Trompowsky Attack: Raptor Variation, Hergert Gambit position after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.h4 Nxg5 4.hxg5 e5. White: pawn on g5, pawn on d4, pawn on a2, pawn on b2, pawn on c2, pawn on e2, pawn on f2, pawn on g2, rook on a1, knight on b1, 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, queen on d8, king on e8, bishop on f8, rook on h8, pawn on a7, pawn on b7, pawn on c7, pawn on d7, pawn on f7, pawn on g7, pawn on h7, pawn on e5.
Trompowsky Attack: Raptor Variation, Hergert Gambit is a chess opening that arises after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.h4 Nxg5 4.hxg5 e5. It is classified A45 in the ECO system, and the position after these moves has white 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 Ne4 3.h4 Nxg5 4.hxg5 e5.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Trompowsky Attack: Raptor Variation, Hergert Gambit?
The Trompowsky Attack: Raptor Variation, Hergert Gambit is a chess opening that arises after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.h4 Nxg5 4.hxg5 e5. 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: Raptor Variation, Hergert Gambit?
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.h4 Nxg5 4.hxg5 e5. After these moves it is white to move.
Is the Trompowsky Attack: Raptor 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.