Grand Prix Attack?

The Grand Prix Attack gets a lot of votes as an alternative for an attacking player. Is is sound? Is it fun? The wins-draw-loss percentage isn't stellar: 33/24/43 (%)

...but that kind of statistics is hard to evaluate unless you know the ratings of the players.

It's pretty easy to understand.  Your opponent usually has to adjust to your opening as opposed to you having to know an open Sicilian.  In Grand Prix formations black usually ends up fianchettoing his/her Queen's bishop, which many Sicilian formations don't do.  Now if your opponent plays a Dragor or an Accelerated Dragon they won't mind this at all.

The louse stats are probably due to the fact that a lot of the Grand Prix games you will see in databases are between higher rated players 2200+  The Grand Prix is one of those openings that is used by players on the lower end of this rating scale (2200) to keep out of the book lines of their much stonger opponent (2400+), many times we are talking about 100-300 rating point difference, so the person with white had a good shot of losing the game anyway.

In other words it's perfectly playable as white at the sub 2200 level.  I've gotten good positions from it in the past.  Don't let database statistics influence your opening repertoire choices too much, most games in these databases are between very strong players and our "truth" isn't neccessarily theirs.

Very nice response! Thank you!

Yup, "fun factor" is much more important than database stats since almost anything is playable below master level.

Is the Grand Prix Attack Busted?

The link pretty much sums up the Grand Prix Attack I think... ragingly popular, then all but refuted at the IM/GM level. This means that against decent databased opponents in CC you can't expect to come out of the opening with an advantage. OTB against non-masters it is much more likely to get good results. At this point I imagine any devoted 1.e4 c5 Black tournament player, even the normal club player, is going to book up at least a little against the Grand Prix.

The annotated game is quite good.

The grand-prix is playable but in my opinion there are much more ambitious tries for white if you want to avoid the mainlines. The problems with stuff like the grand-prix and closed siclian is that theoretically they offer white practically nothing. Players play them because they're simple to learn and they believe in getting black "out of book". The problem with this reasoning is black has probably played in WAY more closed sicilian/grand-prix positions than you have so there is absolutely no surprise element, and black will just get a good game.

Instead I would recommend playing either the c3 sicilian or the rossolimo/moscow sicilian. Both offer white good chances of a slight opening plus, create much richer and more interesting positions, and will be playable throughout your chess life. 

Another way to go is to play the open sicilian but stay away from the sharpest lines. For example playing the fiancetto or classical Be2 lines against most everything. Or if you're in a more aggressive mood, the english attack is easy to learn, can be played against many different sicilians, and offers white excellent chances for an advantage.

Eric wrote: " The problem with this reasoning is black has probably played in WAY more closed sicilian/grand-prix positions than you have so there is absolutely no surprise element, and black will just get a good game."

I have to disagree.  I think black would have seen many, many closed Sicilians, but white will see the Grand Prix everytime he/she plays 1.e4, c5.  I do agree that theoretically the Rosolimo and Moscow variations are probably the "best" anti Sicilians, but once again stats don't matter much below master level.

Not as much no, but having a more pleasant position is always preferable to having a less pleasant one. Besides, when you play variations that aren't terribly good, at some point in your chess development you're going to have to re-tool your whole opening repertoire. Why not just start out playing good lines?

I have been playing the GP but not very well. I feel somewhat confined in ideas and perhaps it does'nt agree with me or maybe I just don't understand it well enough. Give it a try, see what you think. Personally, I'm ready to stop avoiding the mainline sicilian ideas; they just seem more like what I would like to play. 

I can't believe that's the first time I'm hearing that advice. It makes such sense!

And Forkypinner mentioned being "ready to stop avoiding the mainline sicilian ideas" ...I recall a strong player saying: You know, mainlines are the mainline for a reason!

I have been playing the grand Prix attack for a couple of months now, and opponents at my level have a hard time meeting it.  I don't win every game with it (I lose because of blunders on my part) but it not the fault of the opening.  When the opening is played right I like the attack white gets against blacks enemy king.  In my opinion The opening is dangerous and double edged, which suits my style!   

Ok I realize I may be getting a bit ridiculous with the quotes here, but let me explain my point.

Firstly I agree the main lines are main lines for a reason, and I think overall it is a good idea to play open Sicilians if it's possible.  Here's the problem with main lines however, they are mainlines because they have been analyzed and are used by people who play chess almost full time.  Unfortunately, as much as I'd like that to be the case with my chess study it is not.

If you venture into a mainline of a Sicilian your opponent will know more than you.  After all s/he is always aiming for a Taimanov, Dragon, Najdorf, Kalahinakov while you'll have not idea what you are about to face, I don't see any reason to do that.  At the patzer level an Anti-Sicilian is a perfectly viable alternative to becoming a Sicilian expert.

Even Super-GM's have been known to try this when looking for a tactical game, as in this dozy between J. Polgar and V. Kramnik.  OK, it was a rapid transit game, but still...

Kramnik was better for most of that game, and you're recommending that as a system to play for white? Maybe I'm just old fashioned but I believe white should be at least trying for an advantage in the opening.

Sure, but if you're going to play an anti-sicilian you might as well play a decent one. The Bb5 or c3 systems offer white much more than the grand-prix/closed/morra gambit/wing gambit/b3 stuff/whatever lines.

Also like I said earlier, if you're going to play the open sicilian (which I recommend you do) there's no reason why you have to play the sharpest lines. Many top players get along just fine playing things like the classical Be2 or fiancetto stuff, or if they're more aggressive, the english attack. All of these systems offer white excellent chances for an opening plus, can be played against almost any sicilian variation, and carry very easy to understand, basic ideas through all variations. 

If you're going to play stuff like Bg5 vs the Najdorf then yea you're in for a headache, but why bother when you can play Be2, develop classically with easy to understand plans, and come out of the opening with a preferable position?

I recommend it only for the entertainment value 

You don't think Judit Polgar was at least trying  for an advantage?  C'mon.

No, I dont think she was.

It was a rapid game, she was probably playing something offbeat and quirky to get Kramnik out of his usual prep and create some complex positions. Obviously it didn't work and I'm sure she would be playing the open sicilian in 95% of her classical games vs. c5.

Agree totally.

But that was probably a practical way to try to get an advantage in that situation, wasn't it?  

There's more than one way to get an advantage out of the opening.

thought I posted this already bu here goes...

2. f4 isn't played anymore because black is seen to equalize after 2...d5 as in this game.

2.Nc3 then 3. f4 is seen as the proper way to play this.

The problem with quiet lines in the Sicilian is that they don't offer white anything either.  Quiet Sicilian lines score as poorly for white as many of the Anti-Sicilian lines do (at the top level)  If you can't get a good K-side attack I don't see a point in playing an open Sicilian.  You are going to be down a central pawn and Black will have a better pawn structure, most of the time (Sveshinkov and Kalashinikov are the two exceptions off the top of my head).  

I think an Anti line, even the Grand Prix is better.

Right, so that's why you see all the top grandmasters playing the grand-prix. 

Yea, but there's only one way to consistently get an advantage out of the opening, and thats by playing good lines.

Judit played it for some offbeat creative fun, but 99% of the time she would play the open. Especially after her offbeat little experiment failed to produce anything good for her.