Trompowsky Attack: free opening course

Key ideas

• Against the knight jump to e4, drop the bishop to f4 and kick the knight with the f-pawn. Then build a centre with pawns on d5 and e4.
• When Black's queen hits b2, do not panic. Often the bishop goes back to c1, or you give the pawn for fast development.
• Taking on f6 is a real plan. You give the bishop, damage Black's pawns and play in the centre with e3, c4 or e4.
• If Black plays the bishop to g7, trade it with your queen on d2 and your bishop on h6.
• Watch the long diagonal. With the bishop on e5 or the queen on h5, a careless pawn move can lose at once.

The 6 variations in the course

• 2...Ne4 3.Bf4 c5 4.f3 Nf6 5.d5: the space grab: 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 Ne4 3. Bf4 c5 4. f3 Nf6 5. d5 d6 6. e4 g6 … — Black jumps into e4 and hits d4 with the c-pawn. White kicks the knight with f3, then grabs space with d5 and e4. Against the bishop on g7 White trades it with the queen on d2 and the bishop on h6.
• 4...Qa5+ 5.c3 Nf6 6.d5 Qb6 7.Bc1: the bishop goes home: 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 Ne4 3. Bf4 c5 4. f3 Qa5+ 5. c3 Nf6 6. d5 Qb6 … — Black checks on a5 and then hits b2 from b6. White calmly drops the bishop back to c1 to guard b2. Then White builds the centre with e4, and the knight comes to c4 with tempo on the queen.
• 2...Ne4 3.Bf4 d5 4.e3: the calm set-up: 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 Ne4 3. Bf4 d5 4. e3 c5 5. Nd2 Nxd2 6. Qxd2 Nc6 … — Black supports the e4 knight with the d-pawn. White plays the calm e3 and challenges the knight with Nd2. After the trades White has a solid centre, easy development and a small edge.
• 2...e6 3.e4 h6 4.Bxf6 Qxf6 5.Nc3: the big centre: 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 e6 3. e4 h6 4. Bxf6 Qxf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Qd2 c5 … — Black gets ready to take back on f6 with the queen. White uses the pinned knight to play e4 at once. After the trade on f6 Black has the two bishops, but White has a big centre and quick development.
• 2...d5 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.e3: doubled pawns: 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 d5 3. Bxf6 exf6 4. e3 Bd6 5. c4 dxc4 6. Bxc4 O-O … — Against the calm 2...d5 White takes on f6 at once. Black gets the bishop pair but doubled pawns. White plays e3 and c4, develops quickly and aims at Black's d5 pawn and the queenside.
• 2...c5 3.d5 Qb6 4.Nc3: the poisoned pawn: 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 c5 3. d5 Qb6 4. Nc3 Qxb2 5. Bd2 Qb6 6. e4 d6 … — Black hits d4 with 2...c5 and the queen goes after b2. White gives the pawn and develops fast. The queen has to come back, and White gets a big centre with e4 and f4 and quick castling.

Traps you will learn (2)

• The Borg: 4...f6 5.e3 fxe5?? 6.Qh5# — Against 3...g5 the bishop goes to e5 and hits the h8 rook. After 4...f6 White does not run with the bishop. White plays 5.e3, and if Black takes the bishop, the queen mates on h5.
• 4...g5? 5.Bxb8: the knight is lost — After 4.f3 the e4 knight has to go back. If Black attacks the f4 bishop with the g-pawn instead, White takes on b8 first and then takes the knight.

How the opening courses work

Each course teaches an opening in a few main variations. For every move you read why it is played, which other moves are good, and which tempting moves are mistakes and why. Each course also shows the traps of the opening: the ones you can set and the ones to avoid.

After a lesson you play the moves yourself in a drill. The lines you learn go into your review, which brings them back when you are about to forget them (spaced repetition). 30 line courses add many short lines per opening, a few new ones a day, and every named opening, more than 3,800 lines, has a lesson of its own.