"The aim of chess is not only to attack your opponent's king, but also to force him to defend badly." - Aron Nimzowitsch |
The Trompowsky Attack
Unleash Chaos on your Opponent
Want to ditch complex opening theory and unleash aggressive, surprising play on your opponent?
Look no further than the Trompowsky Attack!
This exciting opening, played with the moves 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5, offers White a unique path to victory:
- Disrupt Black's Development: White's early bishop development targets Black's knight, potentially forcing a trade that creates doubled pawns for Black. This disrupts their development and creates imbalances in the position.
- Fight for the Center: The Trompowsky often leads to dynamic positions where White can vie for control of the center and launch a quick attack.
- Sharp and Unpredictable: By bypassing common opening lines, the Trompowsky can throw your opponent off balance and create opportunities for tactical brilliance.
Whether you're a beginner seeking a dynamic weapon or an experienced player looking to surprise your rivals, the Trompowsky Attack can be a valuable addition to your chess arsenal. This comprehensive guide compiles the best resources to master the Trompowsky Attack, from articles and video lessons to puzzles and interactive studies.
Books & Courses (Free)
FREE Chessable Courses
- Short & Sweet: The Trompowsky - -23 Trainable variations w/59 Min Video - FM Kamil Plichta- Learn a full opening repertoire with 20 core lines and a 59-minute video guide. Perfect for beginners looking for a structured approach.
- Trompowsky Tactics - 123 Chess Tactics you can train - 81 puzzles for White, and 42 for Black. Sharpen your tactical skills with puzzles specifically designed for the Trompowsky Attack, including variations for both White and Black from Chess Miniatures.
- Trample the Trompowsky - 36 Variations to Learn and play against Trompowsky - This repertoire for Black recommends an easy-to-remember setup aimed at controlling the center (d5, c5) and exploiting opportunities where White delays or avoids capturing on f6.
- Short & Sweet: Pseudo Trompowsky - 30 Trainable Variations w/64 Min Video -Master the fundamentals of the Pseudo-Trompowsky, a related opening with similar ideas, in just a few hours through 30 core lines and a 64-minute video.
Trompowsky Chess Articles
This section dives into the Trompowsky Attack's rich history, key variations, and strategic ideas.
- Try the Dangerous Trompowsky Attack Today - Chessable Blog Guide (Very Detailed) Master the Trompowsky for White and Black with this in-depth guide - perfect for players of all levels.
- Trompowsky Attack -IM Alberto Chueca -Explore theory, strategic concepts, and typical plans for White with this comprehensive resource.
- Playing Against The Trompowsky: A Standard Response - WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos - Learn how to handle White's aggression with 3 different responses w/ game analysis to play against the Trompowsky.
Trompowsky LiChess Studies
Explore interactive training tools to solidify your understanding of the opening's concepts.
- The Trompowsky Attack - 7 Chapter Study (Detailed) (189 Hearts) - 6 different 2nd Move Lines Explored.
- Trompowsky Attack - 9 Chapter Interactive Study - This 9-chapter interactive study lets you explore different lines, from the engine line to different sidelines. (Test your understanding!)
- Lifetime Repertoire Trompowsky - 14 Chapter Study - (102 Hearts)Quickstart Guide also featuring analysis and plans for 13 key Trompowsky lines.
- Trompowsky Attack: 2.. Ne4 - 7 Chapter Study - This comprehensive 7-chapter study explores various lines, including the Main Line and responses to Black's 2...Ne4 (Edge, Bf4, Raptor variations). (Great for a deep dive!)
LiStudy Training Page
(LiChess Movetrainer) -
Sharpen your skills with training sets focused on specific Trompowsky Attack variations, including lines from Hanging Pawns and those inspired by GothamChess' 10-minute Trompowsky video. (For targeted practice!)- Trompowsky Attack by Hanging Pawns - 8 Lines To Practice here
- Trompowsky Attack - 11 Lines to Practice here (Created from Gotham Chess 10 Min Trompowsky Video)
- Torre Attack Model games - 8 games
New to Lichess studies? They are a fantastic way to learn chess concepts and variations move-by-move. You can test your understanding, explore different lines, and deepen your knowledge of the Trompowsky Attack at your own pace.
Trompowsky Puzzles
Test your tactical skills with puzzles specifically designed for the Trompowsky Attack.
LiChess Openings Puzzles:
- Trompowsky Attack - 2772 Puzzles (All Variations): Dive into a massive pool of 2772 puzzles covering the entire spectrum of Trompowsky Attack variations. (For a comprehensive challenge)
Individual Variations:
- Trompowsky Attack: Classical Defense - 754 Puzzles
- Trompowsky Attack: Raptor Variation - 174 Puzzles
- Trompowsky Attack: Edge Variation - 172 Puzzles
- Trompowsky Attack: Borg Variation - 60 Puzzles
Games Databases
Examining real Trompowsky Attack games is a fantastic way to see how theory translates into practice. Here are some curated databases to get you started:
Chessgames.com (Collections)
- Black plays 2... d5 against Trompovsky - Analyze 28 games where Black challenges White's bishop with an early pawn push.
- Defending against the Trompowski - Learn from Black's perspective with 8 games showcasing various defensive strategies.
- A45 Winning Games (White) - Explore 15 Trompowsky victories for White, seeing how they capitalized on the opening's advantages.
- General Trompowsky Games - Browse 20 well-played Trompowsky games to gain a broad understanding of the opening's flow.
- Famous Trompowsky Attack Games - Immerse yourself in 14 classic Trompowsky battles featuring renowned chess players.
ChessTempo.com
- Trompowsky Attack, General (A45) - 28,078 Games
- Trompowsky Attack, Raptor Variation (A45) - 1626 games
365chess.com
Tip: When using these databases, you can filter the games by player rating, year, and specific variations to target your learning goals.
Trompowsky Opening Video Lessons
Learn from chess masters in video tutorials that explain the Trompowsky key ideas and strategies.
Playlists
- Trompowsky - Opening Series - 8 Video Series - 90+ Min - Palm Beach Chess NM Bryan Tillis - This video series focuses on how to play the Trompowsky Attack for white.
- Trompowsky Attack Opening Theory - 7 Video opening Series - 3.5 Hrs - Hanging Pawns - Here you can find all ideas, plans and variations explained in detail for both white and black.
CRUSH People With The Trompowsky Attack! - 34 Min Gotham Chess - The Trompowsky Attack, a great opening for beginners, intermediate, and advanced players. Covering theory/strategy and games.
Chess Openings: Learn to Play the Trompowsky Attack! - 27 Min The Chess Giant - In this beginners chess lesson, we hope to show that by playing this chess opening, you can improve at chess quickly and use chess opening tricks and traps to win games fast.
The Tromp-Wall Attack | Complete Guide - 46 Min Chess Dojo - A blueprint for playing the Tromp-Wall Attack, a hybrid system merging the Trompowsky & Stonewall openings.
Trompowski Attack: Typical Ideas for White - 17 Min Remote Chess Academy
The Trompowsky Attack Played by Julian Hodgson - 17 Min Remote Chess Academy
Vaganian Gambit - The Trompowsky Attack - 32 Min GM Boris Alterman
Starting Out: Trompowsky (1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5) - 6 Min - GM Max Illingworth - In-depth guide to the Trompowsky Attack. Strategies for white to gain a comfortable advantage by avoiding the King’s Indian Defense and creating double pawns for black. Various responses from black are discussed and emphasizes strategic play.
The Trompowsky Attack! IM John Watson on the basics of this opening - 38 Min - Watson explains the basics of the opening, its strategic content, and provides a repertoire for both inexperienced and advanced players.
Trompowsky - Levitsky Attack with IM Milovan Ratkovic - 33 Min
Black Vs. Trompowsky
- Easily Destroy Trompowsky Players!! - 42 Min IM Miodrag Perunovic - A comprehensive guide on how to counter the Trompowsky Attack in chess, focusing on strategies with the black pieces
- How to Destroy Everyone with The Trompowsky Attack!! - 14 Min IM Miodrag Perunovic - The aggressive h4 move, also known as the Raptor Attack, and highlights the achievements of Grandmaster Igor Miladinovic with this line.
GM Nadia Kosintseva
Variations that I am going to show you from the black's point of view are not the main lines, but still solid and, what's also good, do not require a lot of memorization on your side.
- Facing the Trompowsky and London Systems as Black 1 of 5 - 5 Min
- Facing the Trompowsky and London Systems as Black 2 of 5 - 5 Min
- Facing the Trompowsky and London Systems as Black 3 of 5 - 5 Min
- Facing the Trompowsky and London Systems as Black 4 of 5 - 5 Min
- Facing the Trompowsky and London Systems as Black 5 of 5 - 5 min
Trompowsky Chess Traps
Trompowsky Levitsky Attack - The Levitsky Trap (trap no. 974) - 4 Min
Trompowsky Levitsky Attack - Baltic Hodgeson Levitsky Red Herring Trap (trap no. 975)- 3 Min
0978 Trompowsky - The Trompowsky Poison - 3 Min
0976 Trompowsky The Levitsky Sucker Blow - 3 Min
Trompowsky - Winning on Move 3 (trap no. 988) - 3 Min
Trompowsky - The Gallagher Trap (trap no. 977) - 3 Min
Basic Opening Chess Trap | Trompowsky | Punished for developing queen too soon! - 3 Min
Chess Trap 8 (Trompowsky Attack) - 5 Min
Trap in the 1...d5 Trompowsky - 5 Min
Trompowsky Game Videos (w/Analysis)
Playlists
- Trompowsky Attack - 12 Video Playlist - Games from Carlsen to Stockfish - agadmator chess channel
- Trompowsky Attack - 30 Videos Playlist - Kingcrusher
- Trompowsky - 8 Video Playlist - Chessbase India
Grandmaster Simon Williams Plays Trompowsky Opening in Real Tournament - 35 Min
Breaking Down The Trompowsky Attack | King's Indian | Top Theory Speedrun | GM Naroditsky - 33 min - He discusses various responses to the Trompowsky, emphasizing the move 1…d5 as an underrated but solid choice. Naroditsky plays through a game, explaining strategic concepts like the importance of controlling the center, the drawbacks of certain pawn moves, and how to exploit weaknesses in the opponent’s position.
Defeating an IM with the Trompowsky Attack! - 17 Min - GM Sipke Ernst analyses a game where he played the deadly Trompowsky Attack to defeat a strong International Master.