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Terry W posted an update
trying the stonewall and I am not getting anywhere
99% of the time my opponent will take my knight nc6 – e5 and they will move their
other knight just as often from nf6 – e4 but there are no tips how to respond, what is the best way to respond?
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I usually have my other knight on d2 and just recapture. When they retake with their pawn on d5, I retake with my bishop and am up a pawn on the exchange. YMMV. You want to link a game as an example of what is happening?
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I always get taken before my knight gets on d2, a link to a game would be great
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@terrycyclestation-com-au So I started flipping through my games and it will take a while I think to find your issue, because I am not regularly facing that attack. I know when I do, I am taking with my knight on d2. But going through my last 20 games as white, this didn’t happen.
What I meant was for you to link a game where you ran into this problem. Maybe there is something going on with your move sequence?
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Terry,
I just noted that Nelson’s opening PGN file has the exact thing you are talking about.Look at variant move 10. Nxe5, fxe5, Ne4, Rh3 …
It is also discussed in the video lesson on the Stonewall Attack.
His suggestion does not follow with the Nxe4 that I suggested above, but he is much better at this than me.
I saved his PGN to my library, so here is a link to that: https://www.chess.com/analysis/library/PNAxx2XEN?tab=analysis
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OK. remember I am only starting at this, so you might want other’s advice more, but…
The way I see it is:
1. castle instead of Nd2 on move 6.2. your opponent is moving the Knight twice in the first five moves. Let him and continue to develop normally (next move here is a castle).
e4 is one of the permanent weaknesses of the Stonewall Attack and that’s ok. Your opponent here decided to slow down their development to get to e4 early.
The other thing here, when you did move Nd2 and your opponent moved that Knight for the third time in the first six moves, you took his bishop, with your already developed bishop. Bxd2 would have taken that Knight and developed your bishop at the same time. It also would have allow Be1 to chase that Queen move he made later; you will want your Queen over there for that attack you made later.
Either way, my suggestions or the moves you played, your position was still generally fine. Mine just developed more rapidly, your game was not lost in the opening. It went fine, the knight attacks on e4 notwithstanding.
You let his rook invade, then after he Blundered his rook (with his king move), you missed a tactic to double attack his King and his Rook with your Bishop using a revealed check.
Short version: e4 is a weakness created by Stonewall Attack. There are lots of options to deal with it, but mostly your opponent moved the same piece three times in the first six moves. This gave you a huge lead in development. Focus on that, rather than trying to respond quickly to a long-term weakness.
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Here is an edit of your game with an alternative line starting at move 6.
https://www.chess.com/analysis/library/St2MHhmFU?tab=analysis
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