Trompowsky Attack: Poisoned Pawn Variation position after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.d5 Qb6 4.Nc3. White: pawn on d5, bishop on g5, knight on c3, pawn on a2, pawn on b2, pawn on c2, pawn on e2, pawn on f2, 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, bishop on c8, king on e8, bishop on f8, rook on h8, pawn on a7, pawn on b7, pawn on d7, pawn on e7, pawn on f7, pawn on g7, pawn on h7, queen on b6, knight on f6, pawn on c5.
Trompowsky Attack: Poisoned Pawn Variation is a chess opening that arises after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.d5 Qb6 4.Nc3. 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.
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 c5 3.d5 Qb6 4.Nc3.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Trompowsky Attack: Poisoned Pawn Variation?
The Trompowsky Attack: Poisoned Pawn Variation is a chess opening that arises after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.d5 Qb6 4.Nc3. 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: Poisoned Pawn Variation?
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.d5 Qb6 4.Nc3. After these moves it is black to move.
Is the Trompowsky Attack: Poisoned Pawn Variation good for beginners?
1.d4 players who want to avoid the enormous body of Indian Defense theory without giving up a playable game.