Trompowsky Attack

The Trompowsky Attack arises when White answers Black's knight on f6 by placing the dark-squared bishop on g5 very early. The bishop attacks the knight and makes Black decide whether to move it, defend it, or allow an exchange.

If White captures the knight and Black recaptures with a pawn, Black may get doubled pawns, meaning two pawns of the same color on one file. That is not automatically bad for Black: the exchange leaves Black with both bishops while White has given one up, and it may also open lines or help build a solid center. The opening's practical point is to create an unusual pawn structure before both sides enter heavily analyzed setups.

The Trompowsky forces an early structural decision

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StartBg5d5Bxf6exf6

Bg5 preserves options for the g1-knight and f-pawn, at the cost of making the game concrete on move two.

The bishop develops before the g1-knight

White immediately asks how Black will handle the knight on f6.

1. Bg5 preserves options for the g1-knight and f-pawn, at the cost of making the game concrete on move two.

Unlike the Torre Attack, White's g1-knight normally has not yet moved to f3 when Bg5 appears. That small difference preserves extra options for the knight and f-pawn, but it can also require precise decisions very early.