English Chess Forum

Peter D Williams · Post by **Peter D Williams** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 5:35 pm

Has any forumite ever played h4 as the first move in an otb rated game?

Rob Thompson · Post by **Rob Thompson** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 6:04 pm

The closest I've come is 1 ... a5

PeterTurland · Post by **PeterTurland** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 6:22 pm

My opening move is a secret, in case I might face you over the wood one day.

Brian Valentine · Post by **Brian Valentine** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 6:48 pm

Peter,
The person you should speak to is Russell Granat. He played it for quite a while (my guess is in the late 70s but maybe a bit later).

PeterTurland · Post by **PeterTurland** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 6:58 pm

Are you the guy that does atrostophy ?

Colin Patterson · Post by **Colin Patterson** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 8:10 pm

I once faced an anonymous US player on the internet and he beat me with 1. h4, followed by 2. a4, pushing both pawns as far as they would go. Embarrassingly, he beat me quite easily. I asked him afterwards if his opening had a name - to which he replied that his school team all played it and it was known as the "wide receivers go long" opening.

Ray Sayers · Post by **Ray Sayers** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 8:59 pm

I played in the British Under 18s in the early 80's and in the final round the guy who was white next to my board played 1. h4, 2. Nh3, 3. f3, 4. Nf2 etc.

He lost. Odd that.

Jonathan Rogers · Post by **Jonathan Rogers** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 9:15 pm

I've played 1 a4 OTB, but have not "got around" to 1 h4 yet.

The most famous 1 h4 game was Kadas v Arkhipov (2400 or so) - from memory

1 h4 e5 2 d4 exd4 3 Nf3 c5 4 c4 d5 5 e3 dxe3 6 cxd5 exf2+ 7 Kxf2 Nf6? 8 Bb5+ (already winning!) Bd7 9 Re1+ Be7 10 d6 Bxb5 11 Rxe7+ Kf8 12 Qb3 Be8 13 Ng5 Ng4+ 14 Kg1 c4 15 Qf3 Nf6 (note how 15...Qb6+ - the point of Black's last two moves - does not help because of 16 Be3, which is defended by the rook on e7) 16 Ne6+ fxe6 17 Qxf6+ gxf6 18 Bh6+ Kg8 19 Rg7+ Kf8 20 Rxb7+ Kg8 21 Rg7+ etc, and when he cared to do so, White took the queen on d8 and won a further piece next move (...Kf7 26 d7!).

Everyone should see this game, I think - though whether it's worth remembering is another matter.

John Upham · Post by **John Upham** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 11:02 pm

1/2 h4 and 2/1 a4 are popular in bullet chess when the pawns get pushed as far as they will go combined with saccing two exchanges on h3 and a3. The bishops are more useful in delivering mate than retaining the rooks for the ending which may not happen anyway.

The same moves are popular in primary school chess for less principled reasons.

Nick Burrows · Post by **Nick Burrows** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 11:05 pm

I believe i remember Brett Lund beating Harry Lamb at the Chorley Congress around 1997 with 1. h4

(Sorry Harry)

Harry took me to my first ever chess tournament when i was at primary school..

(Thanks Harry!)

James Pratt · Post by **James Pratt** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 2:24 am

There was an article on irregular openings which appeared in The Guardian in 1978 by Barden. It appeared during the British. Plenty read it and Russell Granat started playing 1.h4; his sister tried it against Anne Sunnucks in the British Ladies. Myers would approve, Basman smirk and Hardy shrug.

Matt Mackenzie · Post by **Matt Mackenzie** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 6:13 pm

Jonathan Rogers wrote:I've played 1 a4 OTB, but have not "got around" to 1 h4 yet.

The most famous 1 h4 game was Kadas v Arkhipov (2400 or so) - from memory

1 h4 e5 2 d4 exd4 3 Nf3 c5 4 c4 d5 5 e3 dxe3 6 cxd5 exf2+ 7 Kxf2 Nf6? 8 Bb5+ (already winning!) Bd7 9 Re1+ Be7 10 d6 Bxb5 11 Rxe7+ Kf8 12 Qb3 Be8 13 Ng5 Ng4+ 14 Kg1 c4 15 Qf3 Nf6 (note how 15...Qb6+ - the point of Black's last two moves - does not help because of 16 Be3, which is defended by the rook on e7) 16 Ne6+ fxe6 17 Qxf6+ gxf6 18 Bh6+ Kg8 19 Rg7+ Kf8 20 Rxb7+ Kg8 21 Rg7+ etc, and when he cared to do so, White took the queen on d8 and won a further piece next move (...Kf7 26 d7!).

Everyone should see this game, I think - though whether it's worth remembering is another matter.

I think this is the game Glenn Flear refers to in a piece written for the March/April 1983 CHESS (Nos 895-6)

If so, he was paired against Kadas in the following round - faced the "unsound" Albin-Counter Gambit.........and got totally mashed

He then refers to another weird and wacky Kadas experiment in the same tourney - 1e4 d5 2ed5 Nf6 3d4 c6?! 4dc6 e5?!?

Cant be remotely sound, shurely??

Joey Stewart · Post by **Joey Stewart** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 6:45 pm

Nick Burrows wrote:I believe i remember Brett Lund beating Harry Lamb at the Chorley Congress around 1997 with 1. h4

(Sorry Harry)

He he, that is a classic. I want to see that game now, should be a bit of a treat.

Matt Mackenzie · Post by **Matt Mackenzie** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 8:09 pm

I recall Brett playing both 1h4 and 1....h5 a few times in the 1980s. And winning more often than not

JonManley · Post by **JonManley** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 9:07 pm

Hector v Boersma
Dinard Open 1986

1. h4 Nf6 2. d4 d5 3. Nf3 c5 4. Bg5 cxd4 5. Bxf6 gxf6 6. Qxd4 Nc6 7. Qa4 Rg8 8.
c3 Qb6 9. Qc2 Bf5 10. Qxf5 Qxb2 11. e3 e6 12. Qxh7 Rg4 13. Qd3 Qxa1 14. Qc2 Rc8
15. Nfd2 Nb4 16. Qd1 f5 17. cxb4 Qb2 18. Bb5+ Kd8 19. Ke2 Qxb4 20. Bd3 Rxg2 21.
Nf3 Bd6 22. Nbd2 Ke7 23. Qa1 Bg3 24. Rf1 f4 25. e4 Rc3 26. exd5 Qc5 27. d6+ Kd7
28. Qb2 Qe3+ 29. Kd1 Qxd3 30. Ne5+ Kxd6 31. Nxd3 Rxd3 32. Qb4+ 1-0

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