Really? The Grob??

This is a recent game I played in the live room.  I only play gambits, unorthodox, and unsound openings.  My current fav being the Grob.  Here I play a quick 1 min game vs a player rated 100 pts above me.  I got him with a nice tactical shot in the end, baiting him with a scrumptous bishop.  We played 5 games total.. I won the first two decisively and he stomped on me the last 3.  I will annotate the best that I can.

I do not see why people play this opening.

Unorthodox stuff is great. The thought of just slogging waist deep through theory is tiring. These kinds of openings throw people off and force them to think.

That's why I play it!  I can run 10-15 games back to back with someone and use different openings each time.  Its fun for me.  There are many traps with the Grob.  You Just have to be willing to FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT.

Well fought game.

I see you certainly know what you're doing...a couple minor mistakes/blunders- but all well compensated for and you tirelessly pursue the objectives you set.

I don't see the Grob as that unsound, certainly not when it isn't expected or prepared for in the game...You fianchetto and bait away from the center while still keeping that active. I prefer hypermodern to a direct fight for the center approach- though that maxim can hold true...it is the bloodiest part of the board and always will be (unless, you know, you do break for that early rook).

I'm tempted to try the Grob, but I'm not an ATTACK ATTACK player terribly much. FIGHT FIGHT? Sure, though I need to work on it.

I've favored the Hippo Defense with modest success lately. Typically when I've tried the hedgehog though, it falls apart, and where I don't get the Hippo going right, I have to attack or focus on actual defense...it works exceedingly well on lesser experienced players. Anyone higher rating with me I've tried the Hippo on has either fought me tooth and nail or more or less attempted to neutralize my build up defense/build up attack formation.

I think I like using hippo as much on White as Black...

I simply have not been a King's Pawn kinda guy. Unorthodox, yes please.

Even as I study more, I find more interest in powerful and unorthodox systems and manuevers (I was cruel the one time I got Alekhine's Gun off though, but it won me the game that might have not gone my way otherwise- even against the losing opponent). Again, I focus on either sudden unexpected manuevers- capitlizing on weak points or building up defense. I think in the future I'll look more to Napoleon's artillery tactics as much as B.H. Liddell Hart's idea of the "Indirect Approach"

In 1 to 3 minute games the grob is amazing.

Why is Qc2 better than just Qa4+ winning a tempo and the same pawn? It would probably have led to the exact same position but still it seems more proactive to me.

18,,,,QxBe5 still defends the c pawn. 

escapest pawn,

     the primary value of the Grob and some of the other unorthodox openings lies in the complexities on the board being outside the normally seen patterns that are learned by many players from repeatedly seeing similar patterns.  Having to think CHESS without being in familiar surroundings results in oversights - and, as a famous player observed and succinctly stated many years ago:

  "The Winner is the one who makes the 'next to last' mistake."

   Grob players live for that line.

there is a snob attraction to unusual openings.

Personally I love the grob, I tend to play it in most of my games. The positions it leads to seem generally favourable for white unless you make some sort of of blunder. Also this opening lets Black fall into traps if he plays the "natural" moves, works wonders in blitz games as well as longer ones.

i know i should'nt ask for fear of the answer, but please...explain.

the grob isn't so tough as long as you don't underestimate it too much. Black can probably get a theoretical edge by either winning the g pawn soundly or making white  defend it creating serious weaknesses on the kingside.

 I am happy to be corrected, but I don't know what you are saying.  The explanation given for not taking the bishop (18....Qxe5) was "If the queen takes the bishop, it's mate on c7. He has to back up the c pawn"  I like unorthodox openings, have virtually no memory, and am hardly ever in familiar surroundings.  In that situation, complications don't yet exist.  Complications could develop, as white could (and should) start piling on pressure to the c7 with 18...Qxe5 19 Rc1 and black has to be careful how he defends.  I like the tricky ...Bd6 and if 20 NxBd6 black should retake with the queen.  All in all, I think 18...Qxe5 wins.