawn (...exf6) gives Black the bishop pair, a half-open e-file and doubled pawns that are not weak — they cover e5 and g5 while the c8 bishop comes out free. Recapturing with the g-pawn (...gxf6) opens the g-file and takes central space with ...d5 and ...e6, at the cost of a kingside castle that will not happen. Recapturing with the queen keeps the structure clean and costs time, because the queen will be attacked. The third possibility is for Black to refuse the trade: 2...Ne4 hits the bishop at once, and the game becomes a tempo argument in which White chooses between 3.Bf4, which is solid, and 3.h4, the Raptor, which ignores the knight and takes flank space. What none of the versions produces is the classical c4-and-d4 centre — and that renunciation is deliberate.

Main Variations of the Trompowsky Attack

Evaluations measured by us with Stockfish 19, depth 22, on 14/09/2026.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Trompowsky give White an advantage?

No: the position after 2.Bg5 measures −0.02, and four of the six replies measured here sit between −0.16 and +0.18. It is not an advantage opening — it is a sidestep. Its practical value lies in taking the opponent out of book before move three, and that never shows up in an evaluation.

What should Black recapture with after Bxf6?

It depends on the setup. With ...exf6 Black keeps the bishop pair and the e-file, and it is the recapture that measures best for him: −0.16 in the line with 2...d5. With ...gxf6 the g-file opens and Black takes central space, at the cost of short castling: the line with 2...c5 measures +0.18. The doubled pawns are not a weakness in either case.

What is the Raptor Variation?

It is 3.h4 against 2...Ne4: instead of retreating the bishop, White leaves it attacked and advances on the flank. It measures +0.44, the highest evaluation in this entry, and is the only line where the Trompowsky plays for an advantage rather than for a sidestep. The cost is an irregular position early, and anyone who does not know it from both sides tends to get lost before move 10.

Guides on this opening

• The London System: a complete guide, its plans, and how not to play on autopilot
• Torre Attack: a practical guide to 3.Bg5, and which defences the system actually beats

Common Mistakes & Where Most Amateurs Go Wrong

• 01 Playing 2...Ne4 and following with ...c5 without a pawn on d5. White gains time with f3 and c3, the e4 knight has to come back, and the position goes from −0.02 to +0.22 — a quarter of a pawn for two badly chosen moves. The line: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 c5 4.f3 Qa5+ 5.c3 Nf6 6.d5 Qb6 7.e4 +0.22
• 02 Weakening the castled position with ...g5 to chase a bishop that has already traded. After 4...g5 the b1-h7 diagonal opens and White's queen reaches h5 with tempo: +0.26. The line: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.e3 g5 5.Bd3 Bd6 6.Qh5 +0.26