How to defend against the stonewall attack?

Hi members

I often find myself in trouble when I'm meeting the stonewall attack (d4, e3, f4, c3, Bd3) with the black pieces.

Usually I setup my pieces like: d5, Nf6, e6, Be7, 0-0, b6, and Bb7. But that f4 pawn is really annoying to me, as it totally restricts my e6 pawn to move further, and it provide a great support for a white knight on e5. If I trade this white knight on e5 off the board, I find that white will have a strong pawn on e5 which have control of f6 and d6, and it will open up the f-file for whites rook. Also almost all of my pieces are stranded on the queenside, while white is launching a king side attack. Trying to break through on the queenside with c7-c5 doesn't seem to solve much of my problems as white has d4 well covered by two pawns.

So, what to do to break the stonewall attack?

the plan i like the most against stonewall setups is to trade off their good bishop for your bad bishop often times you will see that they would be severly missing their good bishop because it is often needed for a successfull attack. but as the endgame approaches and you are playing against their bad bishop you actually want a good knight vs bad bishop as opposed to a good bishop vs bad bishop endgame because often in the latter endgame they have better chances of achieving a fortress.

to try and trade your bad bishop for their good bishop you can try a quick b6 and Ba6 but this can often be easier if you delay e6 shutting in your lightsquared bishop until you know they aren't going for a stonewall attack.

if all else fails you can attempt to play f5 yourself to try to shut down their attack

p-wnattack>> Thanks for your input. I will look at the idea of playing Ba6.

There are a number of ways to frustrate the Stonewall Attack. Swapping off the LSB's is one or 1/-....f5 the Dutch is good or just fianchetto the DSB on the Kingside, White will usually still try for the Stonewall but the Black Kings position is much more difficult to break open as the LSB sacrifice on h7 is no longer an option.

What I find works for me, for the various move orders white can do with this opening:

1. d4 d5 2. f4 Nf6 3. e3 Bf5 - this trades off white's bishop if it ends up at d3

1. d4 d5 2.e3 Nc6 3.f4 Nf6 4. c3 (or a3) then 4...Bf5 which makes playing Bd3 harder for White.

1.d4 d5 2.e3 Nc6 3.Bd3 Nb4 - this is inconvienient for Bd3.

If White plays either 3. a3 or 3. c3, Black can try 3...e5, which is not the kind of position White is aiming for with this opening

I'm sure the above isn't the best theoretical response, but it does sort of remove the time advantage white would get in blitz or faster time controls

The biggest feature about the stonewall is the hole on e4. Black usually wants to stick a knight there with the extra plus of blocking White's light-squared bishop out of the game. Playing a "remedy" has it's own downsides because you can be move ordered into something you don't want. 

For example you could develop the light-squared bishop early but you'd have to be ok with a Slav position after White plays c4. Nc6 stuff is ok too but that can lead to other things as White doesn't have to play Bd3. It's also important to note that the game isn't going to be over after one trade of pieces anyway. If you haven't been KO'd on h7 this is good but but there will still be a game to be played. 

Just always be aware when they open with d4, e3 and avoid playing Nf3. if they do this, its usually safe to get your Light square bishop outside your pawns before playing e6. And from there the Stonewall really loses its bind. 

Thank you all for your input :)

@pHUMpK1Ns

Ocassionally I play Stonewall, and people play it against me.

One thing you can do is ... break their pawn wall.

Here's an example from a blitz game, where white played c3-d4-e3-f4 and black pushes e7e5.

Not a very good game, but just as an example for you.

Good stuff guys, I enjoyed reading the knowledge you imparted.  In most of the comments, I saw good ideas for a plan, but I really like b3nnyhaha's comment as he put together a simple move order with explanations on how to be prepared for the stonewall, what early moves to actually play against it, and to watch for white to play Nf3, which is when you know as he put it, "stonewall averted". 

But all the posts showed a concensus to pay special attention to White's light squared bishop and to make sure that yours doesn't get shut out of the game.  That's where the black player will get crushed if he fails to address that.

Wonderful insights. I like using the Stonewall when the situation is suitable for it. So I like for white D4 and e6 , and see what Black does. I have gotten fairly good at varying away from the Stonewall should black play d6, and now looking at options for white should black play his Q Bishop out, so I wait for e6 before progressing with the Stonewall. Should Black play g6 , I often respond with c4.

I am under 1700 here at chess.com for online and do well with this approach against players under 1800 and a few wins agianst 1800+ which for me is very pleasing.

zugzwangutan wrote:

"I am looking to buy a book on how to play against the stonewall system. Any suggestions?"

MervynS wrote:

"Read the various suggestions on the black side in this forum post then:

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-openings/how-to-defend-against-the-stonewall-attack "

I think this is it.

A nice setup of you're not going with a fianchetto is d5, c5, nc6, nf6, and Bg4 before e6. Also an early nc6 is possible too, when you can answer c3 with e5.

A lot of good input, and something to consider is if you are playing 1...d5 against 1. d4.  If you play 1...Nf6, you have the option of coming into some setups that are like this (in no particular order):

Nf6 - g6 - Bg7 - 0-0 - d6 with the eventual idea of e5

OR you can go for an approach used in the Bird move order, with d5 - g6 - Bg7 - Nf6 - 0-0 - c5 - Nc6, without having that "closed" structure that makes the Stonewall more effective. 

Yes and don't be afraid of playing bf5 when you take back with your e or g pawn. In many positions this is good for black, like if you're kicked with h3 after bg4, go to f5 and after Bxf5 exf5 dxc5 Bxc5 you have a favorable IQP position with black

Brilliant stuff guys....much appreciated

Note that when White plays a Stonewall formation it is called the Stonewall Attack (the formation can also achieved via Bird's Opening).  When Black plays the Stonewall formation it is the Stonewall Dutch Defense.

For an introduction to the The Stonewall Attack check out...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/stonewall-attack

There was an article in the December 1981 issue of Chess Life magazine, pp. 34-36, by IM Larry D. Evans (not the former US Open Champion GM Larry M. Evans, who was a friend of Bobby Fischer), titled "Stonewalling - How to turn this frustrating opening into your opponent's Watergate".  It is a essentially a tutorial on how to defend as Black against the Stonewall Attack.  Back issues of Chess Life can be downloaded as .pdf files from the United States Chess Federation (USCF) Chess Life and Chess Review Archives here (your download might be slow, so be patient)...

https://new.uschess.org/chess-life-digital-archives

http://uscf1-nyc1.aodhosting.com/CL-AND-CR-ALL/CL-ALL/1981/1981_12.pdf

@19, Thanks Russ.