Queen's Pawn Game: Anti-Torre

Queen's Pawn Game: Anti-Torre

Definition

The Anti-Torre is a family of positions that arise after White begins with the Torre Attack (1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bg5) and Black immediately challenges, sidesteps, or neutralises the bishop on g5. The most common Anti-Torre move is 3…h6, but the label is also used for other early counter-measures such as 3…c5 or 3…d5 followed by …Ne4. The ECO codes most frequently associated with the line are D03 and A46.

Typical Move-Order

A very common branch goes:

Other Anti-Torre ideas are illustrated by:

• 3…c5 4.e3 (Qualifies as Anti-Torre because Black refrains from 3…d5 and immediately strikes in the centre.)
• 3…d5 4.Nbd2 Be7 5.e3 Ne4 — the classical …Ne4 thrust chasing the bishop.

Strategic Essence

White’s plan in the Torre centres on harmonious development, rapid kingside castling and a slow-burn attack based on Bf4, e3 and sometimes Ne5. Black’s Anti-Torre concept is:

• Prevent or diminish the pin on the f6-knight (…h6 or …Ne4).
• Gain time for counterplay in the centre (…c5) or a flexible Queen’s Indian/Bogo-Indian set-up.
• Encourage an early bishop exchange on f6, doubling but dynamic-ising Black’s f-pawns in return for the bishop pair.

Plans for Each Side

1. White
   • If the bishop is chased, decide between exchanging on f6 (leading to an IQP structure after …exf6) or retreating to h4/e3.
   • Exploit central dark-square holes left by …h6 and …g7–g6.
   • Maintain a space advantage with c2-c4, Nc3 and possibly Qc2 or Qb3.
2. Black
   • Use the half-open g-file after …gxf6 (if …exf6 is chosen) for rook activity.
   • Deploy the light-squared bishop to d6 or b4 to create counter-pressure.
   • Break in the centre with …c5 or …e5 once development is complete.

Historical Notes

The Torre Attack is named after the Mexican grandmaster Carlos Torre Repetto (1905–1978), who used it with great success in the 1920s. As his system gained popularity, leading defenders such as Aron Nimzowitsch and Ernst Grünfeld began to look for early “anti-Torre” resources, giving rise to the present nomenclature. Over the decades players like Viktor Korchnoi, Ulf Andersson and more recently Wesley So have fine-tuned Black’s antidotes.

Illustrative Example

Korchnoi – Portisch, Amsterdam Interzonal 1973, followed the 3…h6 Anti-Torre:

Portisch’s energetic pawn storm on the kingside demonstrated that Black’s doubled pawns can become a powerful attacking mass rather than a weakness.

Practical Tips

• After 3…h6, strongly consider 4.Bh4 instead of 4.Bxf6 if you wish to preserve the attacking bishop pair.
• When Black plays …c5 immediately, White can choose between a solid Torre-Queen’s Gambit hybrid (c2-c3 & e3) or transposing to a Benoni-style structure with d4-d5.
• Don’t underestimate Black’s chances on the g-file; prophylactic moves like h2-h3 can be vital in positions with doubled f-pawns.

Interesting Facts

• Because of its flexibility, the Anti-Torre is a favourite surprise weapon in rapid and blitz events; top grandmasters such as Hikaru Nakamura and Levon Aronian have adopted it with the black pieces.
• In databases the pure Torre (without an early …h6, …c5, or …Ne4) scores roughly 54 % for White, while Anti-Torre branches even the field to about 50 %, confirming the line’s practical soundness for Black.