The Trompowsky is a provocative opening. It’s also an opening which msot often produces uncommon positions which confuse players with black. Well, in order to avoid that, black can choose to play 2…c5, the most aggressive of all responses which leads to very complex, often gambit positions.
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The Trompowsky Attack is an uncommon opening compared to the main line QG and Catalan positions. It’s offbeat, creates unique imbalanced positions, and seldom leads to equal drawish positions. It is therefore logical to conclude that it’s a fighting opening which white chooses in order to put black on the back foot and to gain a psychological edge.
Most Nf6 players dislike it or hate facing it. It disables them from playing their normal systems and it steers the game into, for them, often unknown territory.
The idea behind the Trompowsky is simple: trade bishop for knight and double black’s f pawns. That is a pseudo threat, and black may choose to prevent or allow it. That choice will determine the nature of the position. Black has 6 main choices. Each will be covered in detail in a separate video.
One of the three most popular ways to fight the Trompowsky is 2…c5. This move is very useful and it basically prevents white from achieving all that he wants – having a center and inducing a weakness in black’s pawn structure.
By playing c5, black is immediately putting pressure on white’s center and striking at d4, which is only defended by the queen. c5 also gives the black queen a diagonal to b6, one of the key squares in all positions where the c1 bishop has left its home early. The reason is that b2 is a natural weakness.
White has two ways to fight c5. Either the main line, most natural Bxf6, doubling black’s f pawns and playing for a structural edge, or playing for a mad attacking game with d5 or Nc3. d5 leads to the Vaganian Gambit, a very sharp pawn sacrifice in which white develops a quick initiative. Nc3 can also lead to the same gambit, but it will more often end up with white castling long quickly and both sides trying to attack on opposite flanks similar to what happens in the Sicilian.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
05:01 3.dxc5, suboptimal
07:25 3.d5, aggressive, leading to the Vaganian Gambit
18:22 3.Nc3, aggressive, preparing quick 0-0-0
21:50 3.Bxf6 , main line
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