Gran Prix Attack

Originally posted by !~TONY~!
I agree. 1. e4 c5 2. f4 d5! sucks for White. I've been playing the GPA a lot lately, and I have to say that I never mind seeing 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 a6, since White just puts the Bishop on g2, and generally has a good Closed Sicilian, since Black doesn't really want to play ...a6 so early in those systems. It's generally just a waste of time since the pawn reall ...[text shortened]... would like to go to a5, and either make it to a3, or the Bc8 would like to be on that square.

exd resolves it well enough or even Nc3

Originally posted by !~TONY~!
I agree. 1. e4 c5 2. f4 d5! sucks for White. I've been playing the GPA a lot lately, and I have to say that I never mind seeing 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 a6, since White just puts the Bishop on g2, and generally has a good Closed Sicilian, since Black doesn't really want to play ...a6 so early in those systems. It's generally just a waste of time since the pawn reall ...[text shortened]... would like to go to a5, and either make it to a3, or the Bc8 would like to be on that square.

This line in here can be pretty fun and wild to play and really puts the 2. ... d5 player in shock. If he chickens out things can go to a draw by repetition very early on but if the games get going things can get very messy. Did you know this line?

1. e4 c5 2. f4 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 4. Ng5 Nf6 5. Bc4 Bg4 6. Qxg4 Nxg4 7. Bxf7+

Originally posted by zebano
...Who are some GMs that play this ....

English player Gawain Jones (I think he's a GM now) plays the Grand Prix Attack.

Take a look at him chopping up van Wely at a recent tournament in London:-

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1469817

Originally posted by Bifrost
That Bxf7 sacrifice was excellent. Were you using analyze board?

Game 4747353
It's standard Morra theory against the Fianchetto Defence.
10...e6 is a mistake for black because of the weakness on d6. 12.Qc7 is a killer move & after 13.Ne4 (threatening 14.Nd6+) black will be a piece down in a very poor position.

See too Game 3973851 also against a higher rated player.

Originally posted by cmsMaster
...

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bb5 Nd4!

[fen]r1bqk1nr/pp1pppbp/6p1/1Bp5/3nPP2/2N2N2/PPPP2PP/R1BQK2R w KQkq - 0 6[/fen]

The Jones - van Wely game I linke to a couple of posts above starts with this move order ... and Black gets completely hacked off the board.

Not that one game necessarily makes it bad of course.

Originally posted by zebano
So after going back to 1.e4 I decided I didn't want to play my opponents pet sicillian lines so I went back to the gran prix.
1. e4 c5
2. Nc3
3. f4
4 Nf3
5. Bb5

Is what I'm shooting for...

Game 4640014

Who are some GMs that play this, and does anyone have any good RHP games in this opening or any advice they care to share?

Thanks

Good game! I'd say the Grand Prix is probably White's most dangerous Anti-Sicilian.

Originally posted by adam warlock
This line in here can be pretty fun and wild to play and really puts the 2. ... d5 player in shock. If he chickens out things can go to a draw by repetition very early on but if the games get going things can get very messy. Did you know this line?

1. e4 c5 2. f4 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 4. Ng5 Nf6 5. Bc4 Bg4 6. Qxg4 Nxg4 7. Bxf7+


[fen]rn1qkb1r/pp2pBpp/8/2p3N1/4pPn1/8/PPPP2PP/RNB1K2R b KQkq - 0 7[/fen]

Yeah I think this line had some kind of article in Chess Life one month. That said, I'm not sure that justifies 2. f4 over 2. Nc3. I never understand the rationale behind 2. f4 anyway. It's fairly apparent that the knight will go to c3, so why not cut down on Black's options by not allowing 2...d5. Have you ever seen this line:

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5

It's basically an attempt to play an improved GPA by chopping on c6 one move earlier. That said, the main line is 3...Nd4, but there are some funny independent lines, such as:

3...Nd4 4. Bc4 e6 5. Nge2 Nf6 6. 0-0 d5? 7. ed ed 8. Nd5! Nd5 9. Nd4 cd 10. Qh5!

And Black is busted. Gawain Jones is also a specialist in this line, and put two nice chapters on this line in his GPA book since it bears some similarities.

Originally posted by !~TONY~!
Yeah I think this line had some kind of article in Chess Life one month. That said, I'm not sure that justifies 2. f4 over 2. Nc3. I never understand the rationale behind 2. f4 anyway. It's fairly apparent that the knight will go to c3, so why not cut down on Black's options by not allowing 2...d5. Have you ever seen this line:

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5 ...[text shortened]... e, and put two nice chapters on this line in his GPA book since it bears some similarities.

I don't think I ever saw that line but I do hate to play against Bb5 sicilians. I'll keep this line in mind just so I don't fall for that trick.

My main opening is the english but I do get to play 1. e4 and when faced with the sicilian I normally go for a closed sicilian. I got "attacking with 1. e4" and that's what the author reccomends. Since I don't have the time to study a lot of things I'm going with his advice.

Now this sacrifice I first heard of on a chesslecture video. The idea seemed fun but once again with a lot of things to study.

Why play the GPA when you can just play the Yugoslav Attack to just about any Sicilian I think...although I haven't tried that against the scheveningen(sp?) or the Kan or really anything other than the Dragon and the Najdorf... You guys have played the paulsen I bet...what do you think of this line?

1.d4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.g4? I tried it against Amir Bagheri (GM) in a blitz game and I had gotten a better position out of the opening but ended up losing to his superior skill later in the game...and you can have the pleasure of playing him also, because he owns the site http://www.chesshere.com/ and he often plays the members there and even chats with them often. 🙂

Originally posted by JonathanB of London
The Jones - van Wely game I linke to a couple of posts above starts with this move order ... and Black gets completely hacked off the board.

Not that one game necessarily makes it bad of course.

Yeah, if I recall that's the critical variation of the GPA.

Originally posted by DawgHaus
Don't let English Tal know that, he might stop winning with it. 😉

http://www.redhotpawn.com/gamesexplorer/index.php?movelist=e2e4c7c5f2f4d7d5&flip=0&co=w&u=251755&c=-1

Please stop giving away my secrets! :'(

Originally posted by !~TONY~!
I agree. 1. e4 c5 2. f4 d5! sucks for White. I've been playing the GPA a lot lately, and I have to say that I never mind seeing 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 a6, since White just puts the Bishop on g2, and generally has a good Closed Sicilian, since Black doesn't really want to play ...a6 so early in those systems. It's generally just a waste of time since the pawn reall ...[text shortened]... would like to go to a5, and either make it to a3, or the Bc8 would like to be on that square.

No offence Tony but I disagree, a Najdorf player would be quite happy playing a6 and a Grand Prix Attack player doesn't play the opening to put his bishop on g2. a6 can be played against any of White's 3rd move options with a good position.

Originally posted by najdorfslayer
No offence Tony but I disagree, a Najdorf player would be quite happy playing a6 and a Grand Prix Attack player doesn't play the opening to put his bishop on g2. a6 can be played against any of White's 3rd move options with a good position.

I have a minor quibble with your statement. I don't believe in being a "insert type here" type player, otherwise any deviation from book/what you're comfortable with will throw you off. That's not to say I'm not happy to play what I know best, but one needs to look objectively at moves.

btw I'm amazed how many people are interested in the GP. Thaks for the link to the Van Wely game.

Originally posted by zebano
I have a minor quibble with your statement. I don't believe in being a "insert type here" type player, otherwise any deviation from book/what you're comfortable with will throw you off. That's not to say I'm not happy to play what I know best, but one needs to look objectively at moves.

btw I'm amazed how many people are interested in the GP. Thaks for the link to the Van Wely game.

From my experience playing 2...a6 does annoy and "throw off" a lot of Grand Prix Attack players at club level where players tend to be rather rigid in their repertiores. It is also good against the normal Closed Sicilian.

After 2...a6 White's best option is probably to play an Open Sicilian with Nf3 and d4.

Originally posted by zebano
I have a minor quibble with your statement. I don't believe in being a "insert type here" type player, otherwise any deviation from book/what you're comfortable with will throw you off. That's not to say I'm not happy to play what I know best, but one needs to look objectively at moves.

btw I'm amazed how many people are interested in the GP. Thaks for the link to the Van Wely game.

You can be an "insert type here" player and also an "insert type 2 here" type player..you don't have to be just one thing and its hard to always play objectively best moves since even super GMs can't always do that...thats where style comes in..you can't seem to find the "best" move so you play a move that is a move that suits you best and steers the game towards positions that you are more comfortable with... I play the dragon a lot and when in other openings I sometimes find moves that get me into similar positions as that opening and so I play those even if they may not be objectively best.