What’s better than finding money in an old jacket that you haven’t worn in years? Perhaps discovering a notation sheet to a nice game you forgot you played stuffed inside an old chess book.
Back in 2013, I recall regularly experimenting with Grob’s Attack. Occasionally I did so while running my now legendary Fremont Chess Club. This chess club was made up of a group of the most talented youngsters from powerhouse chess schools such as MSJE, Weibel, Gomes, etcetera and we would come together to train ever Saturday afternoon at the now closed Achiever Institute in Fremont, California. After I taught a lesson, all the kids in attendance would play a round in a rated chess tournament. If there was an odd number of children playing, a lucky student would get a chance to go 1-on-1 against the coach. And I so it is that on March 16th, 2013 I used Grob’s Attack in a training game against a student. When the game finished, I folded the recording sheet in half and stuffed it inside a well used copy of “107 Great Chess Battles 1939-1945” to be forgotten. Nearly a decade later, while doing research, I opened the old orange chess book and found this game.
[Event “Fremont Achiever Chess Club”]
[Site “Fremont, California”]
[Date “3/16/2013”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Chris Torres”]
[WhiteElo “”]
[Black “Student”]
[BlackElo “”]
[Result “1-0”]
1.g4 e5 2.g5 Qxg5 3.d4 Qe7 4.Nc3 exd4 5.Nd5 Qd6 6.Bg2 c6 7.Bf4 Qg6 8.Nc7+ Kd8
9.Bg3 Nf6 10.Qxd4 Na6 11.Nxa6 bxa6 12.Bxc6 Bc5 13.Qxc5 dxc6 14.Qxc6 Qe4 15.Bc7+
Ke7 16.Qd6+ Ke8 17.Qd8#
1-0
Grob’s Attack (opening with 1. g4) was pioneered by the Swiss IM Henri Grob in the early half of the twentieth century. Clearly unorthodox and frowned upon by chess elitists, Grob’s Attack is a fun surprise weapon for players who enjoy playing eccentric chess. If it tickles your fancy, be sure to check The greatest known defeat of a chess master with the Grob Opening!
