Hi all. I've been playing the grandprix attack against the sicilian for a couple of months now, and especially in OTB play, (played against opposition with an average rating of around 1700), my results with it are very good. I'd like to show you a game I played yesterday, and it shows what can go wrong if you don't anticipate the attack properly. It looks harmless, but it can sting! Hope this game does not bore you too much and I'd be interested to know if any of you have similar examples of good fortune with the grandprix attack. 

good game.. but I see 39. Rxe7!?

how about 39. Rxb7

Well done. Here's an example of how not to play it. Where did I go wrong?

Well, Qh4 is needed before f5.

Compared to earlier game, played unprovoked BxN without damaging pawn structure. Also, probably more serious commited to big heave-ho on king-side, before black had decided were putting king. Maybe could of considered playing in centre with e5, against black's slightly non-standard setup too.

Hi Gwfhegel,

I think you lost a tempo in the opening when you "voluntarily" took Nc6. I usually wait until black plays a6. Then I would also play Qh4 first, so that you can (if black lets you) play Bh6 to exchange blacks defensive Bishop. If then you can use one of your rooks to get rid of Nf6, you've got a nice attack going. On the other hand, if you play the GPA with Bb5 instead of Bc4, you may have to settle for a "normal" middlegame. So your game is not lost if you don't checkmate the black king!

This was my first game where the attack immediately brought me a material advantage,

kind regards,

Paul

murometzyx wrote:

good game.. but I see 39. Rxe7!?

how about 39. Rxb7

I thought that the pawn endgame was winning, and with the black knight gone, there are no more surprises as well

Good topic. I love the Grand Prix Attack! I play it all the time on here and OTB.  Feel free to check out some of my games going on right now as well as some in my games archives.  Gwfhegel  you played a few inaccuracies  that  I can see.  The  capture of  Nc6 was one, f5  was another but I would not call either of these big mistakes. Bg5 was your biggest mistake. Your opponent has not committed to castling and your assuming he is going to castle kingside which is arguably his best choice.  After Bg5 h6 you are practically forced to make the exchange of B for N and you will be lucky to hold a draw at this point.  If you retreat, as you did, your opponent gets to advance his pawns castle queenside and now you are the one getting attacked. If instead you would have played Qh4 you still would have had the initiative, and decent attacking prospects.  Also on move 18 why did you make the decision to capture with the Knight instead of the bishop?  I just glanced at it briefly but I think capturing with the Bishop is much better here. The position is completely closed and your bisop is totally restricted. In other words it sucks and you should be looking for ways to trade it off! Your opponent gave you that opportunity so you should jump on it! Find a way to keep the position locked and play for the draw.

  Polleke 10.Kh1 seemed unnecessary . What were your thoughts here?I think either Qh4 or even the interesting f5 were playable here. Thats probably why you were only able to find 1 example of that position in the database like you said in your annotation.  You are searching Master games, and they very seldomly waste a tempo in the opening of the Grand Prix. If you are going to master this attack you cant afford to waste any tempos.  Thats all a good defensive player needs to equalize and seize the initiative on you!

The two games shown were with the main line defence with g7. However there is another perfectly playable defence with an early e6 which is prettysound.

  I have, in a sense, been playing the Gran Prix for some years.  It can transpose from Bird's Opening.  When the Sicilian is played against me I can go into a Gran Prix type attack with:

1.e4   1.c5

2.f4    2.d6

3.Nf3

       I do not want to commit my Queen's Knight to c3, as in the usual lines.  That's the big difference.   Rather wish to play the Leningrad Dutch Reversed,  playing the Queen Knight to d2.  In this way it is not strictly a Gran Prix ,but close enough.  This piece backs up my King's Knight so I can move my Queen.  Here White has fianchettoed his king bishop In this position so that (9 times out of 10) Black will pin the White King's Knight with his free queen's bishop at g4. White's QN can then recapture on f3 if needed. 

    The reason I like this idea is that when Black has played c5, and especially after c5 and d6, Black cannot get a check on White's King with Bc5+, since c5 will be unavailable to Black for a long time.   So, White's King is a lot safer after castling kingside.  One move you DO NOT want to make then is h3 with White.  The Black Bishop will be harmless at g4.  Black's King Knight is more dangerous there, the knight can force White into playing h3, and loosen the kingside.  I have worked this out.  You have the Leningrad Dutch with a move in hand, and White needs that tempo to avoid a draw. 

    Playing Bird's Opening in a tournament one afternoon I found that the play, in a game, had transposed into what seemed to be the Gran Prix Attack.  So I have used it against the Sicilian ever since as a handy weapon.  Not all the time.  The Leningrad Dutch is most effectively used for Black when White fianchettos his King Bishop in the QP game.  In the Gran Prix after c5 and d6 Black has no square for the bishop other than g7.

    So, this (in a way) is another variation of the Gran Prix for White.  Rather unknown in fact.  I just played it at Chess.com against my son in our last game.  White got an excellent position out of it but then got into trouble.

Thanks for your analysis Malurn, Kh1 is indeed not a necessary move. I do include it more often than not though... Hmmm, in some variations a bishop lands on d4 with check, but in this game I thought black could generate counterplay with Qb6 - eying the g1 square and b2. I am not saying this is good enough to spend a tempo on, but those were my thoughts :-). Will most likely leave it out next time!

e6 can be a solid defence but black has to be very careful when to play it with the Bishop on b5.  After the trade on c6 white can push the pawn to e5 and try and sneak a knight into d6 with check.  I have played this continuation many times, and blacks game is in huge trouble.  The traditional grand prix with the bishop on c4 actually makes e6 a very nice defence because black can push d5 with gain of time.

Thanks Billy, I used to play the GPA with that move order as well, but I don't like the variations that follow after 2. d5. A matter of taste (and I am not good enough to deal with the chaos that can arise!).

Yes Polleke I see what you are saying about the Queen maneuver and the Bishop check, and in some cases those are a threat that need to be dealt with. More often then not though they are completely harmless, and in this case they were not a threat at all.  This is where pure cold calculation comes into play.  Think a few moves deep and see if your opponent can generate anything with those moves.  If you can save that tempo you are going to win a lot more games, and you will even be able to beat some very strong opponents.

Polleke,

That is a point well taken about d5.  They say it frees Black's game in the Sicilian at any time.  To quote the Scottish poet Robert Burns, "The best layed plans of mice and men oft times will go wrong".  That's chess.  Just be sure to remember your Boy Scout motto,  " Be prepared ". 

Thanks for the comments.  I know Qh4 is thematic in the GPA but I guess I don't really understand it. It seems to flout the opening principle "don't bring Queen out too early." So what is the idea behind it--general pressure on the k-side and to try to set up the exchange of the Bg7? What does Qh4 have to do with f5?

Also on taking Bxc6 before a6, doesn't waiting for a6 just let Black set up b5 and let's him get his queenside pawns rolling faster?

Hello again. The link below will lead you to a video on youtube. Video is from a guy that explains why he plays the GPA, and your questions are tackled. Play on the queenside for black is too slow (when you are quick enough!!!) and in the game that is featured there you see what the queen is doing on h4. Enjoy the funny accent!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCiqu3VyE3k

I also play the Grand-Prix and I have really good results with it.

The black defense in the Grand Prix Attack is easier if he plays e7-e6 and Nge7. Then black can often prevent f4-f5 for some time, or even forever by  playing f7-f5.

(The same argument can often be heard in the closed Sicilian 1.e4 c5, 2.Nc3 Nc6, 3.g3 g6, 4.Bg2 Bg7, 5.d3 d6, 6.f4. Now 6....Nf6 is perfectly playable, but most players prefer 6....e6 and then Nge7.)

One of the main lines in the Grand Prix Attack is

1.e4 c5, 2.Nc3 Nc6, 3.f4 g6, 4.Nf3 Bg7, 5.Bc4. Now black can play Nf6 and d6, but the complications after a pawnbreak f4-f5 (often as a pawn sacrifice!) are difficult to handle. Fischer won some nice games with this setup, even with reversed  colours ...

Therefore most black players prefer

5....e6. White can now easily end up in a worse position with 'innocuous moves', for instance, after 6.d3 Nge7, 7.0-0 d5 =+.

Interesting is 6.f5. Then both 6....gf, 7.d3 Nge7, and

6....Nge7 are good. In the last case white usually takes on e6:

7.f:e6. Then both 7.... d:e6 and 7....f:e6 lead to interesting unsymmetric positions, where black is not worse, in my opinion.