Winning quickly with 1.g4 d5 2.Bg2 Bxg4 3.c4 is all well and good. However, would you have been prepared for 3...d4!?, the Romford countergambit?

The one chance I've had to play this OTB, my opponent had no idea what he was doing and went on to lose in pretty quick time. The line poses white some very unusual and difficult problems, which in my experience white finds insurmountable. It's a rumour that Basman gave up his Grob experiments because of this line (Despite his comment "Who's afraid of the Romford Countergambit??"). 

The exchange sac looks correct to me, and despite spending a good while looking at the position after 4.Bxb7 Nd7 5.Bxa8 Qxa8 6.f3 in the past, I've never found a line I consider fully satisfactory for white. Indeed, in another forum I used to contribute on, after a while a dedicated grob player admitted it might even be best to play 5.Bg2 and ignore the exchange, and even then black seems to get a comfortable game.

I really can't believe the grob gambit for white. And, despite my penchant for the weird and wonderful in chess, this is one opening I've never risked playing either on IECC or OTB chess (and on IECC I play 1.h4 regularly!).

Regards, 
Craig 

I believe that it isn't nothing more than an interesting and a bit dangerous move. But of course in any 10+ game, it has to be catastrophic

I think more people should play the Grob, 1.g4. You can have lots of fun in Rapidplay tournaments, and I beat somebody graded 30 BCF points above me after 1. g4 d5 2. Bg2 Bxg4?! 3. c4!

Mayybe boring people will play 2...e5 3. h3 c6, but I think after 4. d4 e4 5. c4 e4 White has an interesting position

Your thoughts please.