Stonewall Attack (Part 6)
Welcome back to the Stonewall! This won't be the last time (Sorry for saying this is the last in the other blogs). In this special entry, I will talk about using the stonewall against other openings.
As white, if you use the Stonewall, if you start out with either d4 or f4, then the responses will vary. I will go over other responses against 1. d4 other then d5, which follows.
1. Old benoni (1. d4 c5)
By moving c5, your opponent wants to directly attack your center from the flank. I find this premature, since there hasn't been any support lended to this advance. Ignoring this and continuing your regular stonewall structure with moves like e3 and c3, you will run into potential trouble ahead. If your opponent takes with the c5 pawn, then he/she basically eats up part of your stonewall, which can be susceptible to weaknesses. Best move would be d5, to gain more space. I would lend some support to this with the c and e pawn, and try to close the game up a bit. You can open up some files with aggressive moves after you complete your development.
2. Englund Gambit (1. d4 e5)
I only see this occasionally, but can sometimes pose a problem. Dealing with this is similar to the Old benoni. Just advance and grab space. Once again, you shouldn't let your opponent take the d pawn because you'd be susceptible to weaknesses later. I wouldn't accept the Gambit, as the pawn is very difficult to hold onto. Letting it go would give your opponent a lot of space, so just stick with advancing.
3. Indian Game (1. d4 Nf6)
The indian game for black commonly transposes into a king's indian defense or a nimzo. I don't find Nf6 too effective against the Stonewall, because after all, Nf6 prevents the advancement of e4. Sometimes, this can change into the main line stonewall, with standard black moves like d5, e6, Nf5, c5, etc. However, if your opponent adamantly goes on to the king's indian without paying attention to your stonewall, just fianchetto a bishop onto b2. This will really help because this give an opportunity for it to be exchanged for another minor piece, which will give white an advantage. In response to Nf6, just continue your Stonewall. But if your opponent doesn't contribute to the center, then just ram in some pieces to take control. Also, if your opponent does a king's indian and moves d6, do NOT move to f4 or else you'll get undermined by a move like e5. To make it worse, you can take advantage of the dark-squared weaknesses if your dark-squared bishop is fianchettoed.
