Chessy
Facing the Trompowsky Attack: e6 — How Black Can Equalise
The Trompowsky Attack (1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5) can be annoying to face — White immediately pressures your knight and questions your setup. When they follow up with 3.e4, you've reached a critical branching point. The good news? Statistics from over 445,000 games show this is a dead-even battleground: White wins 49.5%, Black wins 46.7%, and draws make up the rest. The engine agrees, evaluating the position at +0.22 — a tiny, meaningless edge for White. That means your choices from here matter enormously. The interactive drill below will teach you the most reliable path to equality.
Practice playing against the Trompowsky Attack: e6
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Ready to put this into practice? Jump into the interactive drill below and face the Trompowsky Attack as Black — the engine will adapt to your replies and help
Create a free account →Why e6 Matters: Your Central Foundation
By playing 2...e6, you signal that you're happy to let White commit before you declare your intentions. Unlike 2...d5 (which can run into 3.Bxf6 and the resulting doubled pawns), e6 keeps your pawn structure flexible. After 3.e4, you've reached a position where Black has several plausible moves, but not all are equal. The engine's top choice — and the move that keeps you near perfect equality — is 3...h6 (more on that below). The key idea is that many natural-looking developing moves can actually walk into a small but persistent disadvantage.
The Engine's Choice: 3...h6
Stockfish recommends 3...h6 as the best move in this position. This aggressive little pawn thrust immediately asks the bishop what it intends to do. If White retreats (4.Bh4 or 4.Bd2), you've gained a tempo and can develop freely. If White exchanges with 4.Bxf6, the game typically continues 4...Qxf6 5.Nf3, leaving you with a comfortable position — the bishop pair and a solid centre. You don't lose any time, and White's early aggression hasn't yielded anything concrete. This move simply makes White's next decision harder, which is exactly what you want as Black.
Watch the Statistics: What Most Players Do
The Lichess database shows that 3...Be7 is by far the most popular reply (260,558 games), followed by 3...h6 (105,611 games). Both score nearly identically for White — around 48%. That's excellent for Black. The key difference? 3...h6 is the engine's first choice, while 3...Be7 is slightly less precise but still perfectly playable. The real trouble starts when players try to fight for the centre immediately with 3...d5 (23,886 games) — White scores a crushing 54.7%. Even worse is 3...Bb4+ (4,945 games), where White scores 59.3%. Both of those moves are statistically dangerous for you.
The Two Mistakes to Avoid
The FACTS identify two clear inaccuracies in this position, and both lose about 0.6 pawns of equity compared to the engine's recommendation. 3...d5 — trying to challenge the centre head-on — is a mistake. White can maintain a comfortable advantage with natural development. 3...Bb4+ is even trickier to handle: the check looks active, but after 4.Nc3 or 4.Bd2, Black ends up having to retreat the bishop or trade it off, losing time. In both cases, the engine says the better choice was 3...h6. If you avoid these two traps and stick with developing moves like h6 or Be7, you'll reach a fully playable middlegame with no opening problems.
Results across 445,260 Lichess games
| Most-played continuation | Games | White wins |
|---|---|---|
| Be7 | 260,558 | 48.2% |
| h6 | 105,611 | 48.3% |
| d6 | 27,957 | 48.0% |
| d5 | 23,886 | 54.7% |
| c5 | 6,497 | 50.3% |
| Bb4+ | 4,945 | 59.3% |
Frequently asked questions
Is the Trompowsky Attack dangerous for Black?
Not especially. In the e6 variation after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 3.e4, the position is dead level. White wins 49.5% of games, Black wins 46.7%, and draws account for the rest. The engine rates it as +0.22 — barely a whisper of an advantage. If you know the right responses, you have nothing to fear.
What is the best move against 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 3.e4?
The engine recommends 3...h6, which asks White to decide what to do with the bishop immediately. If White trades on f6, you recapture with the queen and develop smoothly. If White retreats, you've gained a tempo. The move scores well in practice — White only wins 48.3% of games after h6.
Is 3...d5 a mistake against the Trompowsky e6?
Yes, it is classified as an inaccuracy. It loses roughly 0.6 pawns of evaluation compared to the best move (h6). White scores 54.7% after 3...d5 — a sharp drop for Black compared to the 46.7% average. It's better to wait and challenge the centre later, after developing safely.
Can I play 3...Be7 against the Trompowsky?
Absolutely. It's the most popular move in the database (260,558 games) and White only scores 48.2% against it — nearly identical to the engine's first choice. While the engine slightly prefers 3...h6, 3...Be7 is a perfectly sound developing move that leads to rich, playable positions. You can play either confidently.
How many games feature the Trompowsky Attack: e6?
Over 445K Lichess games have reached the Trompowsky Attack: e6 position. White wins 49.5%, Black wins 46.7%, with 3.8% draws — based on real rated games.