Doesn't 1. g4 Lose?

The Spike or Grob Opening line begins with the ugly looking 1. g4. Many players would not dream of making such an ugly first move in a serious game of chess. It wrecks the Kingside pawn structure with an unprotected advanced flank pawn. But, as you are about to see, it offers white many tactical shots along unusual opening lines. I began playing the Grob as an opportunity to exercise my tactical skills, and have some fun along the way.

The Grob is a wonderful surprise weapon against good players who are solidly booked up on common openings. I found the Grob especially lethal in fast time control games like blitz (a time control where a player must make all his moves in 5 minutes). For example, I played a Grob blitz against one A-class player at the Huntsville Chess Club. I won the game in very few moves. Appalled, he demanded that I play that ugly opening again. We did, and I won again. This cycle continued for five games. The Grob won each game to the horror of my stunned opponent.

The Grob is effective in slower time controls too. The Swiss correspondence master Grob used his namesake to win many pretty correspondence games. In this case, a B-Class player defeated a strong master with the Grob. I have beaten players more than 200 points above me including an Expert in rated slow time controls games.

Below are four recent miniatures. Each one demonstrates the strength of the Grob. The first is a classic Grob example that I have played out many times on the Free Internet Chess Server.

Example Games

Grob Opening Example 01: hayes-davidvsmkudzin.pgn
Grob Opening Example 02: hayes-davidvsfamily.pgn
Grob Opening Example 03: hayes-davidvssparkles.pgn
Grob Opening Example 04: hayes-davidvsrotbvic.pgn
More Games: Interesting lines worth a look.

These games demonstrated the potential of the Grob. I hope you try it. I think you will like it.

Be cautioned. Not all Grob openings win. See Martin Roper's refute.

More Games

The following game is submitted by Mr. Lev
D. Zilbermints. He has had considerable success
against top rated players using his Zilbermints
variation of the Grob.

[Event "Friday Rapids, Marshal Chess Club"]
[Date "2000.10.01"]
[White "Zilbermints,L"]
[Black "Watson,B"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "Game in 5 minutes"]

1. g4 d5 2. e4 {The signature move of this variation.}
dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Qe2 Qd4 {4... Bxg4 5. Qb5+ Nc6
6. Qxb7 Bd7-+} 5. g5 Bg4 {5... Nd5 and Black can hope
to survive.} 6. Qb5++- Bd7? {6... Nfd7 7. Qxb7 Nb6
8. Qxc7 Qd6+-} 7. Qxb7 Bc6 8. Bb5 Bxb5 9. Nxb5 Qb6
10. Qc8# 1-0

Now here is my first test drive of the
Zilbermints variation:

[Event "ICS rated blitz match"]
[Date "2000.10.01"]
[White "dah"]
[Black "CoolTrain"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "120+12"]

1. g4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3 e5 4. Qe2 Nf6 5. g5
Nd5 6. Qxe4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 Bd6 8. Nf3 O-O 9. Bd3
g6 10. h4 Bf5 11. Qxb7 Nd7 12. Bxf5 gxf5 13. d3
Re8 14. Be3 e4 15. Nd4 f4 16. Nc6 Qc8 17. Qxc8
Raxc8 18. Nxa7 Ra8 19. Bd4 exd3+ 20. Kd2 dxc2
21. Kxc2 Nc5 22. Rhe1 Rxe1 23. Rxe1 Rxa7
24. Re8+ Bf8 25. Bxc5 Rxa2+ 26. Kb3
{CoolTrain resigns} 1-0

[Event "ICS rated blitz match"]
[Date "1999.11.25"]
[White "dah"]
[Black "toebone"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "120+12"]

1. g4 d5 2. Bg2 Bxg4 3. c4 c6 4. cxd5 cxd5
5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Qb3 Be6 7. Qxb7 Nbd7 8. Nxd5
Rb8 9. Nc7+ {toebone resigns} 1-0

[Event "Huntsville Quads Game in 30 Minutes"]
[Site "Hayes"]
[Date "2000.03.13"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hayes, David"]
[Black "Melvin, Bill"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A00"]
[WhiteElo "1700"]
[BlackElo "2200"]
[Annotator "David Hayes"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2000.03.14"]

1. g4 e5 2. Bg2 Bc5 3. e3 d5 4. d4 exd4 5. exd4
Bb6 6. Be3 c6 7. h4 Ne7 8. Nc3 f5 9. g5 Na6 10.
Nf3 Bc7 11. Qd2 Rf8 12. Bf4 Ng6 13. Qe3+ Qe7
14. Bxc7 Qxe3+ 15. fxe3 Nxc7 16. h5 Nh8 17. Ne2
Bd7 18. Nf4 O-O-O 19. Kd2 Ne6 20. Rae1 Nf7 21.
g6 hxg6 22. hxg6 Nh6 23. Ne5 Rde8 24. Nxe6
{Trading pieces is good for black. Better was
the simple Nfd3 where black chokes on his own
pieces. From here on, black has adequate
resources to equalize the position.} Rxe6 25.
Ref1 Rff6 26. Rf4 Be8 27. Rxh6 gxh6 28. g7 Rg6
29. Nxg6 Rxg6 30. Bh3 Bd7 31. Bxf5 Bxf5 32.
Rxf5 Rxg7 33. Rf8+ Kc7 34. Rh8 Rg6 1/2-1/2

[Event "ICS rated blitz match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2000.05.11"]
[White "dah"]
[Black "mikespece"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "120+12"]

1. g4 d5 2. Bg2 Bxg4 3. c4 e6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Qb3 b6?
6. Bxd5 c6?? 7. Bxf7+ Kd7 8. Bxg8 Bc5 9. Qd3+ Bd6 10.
Bxh7 {mikespece resigns} 1-0

[Event "ICS rated blitz match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2000.05.18"]
[White "dah"]
[Black "PanJacek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "120+12"]

1. g4 d5 2. Bg2 Bxg4 3. c4 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. cxd5 Nxd5
6. Qa4+ c6 7. Qxg4 Nf6 8. Qg3 Be7 9. Nf3 Bd6 10. Ne5
Nbd7 11. Qxg7 Rg8 12. Qxf7# {PanJacek checkmated} 1-0

[Event "ICS rated blitz match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2000.05.31"]
[White "dah"]
[Black "Remechan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1710"]
[BlackElo "1728"]
[TimeControl "120+12"]

1. g4 d5 2. Bg2 Bxg4 3. c4 Nf6 4. Nc3 c6 5. cxd5 Nxd5
6. Nxd5 cxd5 7. Qb3 e6 8. Qa4+ Nc6 9. Qxg4 {Remechan
resigns} 1-0

[Event "ICS rated blitz match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2000.09.20"]
[White "dah"]
[Black "pacujo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "120+12"]

1. g4 d5 2. Bg2 Bxg4 3. c4 e6 4. cxd5 Bc5 5. Qa4+ c6
6. Qxg4 Qf6 7. e3 cxd5 8. Bxd5 Nh6 9. Qa4+ Nd7 10.
Bxb7 Rb8 11. Bc6 {pacujo forfeits on time} 1-0

[Event "ICS rated blitz match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2000.09.23"]
[White "dah"]
[Black "mateking"]

1. g4 e5 2. Bg2 d5 3. h3 Bc5 4. e3 Nc6 5. c4 Be6 6.
cxd5 Bxd5 7. Nf3 e4 8. Ng1 Qf6 9. Nc3 Qd6 10. Bxe4
Bxe4 11. Nxe4 Qd5 12. Qf3 Ne5 13. Qg2 Nd3+ 14. Kf1 Be7
15. Ne2 O-O-O 16. N2c3 Qc6 17. Ke2 Nf6 18. Rg1 h5 19.
Nxf6 Bxf6 {19... Qa6 20. Kd1 Bxf6 21. gxh5 Kb8} 20. g5
{20. Qxc6 bxc6 21. g5 Bxc3 22. dxc3} 20... Qxg2 {Now
white is right back in the game. Better is 20... Qc4
21. Kf3 Bxc3 22. bxc3 Rd5} 21. Rxg2 Be5 22. f4 Bxf4
23. exf4 Nxf4+ 24. Kf3 Nxg2 25. Kxg2 Rd3 26. Ne4 Re8
27. Nf2 Re2? {27... Rd5 would keep Black alive.} 28.
Kf1 Rxf2+ 29. Kxf2 h4 30. b3 Rxh3 31. d4 Rd3 32. Be3
Rc3 33. Kf3 Kd7 34. Rh1 Rc2 35. a3 Rc3 36. Rb1 Ke6 37.
Kf4 h3 38. Ke4 h2 39. Bf4 Rc2 {39... Rxb3 and Black
hangs on. 40. Rh1 c6 41. Rxh2 Rxa3} 40. Rh1 Rc3 41.
Rb1 Rc2 42. Kd3 Ra2 43. a4 c6 44. Rh1 Kd5 45. Bxh2 Rf2
46. Be5 Rf3+ 47. Kc2 f6 48. gxf6 gxf6 49. Bb8 a6 50.
Ba7 f5 51. Rh7 Rf2+ 52. Kc3 f4 53. Rd7+ Ke6 54. Rxb7
f3 55. d5+ {Theme: Clearance for a7-f2} 55... cxd5 56.
Bxf2 1-0

[Event "ICS rated blitz match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2000.09.26"]
[White "dah"]
[Black "Spivey"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. g4 d5 2. Bg2 Bxg4 3. c4 Be6 {Instead of 3... dxc4
4. Bxb7 Nd7 5. Bxa8 Qxa8 6. f3} 4. Nc3 c6 5. cxd5 Bxd5
6. Nxd5 cxd5 7. Qb3 e6 8. Qxb7 Nd7 9. d4 Ngf6 10. Qb3
Rb8 11. Qc2 Bb4+ 12. Bd2 O-O 13. a3 Ba5 14. b4 Bb6 15.
e3 Qe7 16. Ne2 Rfc8 17. Qd3 Rc4 18. O-O Rbc8 19. Rfc1
Nf8 20. Nc3 {The idea is Ne2-c3-a4-c5} 20... Qc7 21.
h3 {Secures g4.} 21... Ng6 22. Na4 Qb8 23. Nc5 {The
white knight on an outpost.} 23... Rxc1+ 24. Rxc1 Rc7
25. Qb5 Qc8 26. a4 Rc6 27. a5 Bd8 28. Qa4 Nh4 29. b5
Rc7 30. b6 axb6 31. axb6 Rb7 {Black has lost his
nerve... understandable when you consider his
position. Better is 31... Re7 32. Qb5 Qb8.} 32. Nxb7
Qxb7 33. Qc6 Qb8 34. b7 Bc7 35. Qxc7 Qxc7 36. Rxc7
{Black resigned considering, 36... h6 37. b8=Q+ Kh7
38. Qf8 Nf5 39. Qxf7 Kh8 40. e4 dxe4 41. Qf8+ Kh7 42.
Qxf6 e3 43. Be4 exf2+ 44. Kxf2 Kg8 45. Qf7+ Kh8 46.
Qf8+ Kh7 47. Qxg7#} 1-0

[Event "ICS rated blitz match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2003.01.03"]
[White "dah"]
[Black "Sweetpea"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "120+12"]

1. g4 d6 2. Bg2 Nc6 3. h3 e5 4. c4 Nge7 5. Nc3 g6 6. d3 Bg7 7. Nf3 f5 8. g5
f4 9. h4 Nf5 10. Bd2 Be6 11. Qc2 Qd7 12. O-O-O Nb4 13. Qb3 a5 14. a3 Nc6
15. Nd5 Kf7 16. Qxb7 Bxd5 17. cxd5 Ncd4 18. Nxd4 Nxd4 19. Bh3 Qd8 20. e3
Rb8 21. Qa6 Rb6 22. Qc4 Ne2+ 23. Kb1 Qb8 24. Bc3 Rb3 25. Be6+ Ke7 26. Rd2
Nxc3+ 27. Ka1 e4 28. d4 fxe3 29. fxe3 Ne2 30. Rxe2 Rf8 31. Rc1 Kd8 32. Qc6
Rf7 33. Bxf7 Rb6 34. Qe8#
{Sweetpea checkmated} 1-0

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