Queen's Pawn Game: Torre Attack

What Is The Torre Attack?

3.Bg5 develops the dark squared bishop outside the pawn chain before e3 locks it in, and it aims at f6, a pin the moment Black plays ...e6. That threat costs Black time: freeing moves like ...Ne4 commit him early, so White completes the setup with e3, Nbd2, Bd3, c3 and castles. The Torre is not a passive system: White trades or retreats the bishop on his own terms and then plays for the e4 break that opens lines toward the black king.

Black's third move sets the character. 3...e6 builds a solid wall; 3...Ne4, the Gossip Variation, hits the bishop and forces White to decide. Everything turns on that bishop: after Bxf6, ...gxf6 wrecks Black's kingside but hands him the bishop pair and a grip on e5.

How Do You Play Against The Queen's Pawn Game: Torre Attack?

You are Black, and 31% reply ...e6 with ...Bf5 and ...Nc6 behind it. The Torre pins your knight with Bg5 before committing anything else, and White intends e3, Nbd2, c3 and a kingside build-up.

The bishop on g5 is White's only active piece, so challenging it with ...h6 or ...Be7 and ...Ne4 takes the sting out of the whole system. As with the Colle, getting the light-squared bishop outside the pawn chain before playing ...e6 is the difference between comfort and passivity. White scores 52% to 43% over 769 games, a wider margin than the Colle returns, so treat the pin seriously.

How Does Play Continue From Here?

Move	Share		Games
e6	31%		285
Bf5	13%		116
Nc6	12%		110
Ne4	11%		104