Opening Discussion
12 Apr '07 08:431 editThe Trompovsky Attack: I find this a dynamic opening that invites creative play on both sides:
1.d4 some call this dull - but I don't - dull or not depends on what you do with it. 1.d4 opens the b1-h6 diagonal for whites dark squared bishop and moves a defended (by the queen) pawn to occupy the centre.
2....Nf6 flexible response possibly thinking of a Nimzo Indian defense (1.d4...Nf6, 2.c4...e6)
2.Bg5 apparently breaking the knights before Bishops rule - but if this rule is just an extension of the idea to "only develop a piece when you can be sure of finding it's best square" as John Emms suggests in his recent book "Discovering Chess Openings" then the move does have some credibility because it is attacking the knight on f6 and this fact makes it a reasonable square to develop the Bishop to.
2....Ne4 Blacks not having this so jumps out of the way wasting a tempo but forcing white to do the same as the knight now attacks the undefended Bishop. (Other black responses here are; 2....c5 - then white takes the Bishop on f6, 2...e6 blacks 2nd most popular response often followed by 3.e4...d5 where black may attempt to steer the game towards the French Defence)
3.Bf4 a move now favored over retreating the Bishop to h4 which used to be played in the early days of this opening...Bh4 does still have it's adherents and there is debate about the relative benefits of both moves. So after 3. Bf4 "we can ask ourselves how is the battle of tempi unfolding?" to quote Peter Wells from his excellent book on the Trompowsky.
3...c5 a dark squared response aiming at d4 (3...d5 is an alternative.)
4.f3 Kicking the knight
4....Qa5+ PW's book again: "the most frequently encountered and most respectable move here. White is all but forced to block the check with the c pawn, removing the most natural developing square from the b1 knight."
5.c2...Nf6, 6.d5...d6, 7e4...g6, 8. Qd2....Bg7
An alternative line is 6....Qb6, 7.Bc1...e6 which leads to "tense theoretical battles" so the line given above is suggested as being easier for black to play.
1.d4 some call this dull - but I don't - dull or not depends on what you do with it. 1.d4 opens the b1-h6 diagonal for whites dark squared bishop and moves a defended (by the queen) pawn to occupy the centre.
2....Nf6 flexible response possibly thinking of a Nimzo Indian defense (1.d4...Nf6, 2.c4...e6)
2.Bg5 apparently breaking the knights before Bishops rule - but if this rule is just an extension of the idea to "only develop a piece when you can be sure of finding it's best square" as John Emms suggests in his recent book "Discovering Chess Openings" then the move does have some credibility because it is attacking the knight on f6 and this fact makes it a reasonable square to develop the Bishop to.
2....Ne4 Blacks not having this so jumps out of the way wasting a tempo but forcing white to do the same as the knight now attacks the undefended Bishop. (Other black responses here are; 2....c5 - then white takes the Bishop on f6, 2...e6 blacks 2nd most popular response often followed by 3.e4...d5 where black may attempt to steer the game towards the French Defence)
3.Bf4 a move now favored over retreating the Bishop to h4 which used to be played in the early days of this opening...Bh4 does still have it's adherents and there is debate about the relative benefits of both moves. So after 3. Bf4 "we can ask ourselves how is the battle of tempi unfolding?" to quote Peter Wells from his excellent book on the Trompowsky.
3...c5 a dark squared response aiming at d4 (3...d5 is an alternative.)
4.f3 Kicking the knight
4....Qa5+ PW's book again: "the most frequently encountered and most respectable move here. White is all but forced to block the check with the c pawn, removing the most natural developing square from the b1 knight."
5.c2...Nf6, 6.d5...d6, 7e4...g6, 8. Qd2....Bg7
An alternative line is 6....Qb6, 7.Bc1...e6 which leads to "tense theoretical battles" so the line given above is suggested as being easier for black to play.
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