Trompowsky Attack: Edge Variation, Hergert Gambit position after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bh4 d5 4.f3 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bf5 6.e4. White: pawn on d4, pawn on e4, bishop on h4, knight on c3, pawn on f3, pawn on a2, pawn on b2, pawn on c2, pawn on g2, pawn on h2, rook on a1, queen on d1, king on e1, bishop on f1, knight on g1, rook on h1. Black: rook on a8, knight on b8, queen on d8, king on e8, bishop on f8, rook on h8, pawn on a7, pawn on b7, pawn on c7, pawn on e7, pawn on f7, pawn on g7, pawn on h7, knight on f6, pawn on d5, bishop on f5.
Trompowsky Attack: Edge Variation, Hergert Gambit is a chess opening that arises after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bh4 d5 4.f3 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bf5 6.e4. It is classified A45 in the ECO system, and the position after these moves has black to move. The Trompowsky Attack develops the bishop to g5 on move two, before Black can settle into a Nimzo-Indian, King's Indian, or Grünfeld. It is an anti-Indian system chosen primarily to cut down the amount of theory a 1.d4 player has to learn.
This position can also be reached by another move order, including 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bh4 c6 4.Nd2 Qa5 5.c3 Nxd2 6.Qxd2 d5 7.e4.
Strategic character
Practical rather than ambitious. White is not chasing an opening advantage so much as reaching an original middlegame where general understanding matters more than preparation.
Who should play it
1.d4 players who want to avoid the enormous body of Indian Defense theory without giving up a playable game.
This line is a variation within the Trompowsky Attack family. The strategic ideas above describe the family as a whole; this particular line reaches them by the move order 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bh4 d5 4.f3 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bf5 6.e4.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Trompowsky Attack: Edge Variation, Hergert Gambit?
The Trompowsky Attack: Edge Variation, Hergert Gambit is a chess opening that arises after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bh4 d5 4.f3 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bf5 6.e4. It is classified A45 in the ECO system. The Trompowsky Attack develops the bishop to g5 on move two, before Black can settle into a Nimzo-Indian, King's Indian, or Grünfeld. It is an anti-Indian system chosen primarily to cut down the amount of theory a 1.d4 player has to learn.
What are the moves of the Trompowsky Attack: Edge Variation, Hergert Gambit?
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bh4 d5 4.f3 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bf5 6.e4. After these moves it is black to move.
Is the Trompowsky Attack: Edge Variation, Hergert Gambit good for beginners?
1.d4 players who want to avoid the enormous body of Indian Defense theory without giving up a playable game.