Chess lessons › Chess openings
The Torre Attack
Pin the knight on f6 after 2.Nf3 and 3.Bg5, build behind it with e3, Nbd2 and Bd3, and use e5 for a knight.
The idea
White pins the knight on f6 with Bg5 after 2.Nf3, then builds behind.
- After 2.Nf3 e6, the bishop goes to g5 rather than f4.
- It pins the knight on f6 to the queen on d8 behind it.
- Later the knight from f3 can go to e5, guarded by the pawn on d4.
In a game: When Black plays ...e6 after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3, Bg5 pins the knight to the queen.
How the lesson begins
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5 is the Torre Attack. White brings the king’s knight out first and then pins the knight on f6. Black has played ...e6, so the line from g5 through f6 and e7 to d8 is open: if the knight on f6 moved away, the bishop could take the queen.
In the London System the bishop goes to f4. Here it goes to g5. Among players rated 2000 and above on Lichess, White scores 52% after 3.Bg5.
Find the move
Black to move. Break the pin with a bishop move, so that the queen is no longer behind the knight.
A hint
Which square lies between f6 and d8?
Show the answer
3... Be7
3...Be7 puts the bishop between the knight and the queen. The bishop also guards the knight on f6, and Black is one move from castling.
In numbers
How often it is played
| Rating | Value |
|---|---|
| Under 800 | Too few games |
| 800 to 1199 | 0.3 |
| 1200 to 1599 | 0.5 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 1.7 |
| 2000 and up | 3.5 |
How the games ended
White won 49%, 6% were drawn and Black won 45%, over 2,392 games that start this way, in a sample of rated Lichess games from 2026.