Trompowsky Attack: Classical Defense
The Classical Defense to the Trompowsky Attack is 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
2,166,125 games: White 49.3% / Draw 5.6% / Black 45.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Big Center Variation | 840,525841K | |
| 416,711417K | ||
| Torre Attack: Classical Defense | 250,619251K | |
| 233,240233K | ||
| 168,568169K | ||
| 91,04891K | ||
| Indian Defense: Seirawan Attack | 71,35371K | |
| 29,26029K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.07 The position is about equal
Best play: 3. e4 h6 4. Bxf6 Qxf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Qd3 d6 7. O-O-O Bd7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for Black: Black scores 50% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up and 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 279K | |
| 1400–1799 | 971K | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.2M | |
| 2200 and up | 401K | |
| Masters, over the board | 5,696 |
Master games
- Duda, J. – Carlsen, M.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Caruana, F.
- Nakamura, H. – Anand, V.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Caruana, F.
- Nakamura, H. – Caruana, F.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 26, 2026
Description
The Classical Defense to the Trompowsky Attack is 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6. White's bishop move prepares to exchange on f6 and give Black doubled pawns; with 2...e6 Black avoids them, because the queen can recapture if White plays Bxf6.
The idea
Besides keeping the pawn structure intact, 2...e6 opens a diagonal for Black's king's bishop. The drawback is that the knight on f6 is now pinned, which can be annoying. The line 3.e4 is known as the Big Center Variation.
Other replies to 2.Bg5
- 2...Ne4 is the most common reply. Black moves the same piece twice but attacks the bishop; White usually retreats with 3.Bf4 or 3.Bh4, or defends it with 3.h4, the Raptor Variation.
- 2...d5 and 2...c5 grab space in the centre and allow the doubled pawns, counting on the bishop pair.
- 2...g6 prepares a fianchetto, and 2...c6 threatens a later ...Qb6.
History
The opening is named after the one-time Brazilian champion Octávio Trompowsky (1897–1984), who played it in the 1930s and 1940s. Karel Opočenský also played it then. Julian Hodgson, Antoaneta Stefanova and Arjun Erigaisi are among the grandmasters who often employ it, and Magnus Carlsen played it in the first game of the 2016 World Championship against Sergey Karjakin.
The numbers
On Lichess White wins 49.3% of the 2.2 million games and Black 45.1%. Black is slightly ahead below 1800, while from 2200 up White leads 49.9% to 42.3%. In 5,696 master games over the board White won 33.3%, Black 30.1%, and 36.7% were drawn.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Trompowsky Attack: Classical Defense
3. Nd2 scores best for White: 56.9%, with White winning 53.6% and Black 39.9% of 233K games. The most played, 3. e4, scores 52.4% in 841K games, and 3. Bxf6 scores lowest: 46.9%. Stockfish's first choice is 3. e4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Trompowsky Attack: Classical Defense has lost ground since 2016: 0.074% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.097%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.097% | 34,719 |
| 2017 | 0.1% | 56,598 |
| 2018 | 0.11% | 82,795 |
| 2019 | 0.1% | 128,734 |
| 2020 | 0.097% | 283,271 |
| 2021 | 0.084% | 327,337 |
| 2022 | 0.081% | 305,409 |
| 2023 | 0.08% | 301,567 |
| 2024 | 0.077% | 274,491 |
| 2025 | 0.074% | 256,441 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.075% | 82,018 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (1)
Transpositions
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Trompowsky Attack, version of 28 September 2025, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Trompowsky Attack: Classical Defense (A45)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/trompowsky-attack-classical-defense