WOW: Trompowsky players are NOT ready for this gambit!

Hey all! I’m a big believer in gambits and off-beat openings, especially against d4 players who, by and large, are not angling for a tactical game. And boy oh boy have I found an interesting one!

The Trompowsky has always been a frustration for me as a nf6 player: it’s rare enough that I don’t face it often, but it’s very difficult to play the kind of games I enjoy against it. In many cases, white seems to have all the fun. 

All that is about to change. I found this gambit by chance (I’m not the creator, that honour goes I believe to FM William Graif @wgraif) and my goodness does it have some epic traps. I’ve spent the last few hours exploring it, and - when I tell you there are traps in every line - I’m not exaggerating. Here are just a handful to whet your appetite:

This is just a small sample of the dozen or so traps I’ve found in this line. And that’s after just a few hours of study. Untapped opportunities await, and I can’t wait to play a few games in this line and have some fun…

Astonishing games!! Thank you, Adam!

Good fun, right?!

Lately I've been using the Dutch Defense as my "offbeat" surprise weapon against d4. And while it might be because the people I play against often don't expect anything like it, in my experience it's way more sound than some people make it out to be. It's also hilarious watching an opponent play 1. d4 immediately and pause for a few seconds after 1...f5. You can practically hear the sound of the gears turning in their head!

I think games 2 and 3 (especially 3) are the most likely traps for your opponents to fall into. The others seem like a bit of a stretch 😂

For sure - obviously I’ve only included the more flashy ones to demonstrate the point - but a lot of the lines that are quieter are just comfortably slightly better for black.

I thought it was funny getting a trompowsky so soon after seeing this post so had to play it

What would you do vs Bh4?

Additionally, Bxe5?

amazing, I’ve never seen this before

You won't see moves like 5.exd6? from sane players. Sure, it proves that you do know the en-passant rule, but other than that, it's completely irrational.

After 5.Nd2 Black has little to show for a pawn.

Lol my first try with it was 5. exd6

I'd play it, except for the fact that 2. Ne4 isn't black's strongest move. I tend to play 2. e6 but the main lines of 2. ...Ne4 are ok for white so it might not come up so much. But I'll definitely try it out in blitz.

...g5 looks alright.

Bxe5 looks weak. d6 or Nc6.

Hey hey hey you were better out of the opening lol

Well I was until Qh4 lol

Nah this is completely your fault. I'm on some crazy blitz win streak all except for that trompowsky game 💀

Qh4 is all yours mate I’m not taking responsibility for you wasting a tempo to achieve nothing lol… you played a gambit, tempo is everything!