8244 Players currently online!
Man vs. Machine - good luck!
Turn-based games at any time!
Vote for the best move to win!
Do you have what it takes?
Sharpen your tactical vision!
Get advice and game insights!
Learn from top players & pros!
View millions of master games!
Your virtual chess coach!
Perfect your opening moves!
Test your skills vs. computer!
Find the right private coach!
Can you solve it each day?
Bring it all together!
Beginners, start here!
Make friends & play team games!
News from the world of chess!
Search all Chess.com members!
Find local clubs & events!
Who's the best of your friends?
Read what members are saying!
Evasan
Estragon
Well, if you know the opponent prefers the Stonewall, you should play 1...Nf6. It is often better to play ...d6 for control of the e5 square White covets than to have the stronger central position with ...d5.
A good set-up is ...Nf6, ...d6, ...g6, ...Bg7, ...0-0, since the Stonewall position is rather pointless against a King's Indian. An early ...c5 is also justified most of the time.
People who play these set formations against any defense aren't doing it from a position of strength - they are afraid of the main line openings and trying to avoid them. In chess, one size never fits all. Don't be intimidated by them, scorn them.
Alphastar18
I think the best weapon against the stonewall is the king's indian setup, and then blow open the center with ..d6, ..Nfd7 and ..e5! with a good game for black.Alternatively there's the 1. ..d5 2. ..Bf5 set-up that should guarantee easy equality.But people who play these kind of systems usually do not care much for obtaining a small opening advantage, but rather want positions they are familiar with.
billwall
When I defend against the Stonewall, I like the 4...Ne4 line. Here is an example of one of my games with 4...Ne4.
knightassassin
The best move order for the stonewall is the bird move order. This way you can sidestep the kings indian. And yes there is a lot less theory to learn with the stonewall than other openings. And this makes it a good opening for a non master with limited time to study openings
@BillWall- 3 Knight moves in the opening! :) I'm not sure, but it looks as if white has a sufficient advantage after 7. e4
ron11612002
I was playing my father today and I opened with the stonewall and he countered with N-QB3. It basically threw off my opening game. You can either defend the pawn by P-QB3 but I advanced the pawn attacking the Knight. Once I did that the Stonewall was shattered at least in my opinion. Can anyone let me know if this is a good solid defense for black(N-QB3) or this is a easy move for white to attack.
Thanks
lukav_minaev
I agree with Estragon, and I would add:
In my personal experience, I found that, unless your opponent has made an extremely great mistake worth punishing (hang the queen, give away the center, etc); one should just develop the King's knight and bishop (Nf3 and Be2), castle asap, and then start trading pieces. I found out that, even at relatively high levels (1400-1800), for black to take the initiative makes white start doubting.
I try to follow these simple rules:
* Dont trade your strong pieces for the opponent's weak ones. (i.e. a strong knight for a folded bishop, etc)
* If possible, try to break the bishop couple.
* If possible, get your rooks on the d and e files. If all goes wrong, you still can align them together and make MAJOR damage.
*If possible, always try to double the opponent's pawns. If one can trade a minor piece for another minor piece AND the opponent has to double up a pawn to get our piece, it's a win, because we all know that having a doubled up pawn is like having a pawn less. It may look as a minor detail, but early trades lead to early endgames, and an advantage of 1 or 2 pawns then becomes A LOT.
* Try to rush the endgame as much as you can, without compromising your position. After all, our opponent is a human being, and his/her fastest moves are not always the most accurate ones. That way he/she may probably make some errors (or a lot of them!), and then you can play YOUR game.
Hope it was helpful in some way.
My game against GM Michael Adams
by Firepower8 a few minutes ago
chessblood (white) vs. ChristianSoldier007 (black) WITH KIBITZERS!
by chessblood 3 minutes ago
HELP PLEASE
by Kenji_Yamazaki 10 minutes ago
CPOTM May 2012 cont.
by Conquistador 10 minutes ago
Smith-Morra defence
by Kenji_Yamazaki 12 minutes ago
5/25/2012 - Reshevsky-Ivanovic, Skopje 1976
by Kenji_Yamazaki 13 minutes ago
Live Game with Commentating!
by ChristianSoldier007 15 minutes ago
Dismantling the SMG
by echecs06 17 minutes ago
Vote chess improvements
by echecs06 19 minutes ago
The Patzer Diaries – An Opening Plan
by TonyH 22 minutes ago