The impending festive season had me thinking about the Swiss GM Noël Studer. Studer retired from competitive play in 2021 when still in his mid twenties to become a coach, author and content creator, working mostly with adults rated between 800 and 2200 online.

He advocates a holistic, no-nonsense approach to studying chess which might well appeal to some of our members. You can find his website, Next Level Chess, here and his YouTube channel here.

Despite his common-sense views, he decided to essay the unsound Grob Opening (1. g4) in a 2020 online Titled Tuesday blitz game against Richmond Junior Club coach David Okike. He got away with it, though, reaching this position where Black’s last move, g6, turned out to be a fatal mistake.

Can you find White’s continuation here, resulting in a Joyeux Noël?