Grob Gambit

After 1. g4 d5 White has no convenient way to protect the g-pawn, so 2. Bg2 simply develops the bishop and leaves the pawn to ...Bxg4. The bishop then bears down on d5 and b7, and White relies on tactical tricks along the diagonal. Black most often takes the pawn. The usual follow-up, 2...Bxg4 3. c4, is the Fritz Gambit. It clears the long diagonal and prepares Qb3 against the weakened b7- and d5-squares. White scores better in this line than in the position as a whole. The engine nevertheless considers Black clearly better after 2. Bg2, and its top choices include the capture as well as quieter developing moves such as 2...Nc6 and 2...c6.

Declining with 2...c6 makes d5 solid. White can answer with the Spike Attack, 3. g5, or with 3. c4 dxc4 4. b3, the Richter-Grob Gambit, which offers a second pawn to open lines. The central reply 2...e5 can be met by the Keres Gambit, 3. d4 exd4 4. c3. The rare 2...h5 3. gxh5 is the Basman Gambit. Every branch tends toward open, tactical play rather than a fixed structure.