Grob Opening: Spike, Hurst Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
606,297 games: White 52.7% / Draw 3.4% / Black 43.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 224,444224K | ||
| 135,291135K | ||
| 94,53495K | ||
| 53,04353K | ||
| 33,33133K | ||
| 30,40730K | ||
| 22,86823K | ||
| 6,3066,306 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
−1.62 Black is clearly better
Even so, White scores 54.4% here in practice: wins plus half the draws in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500.
Best play: 3... dxc4 4. Nc3 h5 5. gxh5 Rxh5 6. Qa4+ c6 7. Qxc4 Be6 8. Qa4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 54% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 205K | |
| 1400–1799 | 510K | |
| 1800–2199 | 305K | |
| 2200 and up | 10K | |
| Masters, over the board | 6 |
Master games
- Gareev, T. – Moiseenko, A.
- Mastrovasilis, A. – Landa, K.
- Gareev, T. – Makarov, M.
- Eliseev, A. – Smirnov, A.
- Pacal, M. – Lajthajm, B.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Grob Opening: Spike, Hurst Attack (ECO A00, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Grob Opening, reached after 1. g4 e5 2. Bg2 d5 3. c4 (3 moves).
In 606,297 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.7%, Black 43.9% and 3.4% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 3…c6, in 37% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Grob Opening: Spike, Hurst Attack
3…dxc4 scores best for Black: 49.8%, with Black winning 48.0% and White 48.4% of 95K games. The most played, 3…c6, scores 44.4% in 224K games, and 3…Be6 scores lowest: 39.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3…dxc4.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Grob Opening: Spike, Hurst Attack dipped to 0.02% of Lichess games in 2021 and has recovered since: 0.025% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.023% | 8,147 |
| 2017 | 0.025% | 13,950 |
| 2018 | 0.022% | 17,553 |
| 2019 | 0.021% | 26,653 |
| 2020 | 0.02% | 59,712 |
| 2021 | 0.02% | 76,409 |
| 2022 | 0.023% | 88,011 |
| 2023 | 0.027% | 100,255 |
| 2024 | 0.026% | 92,265 |
| 2025 | 0.025% | 87,795 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.024% | 26,833 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Grob Opening: Spike, Hurst Attack (A00)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/grob-opening-spike-hurst-attack