Queens Pawn Opening: Levitsky Attack
Queen's Pawn Opening: Levitsky Attack (1.d4 d5 2.Bg5)
Definition
The Levitsky Attack is an uncommon but fully sound sideline of the Queen’s Pawn Opening that arises after the moves 1.d4 d5 2.Bg5. White develops the queen’s-bishop at once, aiming it at g5 to create latent pressure on the f6-square and to steer the game away from the dense theory of the Queen’s Gambit. It is classified in ECO as D00.
How it is Used in Play
- Provocation. By occupying g5 before Black has played …Nf6 or …e6, White invites …Nf6, after which Bxf6 may damage Black’s pawn structure or hamper the development of the c8-bishop.
- Flexibility. White can follow up with e2-e4, c2-c4, Nf3, or even a quick c4+Qb3 depending on Black’s reaction. Because no knight has yet been committed to f3, systems with f2-f3 or g2-g4 are also possible.
- Psychological weapon. Against opponents booked-up on the Queen’s Gambit, 2.Bg5 creates an early “out-of-book” situation while remaining strategically healthy.
Strategic & Historical Significance
The line is named after the Russian master Stepan Levitsky (1876-1924), who championed early Bg5 ideas in several tournaments before World War I. Although the move never became mainstream at top level – superseded later by the Trompowsky (1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5) – it still surfaces as a surprise choice in modern rapid and blitz.
Strategically, the Levitsky Attack:
- Combats the classical …e6/…c6 setup by threatening to exchange on f6 and seize the dark squares with e2-e4.
- Avoids structural commitments: because c2-c4 has not been played, White can keep the center closed, switch to the Colle-type e3/Bd3 plan, or transpose into London System structures with Bf4.
- Makes it awkward for Black to achieve an ideal setup; for example, the natural 2…Nf6 3.Bxf6 exf6 leaves Black with doubled f-pawns, while 2…c5 gives White the option of meeting 3.e4! with an immediate central thrust.
Typical Plans and Themes
- Early central break: 1.d4 d5 2.Bg5 Nf6 3.Nc3 e6 4.e4 !?
- Fianchetto deterrent: After 2…g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 the bishop still eyes the crucial d8-h4 diagonal.
- Long-term pin: If Black delays …Nf6, White may play Qd2 and 0-0-0, preserving the pin and launching a kingside pawn storm.
- Transpositions: 2…h6 3.Bh4 c6 can transpose to a Caro-Kann Advance structure with colors reversed; 2…c6 3.Nf3 Bf5 may shift into a Slav-type game.
Illustrative Mini-Game
The following 20-move rapid game shows the attacking potential that can arise from an early Bxf6:
[[Pgn| d4|d5|Bg5|Nf6|Bxf6|exf6|e3|Bd6|c4|dxc4|Bxc4|O-O|Nc3|c6|Qh5|Nd7|Bd3|g6|Qh6|Re8|O-O-O|arrows|g5f6 f3e5|squares|f6 d5]]Interesting Facts & Anecdotes
- Anthologies sometimes call the line the “Mason Attack” after James Mason, an earlier Irish-American master who also experimented with 2.Bg5 in the 1880s.
- Grandmasters Baadur Jobava and Richard Rapport – both known for creative openings – have used the Levitsky in over-the-board and online blitz, scoring respectable results against elite opposition.
- Because 2.Bg5 is usually played within 10 seconds in bullet chess, many servers’ opening books label it tongue-in-cheek as the “Coffee-House Variation.”
- The line is a cousin of the far more popular Trompowsky, differing only by Black’s pawn on d5 instead of a knight on f6 – a single-move transposition makes them mutually reachable.