Grob Opening

The Grob Opening (1.g4), also called Grob's Attack or the Spike, is an unconventional first move that is widely considered one of the worst possible starts for White. International Master John Watson wrote that it competes with 1.h4 for the honour of being White's worst first move.

Origins

The opening is named after the Swiss International Master Henri Grob (1904–1974), who analysed it extensively and played hundreds of correspondence games with it; in his newspaper column he called it the Spike Opening. Earlier sources named it after Carl Ahlhausen of Berlin, one of the first to play it, and Savielly Tartakower, who tried it in simultaneous displays, called it the Genoa Opening. Its best-known success was Michael Basman's win over grandmaster John Nunn in 1978. In 2005 Mikhail Gorbachev made the ceremonial first move 1.g4 for Anatoly Karpov against Susan Polgar and insisted that Karpov play on; Karpov won anyway.

The idea

White has three main plans: support the g4-pawn with h3; put pressure on d5 and the long diagonal so that Black cannot safely take on g4, for example 1...d5 2.Bg2 Bxg4 3.c4 with Qb3 to follow; or push the h-pawn in a kingside attack. When 1.g4 was forced on the engines in the 2018 TCEC superfinal, both Stockfish and Komodo judged the position clearly better for Black.

Main lines

• 1...d5 2.Bg2, the Grob Gambit. After 2...Bxg4 3.c4, the Fritz Gambit, White gets pressure on d5 and b7. Black can decline with 2...c6 (Grob Gambit Declined).
• 1...d5 2.h3 e5 3.Bg2 c6, the Keene Defense, a strong set-up for Black.
• 1...e5, aiming at the h4-square weakened by g4; after 2.Bg2 Black can play 2...h5 to force a weakness, and 2.Bg2 d5 3.c4 is the Spike-Hurst Attack.
• With h3 and Bg2, Black can answer with ...d5, ...e5 and ...c6 or ...Nc6; IM Richard Palliser recommends the classical ...Nc6 set-up.

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths

• Surprise value; intuitive play by Black can run into traps, especially after 1...d5 2.Bg2.
• Little theory, which can neutralise an experienced opponent's preparation.

Weaknesses

• Widely considered one of White's worst first moves; it weakens the kingside, especially the h4-square.
• Against accurate play Black gets a clear advantage.

Who should play it

The Grob is a surprise weapon for players who enjoy tricky, offbeat positions. Advocates include International Master Michael Basman and grandmaster Spyridon Skembris.

The numbers

On Lichess Black does better under 1400, 50.7% against 44.3%, but White leads at 1400–1799 (48.7% against 47.6%) and 1800–2199 (49.1% against 46.9%), and the results are level from 2200 up (47.5% against 46.8%). There are fewer than 200 master games, too few to draw firm conclusions.