Hey all, I know several weeks ago I posted about the semi-slav and the dutch, but I'm getting my head around the semi-slav, thinking of using it myself. Those frustrations were born of slap-dash struggles in blitz games.

I also have troubles facing the d4 "systems," as black: the London System, the Stonewall (much like my problems with the Dutch from the oppositie side) and the Catalan. (I dunno, I may have goofed, perhaps the Stonewall isn't a real system.) At least as far as the Stonewall and London are concerned, my opponents have more than white's small advantage, when playing against them I'm also bored to tears.

So I was curious if anyone had suggestions or methods of dealing with these bothersome things!

Thanks in advance.
B.

I've got some notes lying around here somewhere on the London System, Stonewall Attack and Colle System, but I'll need to find it first. I'll get back to you!

Many thanks!

I avoid mainlines enough that I never play against these openings, so I have no specific advice on how to handle them. But I find that the best way to learn to play against an opening is to start playing that opening yourself.

That's why I started playing the French originally - it used to drive me nuts as white, now I play it all the time as black. Ironically, I now play the Alapin-Diemer Gambit against the French as white, and I have no idea what I'd do as black if someone tried it against me.

Your other option is to switch to something odd, like the Englund Gambit (1. d4 e5) or Albin CounterGambit (1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5) that avoids these types of things. Though playing the Albin still allows openings based on 1. d4 d5 without 2. c4. That's something I'll have to think about now that I'm considering trying the Albin myself (I currently play the Englund).

Actually, since you said you have problems with the Dutch as white, that might be a solution for you. Try playing it as black. You'll get used to it enough to know how to handle it when you play against it as white, and you'll avoid all this other stuff when you're black.

--Fromper

I agree with Fromper that playing the Dutch is a great way to find something you like against it. It's a decent defense, with its share of flaws.

Now for those notes I promised. Both have a same setup, knights on f6 and d7, bishop fianchettoed on g7, pawns out on d5 and c5. Works against the Colle and BDG as well.

London System
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bf4 Bg7 4. e3 c5 5. Nbd2 O-O 6. c3 b6 7. h3 Bb7 8. Bc4 d5 9. Bd3 Nbd7 10. O-O Ne4 (11. Bxe4 dxe4 12. Ng5 Nf6 13. Be5 h6 14. Bxf6 exf6 15. Ngxe4 f5 16. Ng3 f4 black's very agressive and has good chances for the pawn investment) 11. Qc2 Nxd2 12. Qxd2 Re8 13. Bg3 a6 14. Rad1 e5 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Be2 Qe7 17. Nxe5 Bxe5 18. Bxe5 Qxe5 19. Bf3 Rad8
Smyslov gives this as dynamically equal.

Stonewall Attack
1. c3 d5 2. d4 c5 3. e3 Nd7 4. f4 (admittedly, through transposition) Ngf6 5. Nd2 g6 6. Ngf3 Bg7 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O Qc7 9. Ne5 Ne8 (great little move) 10. Ndf3 Nd6 11. Qe1 Nf6

1. d4 Nf6 2. e3 g6 3. Bd3 d5 4. Nd2 Bg7 5. f4 Nbd7 6. Ngf3 c5 7. c3 O-O 8. O-O Ne8 9. Ne5 Qc7 10. Qf3 e6 (f5 is threatened by white) 11. Qh3 (for the pawnroller) Nxe5 12. fxe5 f6 13. exf6 Nxf6 14. Qh4 e5 15. e4 c4
Benko on the black side here.

The stonewall gives a lot of players trouble, until, all of a sudden, one day it doesn't.

Van Villey - Znosko-Borovsky, Ostende, 1907

(This analysis is, in part, form an old usenet post by Mig Greengaard. I entered it into a DB for myself, and no longer remember what's his and what's not. Assume, if it's right, it's his.)

1.d4 d5 2.e3 c5!

A key move. If white's going to adapt slow development, black needs to play aggressively.

3.c3 e6 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.f4 Nf6 6.Nd2 Qc7!

Laying a subtle trap.

7.Ngf3

[7.Ndf3 Ne4 8.Ne5 cxd4 9.Bxe4 Nxe5 10.fxe5 dxe4 11.exd4
f5 12.exf6 gxf6 13.Qh5+ Qf7 14.Qb5+ Qd7 15.Qh5+ Qf7 =]

7 . ... cxd4! 8. cxd4

[Obviously, this fails. Better for white is exd4, but then white just drops a pawn on f4. But it's also worth pointing out how key this move is for another reason: inexperienced players often close the queenside "grabbing space" with ... c4. This is a huge mistake. You'll get crushed because white's kingside space grab is MUCH faster, and it's very hard for you to force the position open on the queenside. 8.exd4!? Qxf4 9.Nc4 Qc7 (9...Qg4 10.Ne3!) 10.Nce5 Bd6 11.Qe2 Bxe5 12.dxe5 Nd7 13.Bf4 f6? 14.exf6 Qxf4 15.fxg7 Rg8 16.Qxe6+]

8...Nb4 9.Bb1 Bd7 10.a3 Rc8! 11.0-0 Bb5 12.Re1

[12.axb4 Bxf1 13.Nxf1 Qxc1]

12...Nc2 13.Bxc2 Qxc2 14.Qxc2 Rxc2 15.h3 Bd6 16.Nb1 Ne4 17.Nfd2 Bd3 18.Nxe4 Bxe4 19.Nd2 Kd7 20.Nxe4 dxe4 21.Rb1 Rhc8 22.b4 R8c3 23.Kf1 Kc6 24.Bb2 Rb3 25.Re2 Rxe2 26.Kxe2 Kb5 27.Kd2 Ka4 28.Ke2 a5 29.Kf2 axb4 30.axb4 Kxb4 31.Ke2 Kb5 32.Kd2 Ba3 33.Kc2 Rxb2+ 34.Rxb2+ Bxb2 35.Kxb2 Kc4 36.g4 Kd3 37.g5 Kxe3 0-1

The main variation you really have to worry about here is 7.Nh3 (black usually castles queenside here). White can play Nf3 early, but then Ne4 and f5 is often effective.

Hallo, as far as I know the best option for black to deal with the Stone-Wall-Defence is to play: 1.d4 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.f4 c5! 4.Nf3 Qc7!(The idea of this move is not to allow Nd2,because then after cxd white will have to take on d4 with the N which would lead to a much better strategical position for black,because of the e3 weakness ) 5.c3 g6! thats the key idea.White wants allways to put his B on d3 to attak blacks kingside.After g6 black will allways have the very nice opportunity to change this B with Bf5!
Later you can choose between 0-0-0 ,if you are a good taktical player or 0-0,if you are a positional player.
I think this ideas are all what you have to know about this System!

The kingside fianchetto is reasonable, although faced with that move order (and white's delay of either Bd3 or Nd2) I'd do something else:

1.d4 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.f4 d6 4.Nf3? Ne4! with f5 coming, and white's got nothing if black is careful to watch out for a queen check on h5, which can have a bit of sting but is easy to avoid.