The Grob's Attack, and Why We Don't Play it More???

I sure don't.

I really appericiate the note. I plan to try out that line

1.g4 d5 2.Bg2 Bxg4 3.c4 e6 (3...dxc4 4.Bxb7 Nd7 5.Bxa8 Qxa8 6.f3; 3...c6 4.cxd5 cxd5 5.Nc3 Nf6 [5...e6? 6.Qa4+ Nd7 7.Qxg4] 6.Qb3) 4.Qb3 Nf6 5.Qxb7 Nbd7 6.cxd5

White has a nice advantage and attack if black plays 2...Bxg4.

Yes he does.

I have played a few games and people seem to play 1...d5 and 2...Bxg4.

Not a safe pawn grab in my opinion.

Any more comments

1.g4 e5 2.e3 Nc6 3.Bg2? (3.Nc3) d5! Illustrates how careful white must be in the grob.

Here is the Basman Variation.

1.g4 d5 2.h3 e5 3.Bg2 c6 (3...Nc6 4.c4 dxc4 5.Qa4 Nge7 6.Qxc4 Be6 7.Qa4 is equal) 4.d4 e4 5.c4 Bd6 6.Nc3 Ne7 7.Bg5 f6 8.Bd2 0-0 9.Qb3 Kh8 10.0-0-0 is the ideal position for white in the grob.

You know alot about the Grob Attack,

Where do you get all of the info???

I have good correspondents and I use my games to show clear plans against various setups.  When I did poorly out of the opening, I looked for the culprit as early as I could find and make a note to play the improved line.  Eventually, I came up with a good plan against many replies.  It is still a work in progress.

I actually formulated my original 1.g4 e5 2.e3 on my own as I thought it looked better to defend with the queen and place pressure on the center for d4 instead of 2.h3, which seemed too slow to me.

i think the main reason your opening looks good here is because your opponent didn't have any idea what he/she was doing.  i'm not saying this opening is bad, just that it's not the opening here, it's the terrible play by your opponent.

In my mind, the whole plan of 1.g4 d5 2.h3 or 1.g4 e5 2.h3 has been refuted.  There are some good lines, but overall it becomes a disaster for white. 

Here is a pdf showing the idea of Basman and a little history behind the opening.

http://www.chesscafe.com/text/kaiss25.pdf

This line is the best white can acheive with the grob.  The fate of the entire variation lies in this line.  If there are improvements found, then it might be playable.

So... six moves? 

Conquiscador, I can't believe you are a supporter of such a horrible opening as this. Then again, perhaps you can prove the chess community wrong... now that I would like to see.

I support an improved version, but don't get me wrong the opening is not nearly as good as 1.e4, 1.d4, 1.c4, 1.Nf3, and several more moves.  I would use it as an occasional surprise, but I would not want to make it my main opening.

I think it could be playable with perfect play.  The positions are very weird for most people and the positional awareness is very hard to see to play it effectively.  A very strong pychological weapon if used well, although white must know what he is doing or he will be positionally crushed!

This is the best line from black's perspective.  White cannot error here or he will be overrun very quickly once he runs out of counterplay.

1.g4 e5 2.e3 d5 3.d4 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.h3 Nc6 6.Bb5 Bd7 7.Bxc6 Bxc6 8.Nf3 Ne4 9.Nbd2 f6 10.Nxe4 dxe4 11.Qxd8+ Rxd8 12.Nd4 Bd5 13.Bd2 and black is better, but white has compensation and counterplay.

5.g5? just does not work.  White's play eventually runs out.

1.g4 e5 2.e3 d5 3.d4 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.g5 Ne4 6.Nc3 Nxc3 7.Qxc3 Nc6 8.Bd2 Qxg5 9.0-0-0 Bd7 10.e4 Qe5 11.Qxe5 Nxe5 12.exd5 0-0-0 13.Be3 Kb8 14.Bg2 Bg4 15.Rd4 Bc5 16.h3 Bh5 17.Rh4 Bxe3+ 18.fxe3 g6 19.Rd4 Rhe8 20.e4 f6 and white has no counterplay in the endgame a pawn down.  He is unable to develop the king's knight.  It is only a matter of time before the position collapses.

The plan of d5 and e5 requires very accurate play to emerge with a playable position for white.  This should be the way to go for black against the grob.

  This topic reminds me that at the club level people really aren't in a position to criticize openings since you can be successful playing anything.  I play 1.b4 myself and seem to have no problem getting good positions out of the opening, even against A/Expert players.  (Of course the middlegame is another story) 

For reasons that escape me, a lot of people on Chess.com like to play very offbeat openings that are not particularly sound, such as the Grob and the Smith-Morra Gambit. The only benefit from them seems to be trying to catch the unwary, but I'm not sure what the fun in that is. Since I only play turn-based chess here, I don't worry about my opponent dredging up some opening I've never seen. I can take my time, see if there really is such a thing, rather than it beings some just some goofy novelty, and find the best response I can. All in all, not particularly inspiring chess in my opinion.

I'm interested in improving my game; of course I want to win, but winning with unsound chicanery that dupes a less skilled player is hardly going to help me improve. At some point, I'd like to improve enough to be able to be a challenge to a good player; I don't think I can do that playing unsound openings. It seems to me that I'd get stuck at mediocre forever, which might be my fate anyway, but at least I can try.

Well, if white can survive the above line, then the opening is sounder than the Latvian Gambit, and it would mean that it is not refuted.  Unless, someone provides a stronger line for black.

It completely ignores all basis of chess opening theory, plus it destroys your king side pawn structure.

Estragon.  I am familiar with Bloodgood's story, however, many of those forgeries, those short, trappy compositions, are still quite amusing and to me.  I have been, admittedly, looking for the tactical grob for some time.  I never play the grob, and agree it is unsound, but I would give g4 an exclamation mark every time, simply for the gall showed by the player.

And those games are, unfortunately sam, worthless in the discussion.

wow, how did you get your game on the post like that? the second game looked more intense as the first one.

Well, to continue my madness, here is a variation that is very rare, but you might get it if your opponent thinks your move choice was silly.  The Double Grob!  With best play white should get a slight advantage.

1.g4 g5 2.d4 d5 3.Bxg5 Bxg4 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.Qd2 Bg7 6.0-0-0 Qd7 7.Bg2 0-0-0 8.Bxd5 Nxd4 9.Nf3 with an open game and the g file, white has a slight advantage.