Grob Opening
The Grob opening, also known as The Spike or The Spike Attack, is an unorthodox chess opening that involves moving the king knight's pawn two squares forward followed by a fianchetto of the king's bishop. This opening is not considered to be one of the mainline or popular openings at the highest levels of chess, as it violates some opening principles such as controlling the centre and developing pieces efficiently. While the Grob opening can lead to interesting and unbalanced positions, it is generally not considered to be a strong or reliable opening choice for competitive play. However, in casual or amateur games, it can sometimes catch opponents off guard and lead to interesting play.
The Grob opening, named after Swiss International Master Henri Grob, begins with the move 1.g4. The idea behind this move is to control the f5 square and prepare for a fianchetto setup with g2-g3 and Bg2. The Grob opening is characterized by its aggressive and unconventional nature.
One of the main advantages of the Grob opening is that it can lead to unbalanced positions where both sides have chances for attacking play. By avoiding the mainline openings, players who are well-prepared in standard theory may find themselves in unfamiliar territory, which can lead to mistakes and opportunities for the player who opens with the Grob.
However, the Grob opening also has some inherent weaknesses. By moving the g-pawn early in the game, Black has an opportunity to challenge the pawn with moves like ...d5 or ...f5, aiming to undermine White's central control. Additionally, the Grob opening neglects the central pawn structure and piece development, which are important principles in the opening phase of the game.
In competitive chess, the Grob opening is rarely seen at the highest levels of play. It is generally considered to be less sound and less reliable compared to the more established openings such as 1.e4, 1.d4 or 1.c4. However, in casual or amateur games, the Grob opening can be a surprise weapon that catches opponents off guard and disrupts their familiar plans and strategies.
It's worth noting that while the Grob opening may not be highly regarded in competitive play, chess is a game of creativity, and players are free to experiment with different opening choices to suit their playing style and preferences.
Benefits of Grob Opening
The benefits of using the Grob attack in chess games, are few and far between. Certainly, at the Elite level, it is rarely seen given how unsound it is, but can be useful at an amateur level and in rapid games with tight time control due to black not expecting it, and delaying in trying to figure out what is going to happen next.
The Grob Opening in chess is not a common opening, but it can be very effective if the opponent plays incorrectly but the fact remains that the Grob opening is probably one of the worst openings that you can play, it is so bad that you can almost never see it in an elite chess tournament.
This article will teach you everything you need to know about the Grob opening, including its history and how to play it (spoiler alert you probably shouldn’t play it!). However, it is important to understand why you shouldn’t play it so it can apply to other opening principles.
Disadvantages of Grob Opening
The Grob opening in chess is characterized by 1.g4. Considered an unconventional opening, the Grob doesn’t achieve the desired opening principle for white of controlling the centre or aiding in piece development. Additionally, fracturing the solid pawn structure making kingside castling options less viable.
If you have picked up any fundamental chess opening book you would realize that centre control is very important, it is the basis of a lot of openings. 1. g4 couldn’t be much further from the centre of the board, it is controlling the side which is not that important early in the opening.
By playing 1.g4, the position for white wouldn’t make it possible to castle kingside, this means that the king has either to stay in the centre (where it is not safe) or only castle queenside, which is predictable and can be prevented.
The disadvantages far outweigh the benefits. An immediate weakening of the Kingside for White, limiting short casting opportunities, whilst if Black knows how to respond, White will most likely lose against a good opponent before the game even begins in earnest.
(Ed: In 2018 World computer championship, engines were forced to open with the Grob. The top-2 finalists Stockfish and Komodo lost their Grob opening games as White.)
3 Illustrative Games
In Sam Sloan vs Gina Sanchez, California Chess Season Opener, White won against weak opposition.Michael Basman tried the Grob against GM Raymond Keene in the Manchester Benedictine Open (1981), but had to resign in 20 moves.
Alexander Fritz vs R Schlenker is a long ago played game played long ago (Reutlingen,1866) and here too, White's experiment did not take him far.
In the third game we demonstrate that in the main lines Black wins easily.