Grob Gambit Declined

After 1. g4 d5 2. Bg2, Black leaves the g4-pawn alone for the moment and plays 2...c6. The pawn reinforces d5 against the bishop on g2 and closes the long diagonal toward b7. This sidesteps the tactical tricks that follow the immediate 2...Bxg4 3. c4, where White's pressure on d5 and b7 compensates for the pawn. The structure resembles a Caro-Kann Defense. Because the c8-bishop is still free, the threat of ...Bxg4 remains, and White has to decide whether to defend the pawn or play around it.

The most common reply is 3. c4, which continues the plan of attacking the d5-pawn. If Black captures with 3...dxc4, White recovers the pawn with 4. Qa4. The quieter 3. h3 simply protects g4. The third option, 3. g5, gains further kingside space and is called the Spike Attack. The engine prefers 3. g5 and 3. h3, followed by 3. e3, and it gives Black a slight edge. Lichess results are nonetheless close to even, with White scoring marginally better.