Many local club players will want to add a dynamic new twist to their opening repertoire for the coming season — but few will be able to commit much time to study.

In such a situation it’s probably not advisable to look for a new wrinkle on move twenty of the King’s Indian Defence or Ruy Lopez.

A much better plan would be to look for something less mainstream and which kicks in early. Witney professional Peter Wells shows us the way in a game from the recent South Wales International where he finished runner-up.

White: Peter Wells

Black: Mark Hebden

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 The Trompowsky Attack — an offbeat opening developed in large part by English players during the 1980s and 1990s. In particular, free-spirited grandmaster Julian Hodgson honed ‘the Tromp’ into a fearsome attacking weapon.

Thirty years ago Hodgson was ploughing his own furrow — today however there are numerous guiding sources in the literature. Peter Wells himself did much to popularise the opening with his excellent 2003 book Winning with the Trompowsky. Richard Palliser’s more recent Starting Out: the Trompowsky Attack also offers a good way in.

2...Ne4 3.Bf4 d5 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3 Nf6 Though not highly thought of by Wells in 2003, this voluntary retreat — made without ‘even the slightly weakening move f3’ — is nowadays the most popular move.

6.c3 Wells considered 6.dxc5 the best move — even awarding it an exclamation mark in 2003 — but times move on and it’s now acknowledged that Black has plenty of play after 6.dxc5 Nc6 7.Bb5 Qa5+ 8.Nc3 a6 9.Bxc6+ bxc6 10.Qd4 e6 11.b4 Qa3 12.Nge2 a5.

6...Nc6 7.Nd2 g6!? 8.Ngf3 Bg7 9.h3 If 9.dxc5 then Black regains the pawn with 9...Nd7! 10.Nb3 e5; while if 9.0–0 then Black might consider going after the bishop with 9...Nh5

9...0–0 10.0–0 Nd7!? Playing for ...e5 and for complications. Black can play more simply with 10...cxd4 11.cxd4 (11.exd4 Nh5 12.Bh2 Bh6!) 11...Qb6 with a roughly level position — but this isn’t really Hebden’s style.

11.Be2!? e5 12.dxe5 Ndxe5 13.Nxe5 Nxe5 14.Nf3 Nc6!? Avoiding the exchanges which might follow the natural developing move 14...Re8.

15.Qb3 Na5 16.Qa3 Qb6 17.Rad1 Be6 18.Ng5 Rad8 19.Nxe6 fxe6 20.h4!? Black’s position looks a little bit loose, prompting this thrust — but White’s attack won’t succeed unless he can rehabilitate his wayward queen.

20...Nc6 21.h5 Ne7 Defending against White’s ‘threat’ of 22.hg hg Bd3 — but in fact Black can always meet this idea with ...e5 and ...e4.

22.hxg6 Nxg6 23.Bg3 c4!? 24.Bh5!? Planning to remove the defender of e7 and then invade with his queen on this square.

24...Ne5 25.Rd4!? This rook lift adds weight to White’s attack.

25...Rd7 26.Bxe5! Bxe5 27.Rg4+ Rg7?! Letting in the white queen.

28.Qe7 The opposite coloured bishops mean the attack is extremely dangerous for Black. Practically speaking, White is already a very strong favourite.

28...Qc6 29.f4! Bf6? Black might have hung on if he’d found 29...Rxg4! 30.Bxg4 Re8 31.Qg5+ Bg7.

30.Rxg7+ Bxg7 31.Rf3 e5 32.fxe5 Qh6 33.Bf7+! Kh8 34.Rg3! Rb8 35.Bxd5 b5 36.Be4 Rg8 37.Bd5 Not falling for one last trick from Hebden: 37.Rh3?? Qxh3!

37...Rb8 38.Be4 Rg8 39.e6 a5 40.Qf7 Qh4 41.Bd5! 1–0 Here Black resigned since 42.e7 is threatened and if 41…Qxg3 then 42.Qxg8+!