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Guided lesson · Improver · Openings

The Trompowsky: 2.Bg5 and theory is over

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You prepare the King's Indian, the Grünfeld or whatever you play against 1.d4, and your opponent answers 2.Bg5 before moving another piece. That's the Trompowsky, and its point isn't strength but surprise: it takes you out of your repertoire on move two. What it's after is concrete and worth understanding — trading his bishop for your f6 knight to leave you doubled pawns or remove your centre's defender, and then building a comfortable game without having studied anything. The answer doesn't require memory either: there are two natural ways to reply, and both come down to deciding early what you do about that bishop staring at you.

The key idea

The g5 bishop wants to trade itself for your f6 knight. You have two natural answers: move the knight to e4 — gaining a tempo and taking the centre — or let it capture and recapture with the queen, accepting the trade in exchange for the bishop pair.

Example 1 · ...Ne4: the knight goes to the centre

Instead of waiting for the trade, Black pushes the knight to e4 with tempo. The bishop has to move again.

  1. Nd2 His knight has planted itself on e4 and forced me to move the bishop twice in four moves — the exact opposite of what I wanted with the Trompowsky. I bring the knight over to contest the square, which is the only way to shift it.
  2. Nxd2 And he trades. Look at the tempo count: he has moved the knight three times and I've moved the bishop twice and the knight once. We're even, and that's already a good result for the player who was out of his notes.
  3. Qxd2 I recapture with the queen, which from d2 connects with my f4 bishop and eyes the d-file. Recapturing with the piece that also lands well is what turns a neutral trade into a useful one.
  4. cxd4 Black resolves the tension in the centre.
  5. exd4 I recapture, keeping the pawn centre.
  6. Bf5 And here again is the rule that runs through half of opening play: the c8 bishop gets out BEFORE ...e6 shuts its door. When you've seen it three times in three different openings, it stops being a trick: it's a principle.
  7. Nf3 I finish developing.
  8. Nc6 A level, completely normal position. That's the honest result of the Trompowsky against a sensible reply: it doesn't give an edge, it gives a game where your opponent couldn't use what he knew.

Example 2 · Letting it trade: the bishop pair

With 2...e6 Black invites the trade. He recaptures with the queen and keeps both bishops. Now Black is to move.

  1. d6 I let him trade my knight and recaptured with the queen. Count what I have: both bishops, no pawn weaknesses and an active queen. What he has is a big centre and a lower-quality minor piece — that's a deal I'll sign any day.
  2. h4 White pushes on the wing to gain space. Careful, because this advance cuts both ways: every pawn that goes up in front of his king is a pawn no longer defending it.
  3. g6 I prepare the fianchetto. With two bishops my plan is to open diagonals — and the long diagonal is the best home either of them can have.
  4. h5 He keeps pushing, trying to break my structure before it forms.
  5. g5 I close the wing. With the position locked, my two bishops lose some value in the short term and get it all back the moment the game opens — and in an endgame it always opens.
  6. Na3 The knight looks for a route via the rim, which is what it has left.
  7. Qg7 My queen to the long diagonal, supporting the future g7 bishop and eyeing his centre. All my pieces pointing at the same place, which is the sign that a plan is working.
  8. Nc4 A level position. Keep both answers together: with ...Ne4 you hand the problem back and make him move the bishop again; with ...e6 you let him trade and keep the bishop pair. Neither requires memory, both equalise, and choosing between them is choosing whether you prefer a game with active pieces or one with two bishops biding their time.

Practice

You played the Trompowsky and Black has planted the knight on e4, forcing you to move the bishop twice. Contest that square and recapture landing well.

  1. The knight over to contest the square, which is the only way to shift it from e4. Bring the b1 knight over to contest the e4 square.
  2. You recapture with the queen, which connects with your f4 bishop and eyes the d-file. A neutral trade turned useful. Recapture with the piece that also ends up well placed.
  3. You keep the pawn centre intact. Recapture on d4 with the pawn that preserves your centre.
  4. Full development and a normal position. The Trompowsky doesn't give an edge: it gives a game where your opponent doesn't use what he studied. Bring the last knight out to its natural square.

The Trompowsky is worth the surprise, not the strength, and that's exactly what you need to know not to fear it: it takes you out of your repertoire and in exchange gives you nothing objective. Decide early what you do about that bishop — move the knight to e4 or let it trade and keep both bishops — and play naturally. And keep the rule you've now seen in three different openings: if your structure is going to shut a bishop in, get it out before you close the house.