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

I dont play the Grobs attack actually (ive tried it a few times with poor results), but i play any other kinds of unsound openings, like the Latvian, the Englund or the BDG.

Iam tired of self-defending me, why i play these crap.

Is a chess opening such a dogmatic thing, that only allows to play high-fashioned standard openings.

On amateur level, as 99% of us play, you can play nearly every opening, if you know the concepts and tactics.

Playing the Berlin Defence in Ruy Lopez or the Latvian Gambit with a rating of 1400 to 1800 makes no difference.

Only a good opening doesnt make you a good chess player...

This is fundamentally wrong.

Playing the Latvian you will likely win against players which are tactically blind, and lose against strong players, which will not oblige to fall into your cheap tricks. The very same applies to the Berlin, although winning against a weak player will likely be more difficult, as there are no cheap tricks.

But! trying to revive the Latvian against strong opposition is an impossible task- while reviving "your" Berlin is surprisingly easy: you just have to understand what-the-heck you are playing, and what your strategical aims are. You could even use the Berlin against very strong opposition, with very good results, although playing this kind of opening with Carlsen, Karjakin or Aronian accuracy is highly unlikely to happen-ever.

And- of course the statement "Only a good opening doesnt make you a good chess player..." is 100% right. But picking a good opening (like the Berlin) instead of a crap opening (like the Englund, or the Latvian) is a very good start.

I managed a draw in a Grob, though it was a theme tournament and I'm more concerned with playing against it as black.  Typically I'll throw in ...h5! so I can place a knight on f6 without it being chased by g5 (assumes gxh5 will be played), and if ...h5 .g5 then the pawn is too far forward to coordinate with an h-pawn for an eventual attack and the kingside gets locked down. 

Could a 1500 beat an IM with a computer prepared line, in an opening he has never seen?

Something like the Traxler Gambit perhaps.

Could pure non-existence -- timeless dimensionless nothing -- suddenly burst forth in a trillion trillion suns?  Well, yes, apparently.

That said, I'll bet against the 1500 beating the IM.

MUHAHAHAHAHA....just DEEP dude....This has got to be a candiate for 'Post of the year'.

I personally love to play gambits/traps and I will always vary my gambits(mostly). This is a great trap for beginners, but it can be easily crushed and there is nothing they are able to do. Good luck trying it 1500+ rating!

If you like that trap/gambit try the halloween gambit.

I'm not a sharp enough player for the Grob. That said I get a lol out of the people that feel we have to play the "sound openings". It doesn't matter if you play the Lopez or some silly gambit. We are going to win and lose the same ways.

And that guy who said it won't work over 1500, we got a guy at our club who is aproaching 2000 ( i believe ) and he plays it.

If you know it, like it, play it.

Because I prefer having an advantage with white, but that's just me..

whats wrong with you

Nothing is wrong with me, but the Grob isn't something in would play if I was really trying to win.

Its bullshit to say, that gambits or unsound openings in general are for beginners...

When you play the Grob or the Blackmar-Diemer-Gambit for example, you have to have good tactical skills and you have to know many variations, otherwise you will get crushed.

For beginners easy to play openings are perfect, like the Italian or the London-System...with more experience you can try more complex openings.

Well put Dark Falcon.

Unfortunately in this computer age players plug opening moves into a Chessbase binary demon and take its evaluations as gospal. It is a pity that chess is just not simple.

Greetings all,

For a more a extensive and detailed analysis of the Grob Attack, check out my opening repertoire at the following link:

https://sites.google.com/site/thegrobattack/

Best regards, Sean,

I won't resist to ask a couple of questions.

1. What the hell is that? Why do you call it "a repertoire"? What are the chances to find a moron to reply with 1.g4 b6 2.Bg2 c6, to which you devote several useless lines? At which mental institution the line 1.g4 h6 is currently fashionable?

2. I will not comment on the lack of various critical lines- let's concentrate on just one, which you touch by coincidence, and the position (which you recommend for white) is that one:

So, this is a recommended position for white?

Instead of your 13...Ne4 (which is good only for a large Black advantage) even a kid can see that after 13...e5, or even 13...Bxf3 14.Bxf3 e5, white can pack and go home.

I suspect that you just let a dumb program, armed with an unconfigured crap engine, to create random nonsense (because your repertoire IS random nonsense). Actually it resembles the "famous" A.R.B. system- although it's a tad sillier.

Rybka 2 played the Grob against Nakamura in that comical 271-move 3/0 ICC game from 2008:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1497429&kpage=1

Rybka lost of course, though it could have beaten most any other human player on earth using the Grob or anything else it has in its opening book database.

Your opponent making retarded moves isn't the same as good attacking chances.