Killing the Grob

[Trent Parker]

Does anyone know the best way to handle the grob?

I'm pretty sure it has a refutation somewhere. NCO only has one solitary line which was nothing like the line i played...... Heres the game....

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(I admit that i played some shocking moves in the late middle game which brought my demise....)

[arosar]

Does anyone know the best way to handle the grob?

Best person to ask is Greg Canfell. I think he already refuted this gambit.

AR

[Grendel]

Does anyone know the best way to handle the grob?

I'm pretty sure it has a refutation somewhere. NCO only has one solitary line which was nothing like the line i played...... Heres the game....



(I admit that i played some shocking moves in the late middle game which brought my demise....)

As a general principle if your opponent is making lots of pawn moves at the side of the board you can get some advantage through rapid piece development and central control, keeping your options open to castle. An attack at the side should be countered with an attack in the centre. I would have tried to keep the centre dynamic to exploit his king weaknesses and mst important of all, don't panic

[Rhubarb]

Best person to ask is Greg Canfell. I think he already refuted this gambit.

I did? I might have boasted about refuting the Latvian Gambit a long time ago but even then I was only referring to one line (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Nxe5 Nc6). I don't know if the Grob is refutable but Grendel's advice seems eminently sensible. Meanwhile, the reversed Grob has in fact been refuted, by Jean-Luc Picard in First Contact.

[Thunderspirit]

The Grob's isn't really and opening that can be refuted, though there are some lines that clearly favour black. If you want the safe option, don't take the g-pawn and develop normally. U can often hurt white with a well timed ...h5 or use the weak h4 for your peices.

Alternatively there is the contraversial line called the Romford gambit, which goes...

1. g4 d5
2. Bg2 Bxg4
3. c4 d4!?
4. Bxb7 Nd7
5. Qxa8 and it's black hacking down the diagonal.

Alternatively there are three books that are reasonably easy to get, which may help.

The first is 'The Tacical Grob' by Claude F. Bloodgood. An Old classic written in 1974 by one of the pioneers of the opening. You can pick up a second hand copy for $5.00, just look around the chess shops.

Then there is IM Michael Basman's book 'The Killer Grob'. Basman looks at the opening from a more position point of view rather than the hack that Bloodgood does, which takes away the fun as white, but to fair to Basman, he has also poineered much work on the opening. It also has a guess the move section at the back, which intersting for the up and comming 'Grobster'. It's more expensive at $30-35.

The other book is by Bil Wall. It contains lots of zany theory lines, and 50 games at the back as well. It's about $11.00 or so. ACE sold it last time I checked...

It's been 4 years since I played the Grob in a tournament game, and will always remain a cult favourite...

A wise man once gave me this advice: 'There is no such thing as a bad opening, just players who play openings badly...'

Look luck beating up the Grob... you'll need it...

[Trent Parker]

Thanks Lee.

Actually theres normally something somewhere on the internet for some of the wilder openings...... I'll have to do a search.....

[Davidflude]

I wrote an article on beating the Grob in Australian Chess Magazine,

1 g4 e5
2. Bg2? h5 and white is in trouble.

[McTaggart]

David, I cannot find your article, can you direct me towards it?

[Max Illingworth]

1.g4 d5 2.Bg2 e5 3.h3 Ne7 with ideas of ...Ng6-h4 is also pretty strong.

[MichaelBaron]

I wrote an article on beating the Grob in Australian Chess Magazine,

1 g4 e5
2. Bg2? h5 and white is in trouble.

Nothing kills the Grob more ..than the Grob itself . Those who love to fianchetto their bishops early (myself included) can always start games with 1.g3 instead .

[Sheroff]

I've had good success with the simple 1.g4 e5 2.Bg2 d5 3.c4 dxc4 followed by ...c6. Black should not try to maintain a pawn at d5, or bother taking White's g-pawn - this just plays into White's plans. The Grob is far from harmless, but it's also a bit antipositional, which means the best antidote is simple, straightforward development, and being mindful not to castle into a kingside attack that's based on a further advance of White's g-pawn and the opening up of lines on the kingside. I think I've only lost one serious game in my entire life against the Grob (thanks, Craig Stewart ). I view it rather like the King's Gambit - a risky opening that normally gives Black quite a good game without too much effort, and a range of perfectly playable lines to choose from in reply.

Cheers,
Kevin Casey

[antichrist]

Basil used to play it with only limited success even against patzers