Lasker Simul Special

The Lasker Simul Special arises after 1. g3 h5, an irregular answer to the Benko Opening. It ignores the center in favor of an immediate flank thrust. The idea is to continue with ...h4 and strike at the g3 pawn before White has finished building the kingside fianchetto. If pawns are exchanged on g3, the h-file opens for the rook still standing on h8, and White's kingside, where the king normally castles in this system, becomes the target.

The move does nothing for Black's development and loosens the g5 square, so the engine gives White a slight edge. Its top choices are 2. Nf3, 2. d4 and 2. Bg2, all of which develop or take central space and treat ...h4 as a manageable threat rather than one that needs an immediate reply. The practical results are another matter. In online play Black has scored a little better than White from this position, and decisive games make up nearly all of the total, which reflects how unbalanced the play tends to become.

2. Bg2 is by far the most common reply, played in roughly four games out of five. It completes the fianchetto and accepts that Black may go ...h4 next, with White relying on quick development and central play to justify the bishop's placement. 2. Nf3 develops while adding control of h4. It has produced noticeably better results for White than the bishop move, though it is chosen much less often. 2. d4 is the engine's alternative, claiming the center and leaving Black to show that the flank pawn is worth the time spent on it.

2. h4 meets the threat directly by blocking the h-pawn in its tracks. The kingside pawns become fixed, and both sides are left with a weakened square in front of the other's pawns: g4 for White and g5 for Black. That leads to a slower, more positional game than the lines in which ...h4 is allowed.

The opening sits in the A00 group of uncommon first-move systems. It appears mainly in fast online games, where its surprise value counts for more than its theoretical standing.