The Torre Attack comes from 1. 2. 3.. Your bishop comes out before the e-pawn moves and puts pressure on the f6 knight, one of the pieces guarding d5. Across N = 17,998 Lichess games rated 900 to 1700 (September 2026), you score 52.1% with White, almost exactly what online players rated over 2200 get: 52 in 100. The real test of the bishop is , and only 8 in 100 opponents at your level try it.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
5 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After 3., 30 in 100 opponents at your level play , 17 go and 12 put the question to your bishop with . Only 8 in 100 jump in with , which attacks the bishop, yet among online players rated over 2200 it's the reply in 46 of every 100 games. Your result barely changes with the reply: 52 in 100 against , 54 against and 50 against . When does come, 38 in 100 players at your level retreat with 4. and score 56; strong players pick 4. in 50 of every 100 games. You can also get here via 1. 2. 3., though fewer games arrive that way.
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30.2% | 52.0% | 20.7% | no data | |
| 16.9% | 52.5% | no data | no data | |
| 12.1% | 53.7% | no data | no data | |
| 9.9% | 51.3% | 6.8% | no data | |
| 9.0% | 52.8% | no data | no data | |
| 7.8% | 49.9% | 45.8% | 57.1% | |
| no data | no data | 8.6% | 42.9% | |
| no data | no data | 7.2% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 6.7% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37.7% | 56.3% | 32.6% | no data | |
| 25.2% | 50.7% | 49.8% | no data | |
| 15.3% | 47.6% | 5.8% | no data | |
| 8.3% | 50.5% | 0.7% | no data | |
| 5.8% | 40.7% | no data | no data | |
| 5.2% | 40.5% | 4.3% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 6.8% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24.6% | 40.9% | no data | no data | |
| 22.4% | 40.0% | 11.6% | no data | |
| 22.4% | 50.0% | 8.0% | no data | |
| 15.7% | 28.6% | 67.4% | no data | |
| 14.9% | 50.0% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 8.7% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 2.5% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.8% | no data |
Strong players follow 4. 5. 6. 7.. Your opponent is after two things: the bishop pair, and pressure on d4 from the c5 pawn and the c6 knight. You keep your bishop, hold d4 with pawns on c3 and e3, and cover the b2 pawn, which loses its only defender once the bishop leaves c1.
With the knight hits your g5 bishop. The f3 knight protects it, but if you leave it there your opponent trades it off and keeps both bishops. 4. drops it back to a diagonal where it watches e5 alongside the d4 pawn and the f3 knight. Strong players prefer it to 4., 50 to 33 in every 100 games. At your level it's the other way round: 4. is the most common retreat and you score 56 with it, against 51 with 4.. On h4 your bishop keeps aiming at e7; on f4 it joins the fight for e5.
With your bishop out of the way, goes after d4, which your queen and f3 knight defend. 5. adds a third defender and opens the diagonal for the f1 bishop. That's why the bishop goes out before the e-pawn moves: with a pawn on e3, it couldn't reach f4 or g5 from c1. Among strong players, 71 in 100 play 5. in this position.
brings a second attacker to d4, and 6. gives it one more defender. Now the c5 pawn and the knight attack it, while the c3 and e3 pawns, the f3 knight and your queen hold it. Your f4 bishop sits outside that pawn chain, and with the c7 pawn gone and the knight off b8, its diagonal runs all the way to that square.
The cost of developing the bishop early shows up on b2. With the bishop gone from c1, that pawn has no defender, and , played by 82 in 100 strong players, goes after it. 7. guards it and lines your queen up against theirs. From b3 your queen also hits d5, which has no defenders left.
At your level you'll rarely see this line. Only 8 in 100 opponents play , and after 4. just 16 in 100 follow up with , in a sample of 134 games. What you'll meet far more often is , and three of the mistakes below start there: jumping the knight to e5, or pushing the e-pawn too soon. Against , you score 55 in 100 by developing with 4..
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 2,205 | 45.9% | |
| 970 | 49.8% | |
| 448 | 67.4% | |
| 285 | 71.2% | |
| 177 | 59.3% | |
| 91 | 64.8% | |
| 44 | 81.8% | |
| 30 | 66.7% |
After 4. , 5. clears e2 and pins your f3 knight to the queen. hits your c3 knight and your g5 bishop, which only that pinned knight guards. Play goes 6. 7. 8., with their knight still planted on e4. 5. is better, covering bishop and knight. 33 in 100 choose it; you score 50.
33 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage.
After 4. , 5. swaps knights, and attacks your f3 knight. 6. hits the c6 knight, but after 7. 8. your opponent has won the d5 pawn and your f3 knight is still attacked. At your level it's the choice of 100 in 100 players here, and you score 49; 5. is the better move.
100 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage.
After 4. , 5. moves the same knight a second time. Then arrives, your bishop drops back with 6., and pins the c3 knight to your king. After 7. 8. the pin remains. 12 in 100 choose it; you score 54, a bit more than with 5.: at your level it rarely gets punished.
12 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 54.0%; scores 52.7%.
After , 4. leaves d4 defended only by your queen, and hits it straight away. After 5. your opponent's bishop comes out aiming at f2, 6. blocks the diagonal, and challenges your e5 knight. Only 3 in 100 players at your level choose it; you score 43, against 55 with 4..
3 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 43.4%; scores 54.9%.
After 4. , 5. pushes a pawn that only the c3 knight defends, while the d5 pawn and f6 knight attack it. wins it and uncovers the e7 bishop against yours on g5. After 6. 7. 8. you're a pawn down. You score 50, the same as with 5.: it almost never gets punished.
4 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 49.7%; scores 50.2%.
After , 4. leaves your bishop on g5. 5. hands your opponent the bishop pair, and hits d4 while their queen attacks your g5 knight. After 6. the knight retreats with 7., leaving your kingside undeveloped. 8 in 100 choose it; you score 50.5, more than with 4.: at your level it rarely gets punished.
8 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.1 pawns of advantage. It scores 50.5%; scores 40.5%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 7,688 | ||
| Not castled | 1,936 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 1,823 |
| Not castled | 1,576 | |
| 1,547 | ||
| 1,455 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | ||
| Not castled | 3 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 2 |
| 2 | ||
| Not castled | 1 | |
| Not castled | 1 |
1. 2. 3. · D03
1,520 amateur games · White's score: 49.6%
1. 2. 3. · D03
830 amateur games · White's score: 52.8%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · A48
96 amateur games · White's score: 54.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. · A46
25 amateur games · White's score: 54.0%