Trompowsky Attack: Classical Defense, Big Center Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
920,422 games: White 49.7% / Draw 5.3% / Black 45.0%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 540,557541K | ||
| 247,788248K | ||
| 49,95550K | ||
| 42,35342K | ||
| 26,23326K | ||
| 3,4553,455 | ||
| 3,2643,264 | ||
| 2,4752,475 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.07 The position is about equal
Best play: 3... h6 4. Bxf6 Qxf6 5. c3 d5 6. Bd3 dxe4 7. Bxe4 Nd7 8. Nf3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 53% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up and 51% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 108K | |
| 1400–1799 | 387K | |
| 1800–2199 | 494K | |
| 2200 and up | 197K | |
| Masters, over the board | 3,145 |
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 27, 2026
Overview
Trompowsky Attack: Classical Defense, Big Center Variation (ECO A45, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Trompowsky Attack: Classical Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 e6 3. e4 (3 moves).
In 920,422 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.7%, Black 45.0% and 5.3% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…Be7, in 59% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Trompowsky Attack: Classical Defense, Big Center Variation
3…h6 scores best for Black: 49.4%, with Black winning 46.3% and White 47.5% of 248K games. The most played answer, 3…Be7, scores lowest: 46.9% in 541K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…h6.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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, Big Center Variation has lost ground since 2016: 0.03% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.045%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.045% | 15,939 |
| 2017 | 0.044% | 24,433 |
| 2018 | 0.045% | 35,682 |
| 2019 | 0.045% | 56,172 |
| 2020 | 0.043% | 125,728 |
| 2021 | 0.036% | 140,268 |
| 2022 | 0.034% | 129,473 |
| 2023 | 0.033% | 125,311 |
| 2024 | 0.032% | 113,731 |
| 2025 | 0.03% | 105,234 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.031% | 34,149 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Trompowsky Attack: Classical Defense, Big Center Variation (A45)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/trompowsky-attack-classical-defense-big-center-variation