3.d4

3.Bg2 Ng6! will leave White already worried about ...Nh4!

3...exd4 4.Qxd4 Nbc6 5.Qa4 d5 6.Bg2 Be6 7.Nc3 d4!

It's quite obvious that Black is already slightly better and is starting to push White around. Tim Wall's plan of central action to divert Black from ...Ng6-h4 was the best that he could do I think but not good enough.

8.Ne4 Nd5

Another route to f4!

9.Nf3 Bb4+!

Positionally very strong. Once the dark-squared Bishops are exchanged f4 falls into Black's hands.

10.Bd2 Bxd2+ 11.Nexd2 Nf4

The point of this system of play. Black’s large advantage is already clear.

12.Rg1 0–0 13.Nb3 Bd5 14.Kf1

You see, if one plays sensibly, eventually White will be reduced to artificial measures to keep his position afloat. For example, 14.Nbxd4 Nxd4 15.Qxd4 Nxe2!! 16.Kxe2 Bxf3+ 17.Kd3 Qg5! 18.Bxf3 Rad8 19.c3 c5 fries White to a crisp.

14...Re8 15.Re1 Qf6 16.g5 Qf5 17.Nbxd4

What else did he have?

17...Nxd4 18.Qxd4 Nxg2 19.Rxg2 Bxf3

The King Hunt is about to begin.

20.exf3 Rxe1+ 21.Kxe1 Re8+

Perhaps not the most accurate, although if I recall correctly, Tim Upton was addicted to time-trouble at this stage of his career. The simple 21...Qxc2! was preferable when the exposed White King will suffer: 22.Rg4 c5! Deflection! 23.Qd5 (23.Qc3 Qb1+ 24.Ke2 Qxa2 25.Re4 Rd8) 23...Qc1+ 24.Ke2 Qxb2+.

22.Kd2 Qa5+ 23.b4 Qb5 24.Rg1?!

24.Rg4! gives holding chances. Maybe they were both blitzing. The rest of the game isn't strictly relevant to our theme, indeed it degenerates into one big hack!

24...Qe2+ 25.Kc1 Qxf3 26.h4

26.Kb2!? and play on.

26...g6 27.Rd1 Re4 28.Qf6 Qf4+ 29.Kb1 Rxb4+ 30.Ka1 Qxf6+ 31.gxf6 h5 32.Rd8+ Kh7 33.Rf8 Rxh4 34.Rxf7+ Kh6 35.Rxc7 Rf4 36.f7 Kg7 37.Rxb7 Rxf7 38.Rb4 Rxf2 39.Kb2 g5 40.a4 h4, 0-1. I like Upton's opening idea, 2…Ne7! seems to be an original thought. There are hardly any games with this move at all! The easy plan is ...Ng6-h4 (if allowed). Even I can remember that.

Mittelbach - Zaynard (2050) [A00]
Vienna, 2003
1.g4 e5 2.Bg2?!

Grob gave 2.d3 as best, intending to answer 2...h5 with 3 g5!. I suggest 2...Ne7!,with similar play to our last example.

2...h5!

A prod which compromises White's pawn structure.

3.d4

Basman would just take the pawn by 3.gxh5 and laugh, but this is a horrible position for White: 3...Nc6 4.c4 Rxh5 5.Nc3 Qg5!? or 5...Nf6 6.d3 Bc5.

3...exd4 4.g5

4.Qxd4 hxg4 5.Qxg4 d5 6.Qa4+ c6, =+. The game returns to normal channels and White has bad pawns – a problem symptomatic of this line.

4...Nc6 5.Nf3 Bc5

I like 5...Bb4+!. The exchange of dark-squared Bishops favors Black so why not? 6.c3 (6.Nbd2 Nge7 7.a3 Bxd2+ 8.Bxd2 d6 9.Bf4 Nf5 10.Qd3 h4, =+) 6...dxc3 7.Nxc3 Nge7.

6.Nbd2 d3!?

I won't spend too much longer on this game, but this is an interesting decision!

7.cxd3 d5 8.Nb3 Bb6 9.Bd2

Better was 9.d4 Nge7 10.Bf4 Ng6 11.Be3 h4 with a complicated, unclear position.

9...h4 10.Rg1 Bf5 11.Rc1 Qd6 12.d4 0–0–0 13.Be3 h3 14.Bh1 Nge7

Full development and the better position that comes with it. Not for the first time in this article, the White position looks very, very odd. 

There goes the charabanc!

29.Kb3 Rxc3+ 30.Ka4 Rb2, 0-1.

You aren't going to face the Grob too often, but it's as well to have something in the locker. 1...e5 is fine, planning ...Ne7 and should White go 2.Bg2, you have the excellent 2...h5! at your disposal. I'm all for originality in chess so more pushing of the Knight's pawns please! As long as I am Black.

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