Grob's Attack
Encyclopedia
Grob's Attack is an unconventional chess opening
where White immediately moves the king knight's pawn two squares ahead:
International Master Henri Grob
(1904–1974) who analyzed it extensively and played hundreds of correspondence games
with it. In Grob's newspaper column analysis of this opening, he referred to it as the Spike Opening, a name which still enjoys limited usage. Other early references used the name Ahlhausen's Opening, after Carl Ahlhausen (1835–1892) of Berlin
, one of the first to play 1.g4. Savielly Tartakower
sometimes played this opening in simultaneous exhibition
s and called it the Genoa or San Pier D'Arena Opening, after the city and suburb of Genoa
where he first used it. In the Czech Republic
and Slovakia
1.g4 is called Fric's Opening, and in other parts of the world it is called Kolibri's Opening.
It is considered an irregular opening, so it is classified under the A00 code in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
.
The Grob is generally considered inferior and is usually not employed in serious competition. International Master John Watson
writes, "As far as I can tell, 1 g4 is competitive with 1 h4 for the honour of being White's worst first move. Against an informed or skilled opponent, it is simply masochistic."
Nonetheless, International Master Michael Basman
and Grandmaster Spyridon Skembris are advocates of the opening. It has a certain surprise value and the average player is unlikely to know how to refute it and more likely to get overconfident and make mistakes. Moreover, the lack of theory along this line may negate the repertoire of an experienced opponent. Intuitive play by White can lead Black into dangerous traps. Many of these traps rely on Black's replying with 1...d5, attacking the pawn with his queen's bishop. After 2.Bg2 Bxg4!?, White has an attack after 3.c4 and eventually Qb3, aiming at the weakened squares d5 and b7, an attack that may well be worth a pawn.
Black is not obliged to give White these opportunities. After 1...e5, Black can take aim at the h4-square, left weak by White's pawn advance. If 2.Bg2 h5 will force a weakening of White's pawn structure, and 2.d3 (intending to answer 2...h5 with 3.g5) or 2.h3 can be answered by 2...Ne7 with the threat of ...Ng6 followed by ...Nf4 or ...Nh4, disrupting White's kingside fianchetto.
Another frequently used setup for White in the Grob is 1. g4, 2. h3, and 3. Bg2. A Black counter-setup might be 1... d5, 2... e5, and 3... c6 (these moves may be played in any order), which, if used in conjunction with an eventual e4, negates White's King's Bishop's influence over the center.
A key element of the Grob is deploying the king's bishop on g2 and having it rule the diagonal
. In order to further this goal, White must keep the center clear of pawns. This leads to frequent "tearing at the center" with c4 often being White's third move.
Due to the unusual pawn structure White attains by playing g4 and c4 so early in the game, there is frequently little advantage to castling
. Play often devolves into a wild and wide-open game, with a definitive advantage usually resolving itself in the first 20 moves.
In response to Grob's Attack, Black may advance the king's pawn, perhaps hoping to follow up with Fool's mate
if White plays 2.f4?? or 2.f3?? Good responses would be 2.Bg2 (dominating the light-squared center diagonal) or c4, the English Variation, preparing Nc3 to solidify White's control of d5.
Chess opening
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game. Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford Companion to...
where White immediately moves the king knight's pawn two squares ahead:
- 1. g4
Discussion
The opening takes its name from SwissSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
International Master Henri Grob
Henri Grob
Henri Grob was a Swiss chess master.Grob represented Switzerland in Chess Olympiads.* In 1927, at fourth board in 1st Chess Olympiad in London ;...
(1904–1974) who analyzed it extensively and played hundreds of correspondence games
Correspondence chess
Correspondence chess is chess played by various forms of long-distance correspondence, usually through a correspondence chess server, through email or by the postal system; less common methods which have been employed include fax and homing pigeon...
with it. In Grob's newspaper column analysis of this opening, he referred to it as the Spike Opening, a name which still enjoys limited usage. Other early references used the name Ahlhausen's Opening, after Carl Ahlhausen (1835–1892) of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, one of the first to play 1.g4. Savielly Tartakower
Savielly Tartakower
Ksawery Tartakower was a leading Polish and French chess Grandmaster. He was also a leading chess journalist of the 1920s and 30s...
sometimes played this opening in simultaneous exhibition
Simultaneous exhibition
A simultaneous exhibition or simultaneous display is a board game exhibition in which one player plays multiple games at a time with a number of other players. Such an exhibition is often referred to simply as a "simul".In a regular simul, no chess clocks are used...
s and called it the Genoa or San Pier D'Arena Opening, after the city and suburb of Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
where he first used it. In the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
1.g4 is called Fric's Opening, and in other parts of the world it is called Kolibri's Opening.
It is considered an irregular opening, so it is classified under the A00 code in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings is a classification system for the opening moves in a game of chess. It is presented as a five volume book collection describing chess openings...
.
The Grob is generally considered inferior and is usually not employed in serious competition. International Master John Watson
John L. Watson
John Leonard Watson is a chess International Master and author.Watson was born in Milwaukee and grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. He was educated at Brownell-Talbot, Harvard, and the University of California at San Diego, where he took his degree in engineering...
writes, "As far as I can tell, 1 g4 is competitive with 1 h4 for the honour of being White's worst first move. Against an informed or skilled opponent, it is simply masochistic."
Nonetheless, International Master Michael Basman
Michael Basman
Michael John Basman is an English chess player, chess author and International Master. He was awarded the International Master title in 1980...
and Grandmaster Spyridon Skembris are advocates of the opening. It has a certain surprise value and the average player is unlikely to know how to refute it and more likely to get overconfident and make mistakes. Moreover, the lack of theory along this line may negate the repertoire of an experienced opponent. Intuitive play by White can lead Black into dangerous traps. Many of these traps rely on Black's replying with 1...d5, attacking the pawn with his queen's bishop. After 2.Bg2 Bxg4!?, White has an attack after 3.c4 and eventually Qb3, aiming at the weakened squares d5 and b7, an attack that may well be worth a pawn.
Black is not obliged to give White these opportunities. After 1...e5, Black can take aim at the h4-square, left weak by White's pawn advance. If 2.Bg2 h5 will force a weakening of White's pawn structure, and 2.d3 (intending to answer 2...h5 with 3.g5) or 2.h3 can be answered by 2...Ne7 with the threat of ...Ng6 followed by ...Nf4 or ...Nh4, disrupting White's kingside fianchetto.
Another frequently used setup for White in the Grob is 1. g4, 2. h3, and 3. Bg2. A Black counter-setup might be 1... d5, 2... e5, and 3... c6 (these moves may be played in any order), which, if used in conjunction with an eventual e4, negates White's King's Bishop's influence over the center.
A key element of the Grob is deploying the king's bishop on g2 and having it rule the diagonal
Fianchetto
In chess the fianchetto is a pattern of development wherein a bishop is developed to the second rank of the adjacent knight file, the knight pawn having been moved one or two squares forward....
. In order to further this goal, White must keep the center clear of pawns. This leads to frequent "tearing at the center" with c4 often being White's third move.
Due to the unusual pawn structure White attains by playing g4 and c4 so early in the game, there is frequently little advantage to castling
Castling
Castling is a special move in the game of chess involving the king and either of the original rooks of the same color. It is the only move in chess in which a player moves two pieces at the same time. Castling consists of moving the king two squares towards a rook on the player's first rank, then...
. Play often devolves into a wild and wide-open game, with a definitive advantage usually resolving itself in the first 20 moves.
In response to Grob's Attack, Black may advance the king's pawn, perhaps hoping to follow up with Fool's mate
Fool's mate
Fool's Mate, also known as the Two-Move Checkmate, is the quickest possible checkmate in the game of chess. A prime example consists of the moves:leading to the position shown...
if White plays 2.f4?? or 2.f3?? Good responses would be 2.Bg2 (dominating the light-squared center diagonal) or c4, the English Variation, preparing Nc3 to solidify White's control of d5.