Kryakvin: Attacking with g2-g4The Modern Way to Get the Upper Hand in Chess The secret of its success may be its anti positional look. The pawn thrust g2 g4 is often so counter intuitive that its a perfect way to confuse your opponents and disrupt their position. Ever since World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik started using it to defeat the elite grandmasters of his day, it has developed, on all levels of play, into an ever more popular and attractive way to fight for the initiative.