How To Counter the Tompowsky defence - Chess Forums

Dark-Sprinkle

Jan 11, 2025

0

#1

Play these moves against the Trompowsky defence-

* Tested with a real game and posted with analysis showing the best moves*

This is the Edge variation of the trompowsky defence and it's also the best! Even if white played something else after the 5th move ( because he will be forced to play the same lines or he would lose a bishop) he will still have a bad position after black fianchetto's and castles. * The fianchetto will pin the d pawn because if it moves the bishop will trap the rook like so-

And if white moves his bishop somewhere else than black can gain a tempo on it while developing.

or-

In position 1. black follows the same basic idea as the normal game play and in position 2. black restricts the bishop from being active ( making it a bad bishop) and forcing white to double his pawns too. ( A double strike!)

I hope you liked my forum and if l made any mistake or missed something than please tell me and be honest in the comments! lf you liked this forum than thank you!

Bye, - By Doctor-Advanced-Pawns

Compadre_J

Jan 11, 2025

0

#2

Nope - I don’t like any of the variations you posted.

I counter the Tompwksy a different way.

2…d5 is the move.

If white captures the Knight on move 3, Than I recapture with the E pawn opening up my Dark Bishop.

Black has doubled pawns, but the position is considered good for Black.

Most Tompowsky players don’t take Knight with Bishop on move 3 because it’s just not as good for them.

They usually will develop their Knight.

Than we reach the following position:

If White captures at any time, Black recaptures with Knight.

The above position is going to Transpose into a Gruenfeld.

Black has to play it like above to get into Gruenfeld otherwise they can get into trouble trying to go normal way.

The above position is considered bad for Black.

The Tompowsky is trying to counter the Indian G6 lines and give them positional issues.

So yeah - It’s great way to play

crazedrat1000

Jan 11, 2025

0

#3

I've played the Tromp as white... I'd recommend either e6 or c5 against it. I prefer c5 myself.

2... e6 is a good line, the main issue with it is white has tons of options, and while none of them are slam dunks for white... you need alot of theory to handle this as black. White can play:
- 3. Nf3 - a good line in Torre
- 3. e4 - the Big Center line
- 3. Nd2 - a line that often transposes w/ the french burn or something similar
- 3. e3 - waiting move that can transpose into the QGD, the good Torre line, some stonewall or triangle structures. This line gets really huge, it's what I used to play as white
- 3. c4 - selarawan attack (can often lead into the QGD, or some odd transpositional sidelines)
That's alot of territory to account for in what will be a sideline for black

__________

Against 2... d5, as a Tromp player, usually I'm either transposing into a QGD modern / something similar, or transposing into certain Veresov lines. I don't mind facing d5, the QGD modern is already part of my repertoire in d4/d5. And you might at first instinct welcome facing the Veresov, but these are some of the best lines in the Veresov for white.

I wouldn't play Be2 against your line, I'd play c4... I'm looking to play c4 wherever I can get a QGD-like position. Whites development is perfect here -

And against blacks main followup d5 > c5 you can get some of the Veresovs most winning lines with these Qh5 maneuvers -

Against the Ne4 lines - the raptor variation is good for white, the patterns here are all very odd, black isn't going to play this as well as white -

An early g6 isn't great for black, but not only due to Bxf6 - white can also transpose into a Pirc Byrne, which is... my preferred line against the Pirc anyway, it has some brutal traps.

This poison pawn variation w/ c5 > Qb6 is the way I play it as black. It's relatively forcing, which limits how much black needs to know / equalizes his experience with white. Black will be up a pawn but white has a big lead in development / a forward pawn on d5... once again the patterns are very interesting for both sides.

There's nothing in the Trompowsky that's a slam dunk for black, it all leads to very unique and interesting positions. It's a great line for white.

Compadre_J

Jan 15, 2025

0

#4

Yeah, Iburst is correct.

Sometimes, players on white side play c4 instead of Be2.

However, The position is still fine for Black as it is a very common position in Gruenfeld which generally arises from Nf3 variations.

ThrillerFan

Jan 15, 2025

0

#5

ibrust wrote:

I've played the Tromp as white... I'd recommend either e6 or c5 against it. I prefer c5 myself.

2... e6 is a good line, the main issue with it is white has tons of options, and while none of them are slam dunks for white... you need alot of theory to handle this as black. White can play:
- 3. Nf3 - a good line in Torre
- 3. e4 - the Big Center line
- 3. Nd2 - a line that often transposes w/ the french burn or something similar
- 3. e3 - waiting move that can transpose into the QGD, the good Torre line, some stonewall or triangle structures. This line gets really huge, it's what I used to play as white
- 3. c4 - selarawan attack (can often lead into the QGD, or some odd transpositional sidelines)
That's alot of territory to account for in what will be a sideline for black

__________

Against 2... d5, as a Tromp player, usually I'm either transposing into a QGD modern / something similar, or transposing into certain Veresov lines. I don't mind facing d5, the QGD modern is already part of my repertoire in d4/d5. And you might at first instinct welcome facing the Veresov, but these are some of the best lines in the Veresov for white.

I wouldn't play Be2 against your line, I'd play c4... I'm looking to play c4 wherever I can get a QGD-like position. Whites development is perfect here -

And against blacks main followup d5 > c5 you can get some of the Veresovs most winning lines with these Qh5 maneuvers -

Against the Ne4 lines - the raptor variation is good for white, the patterns here are all very odd, black isn't going to play this as well as white -

An early g6 isn't great for black, but not only due to Bxf6 - white can also transpose into a Pirc Byrne, which is... my preferred line against the Pirc anyway, it has some brutal traps.

This poison pawn variation w/ c5 > Qb6 is the way I play it as black. It's relatively forcing, which limits how much black needs to know / equalizes his experience with white. Black will be up a pawn but white has a big lead in development / a forward pawn on d5... once again the patterns are very interesting for both sides.

There's nothing in the Trompowsky that's a slam dunk for black, it all leads to very unique and interesting positions. It's a great line for white.

I play the Raptor Variation myself, which the OP doesn't even consider and yet his claim is that his lines are how to beat the Trompowsky. He's in for a rude awakening if he assumes all will move the Bishop.

Otherwise, you and I play different lines.

Against 2...d5, I take immediately on f6. If 3...exf6, then 4.e3. If 3...gxf6, then 4.c4.

Against 2...c5, I again take immediately on f6. If 3...exf6, then 4.e3 d5 5.Nc3. If 3...gxf6, then 4.d5.

Against 2...e6, I have no interest in lines where I must trade on f6 and allow ...Qxf6, and so I do 3.Nd2 instead of 3.e4. Them a lot depends on whether or not ...h6 Bh4 is flicked in. It actually makes a world of a difference, mostly due to ...Qa5 tactics and whether or not the Bishop on g5 is loose. It doesn't require loss of the Bishop to be a problem. There could be something else that is White like a pawn or knight pinned across the 5th rank due to the loose Bishop, but with it on h4, that is a non-issue.

Against 2...g6, I don't go into the Pirc stuff. 3.Bxf6! Definitely prefer White there.

I'll also play 2.Bg5 Against 1...d5 or 1...f5. However, in lines where there is no knight on f6 and no Black pawn blocking the 5th rank, like 1...d6, 2.Bg5 is too dangerous. I'll play 2.c4 Against 1...c6 and 2.e4 Against 1...d6, 1...e6, or 1...g6.