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| Posted by mattdw uskidscompute.com 9/26/2006 01:36:03 Play online chess |  Subject: Black's best defense against a Stonewall attack?Message: Matt | ||||||||||||||
| Posted by masros uskidscompute.com 9/26/2006 03:14:50 Play online chess | Message: The Stonewall Attack is a chess opening, more specifically it is a variation of the Queen's Pawn Game. It is characterized by White playing 1.d4, 2.e3, 3.f4 and 4.c3, usually playing 5.Bd3 as well, even though the moves are not always played in that order. The Stonewall is a system White sets up, rather than a specific variation. If White puts up the Stonewall formation it is called a Stonewall regardless of how Black chooses to defend against it. When Black sets up a Stonewall formation, with pawns on c6, d5, e6 and f5, it is a variation of the Dutch Defense. As the name implies, the Stonewall setup is a solid formation which is hard to overrun by force. If Black fails to react energetically to the Stonewall setup, White may launch a lethal attack on the Black king, typically by bringing a rook to h3, advancing the g-pawn, and making a well timed bishop sacrifice at h7. Often this attack is so powerful that White does not need to develop the knight and bishop on b1 and c1. Traditionally, chess computers have been vulnerable to the Stonewall because the positions are usually without clear tactical lines. White simply prepares for an assault by bringing pieces to aggressive posts, without making immediate tactical threats. By the time the computer realizes that its king is under attack it is often too late. The downsides to the Stonewall are the hole on e4, and the fact that the dark squared bishop on c1 is completely blocked by its own pawns. If Black defends correctly against White's attack, these strategic deficiencies can become quite serious. Because of this, the Stonewall Attack is almost never seen in master-level chess anymore, although it is seen occasionally among club players. However, Black playing the Stonewall Variation of the Dutch Defense is seen occasionally at master level. Black has several ways to meet the Stonewall. One choice which must be made is whether to fianchetto one or both bishops. Another is how to play the pawns in the centre. Black often meets the Stonewall with a ...b6 and ...Ba6 aiming to trade off the dangerous White bishop on d3. Since the Stonewall is used against a variety of Black defenses, the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings has trouble classifying it. Among the codes used are D00 (when Black has played ...d5), A45, and A03, the code for Bird's Opening. | ||||||||||||||
| Posted by ionadowman uskidscompute.com 9/26/2006 14:35:51 Play online chess | It may depend... Message: If he begins 1.f4, then the From Gambit (1...e5) is going to put a bit of a crimp in White's plans. If White begins 1.d4, you might consider the Benoni: 1.d4 c5. If White takes on c5, there doesn't seem to be much danger in 2.dxc5 Qa5+ 3.Nc3 (say) Qxc5 ... If he advances, 2.d5, just play 2...d6 and go into a King's Indian/Modern Defence set up. At any rate, White can kiss goodbye his chances of setting up a Stonewall... Cheers, Ion ——— World's No. 1 Chess Player Widens Lead Over His Biggest Rivals — History will record 1990 as a great year for chess players: it was when three of the current top 25 players in the world were born. The youngest of the three is Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who is No. 1 in the world. Of the other two, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France is No. 18, and Sergey Karjakin, who was born in Ukraine but now plays for Russia, is No. 21. Under different circumstances, Karjakin and Vachier-Lagrave would be considered potential world chess champions. But just as the talented players in the 2003 N.B.A. draft have labored in LeBron James’s shadow, Karjakin and Vachier-Lagrave have been eclipsed by Carlsen. In Karjakin’s case, it is puzzling. He was the youngest ... Posted by loreta | uskidscompute.com 9/26/2006 22:18:28 Play online chess Good answer,Message: ——— Vishy Anand helps Magnus Carlsen to claim Corus crown — When Vishy Anand drew his first nine games at Corus Wijk aan Zee last week, opinions were divided on whether the world chess champion had lost his edge or was simply taking a well-paid rest before his April title defence in Sofia against Veselin Topalov. Then Anand acted as Corus king-maker, beating Alexei Shirov and Vlad Kramnik, so that the pair finished half a point behind Magnus Carlsen. Norway's world No1 had previously won at Pearl Spring in China and the London Classic and finished second at the Tal Memorial, His fine run continued at Wijk, and the live ratings now make him the all-time No2 to Garry Kasparov. Carlsen had final-round luck in Holland, and the impression is that ... Posted by mattdw | uskidscompute.com 9/27/2006 01:44:45 Play online chess Thanks Masros & IonadownmanMessage: Matt ——— Fresh ideas from Adams — The Governor of Gibraltar Sir Adrian Johns visited the Gibtelecom Masters at the Caleta Hotel and chose the day the chess competition intensified as England’s Michael Adams regained a share of the lead with a ninth round win. Adams produced a new idea in the opening against the French Defence and although it did not look particularly dangerous he gradually outplayed the Argentinian GM Damian Lemos to reach 7/9. All the games were hardfought with the exception of the top board where the leader at start of play Jan Gustafsson was content to force an early draw against top seed Etienne Bacrot. With one to play Adams shares the lead with ... Posted by loreta | uskidscompute.com 9/27/2006 02:20:29 Play online chess Do not afraidMessage: ——— Jan Gustafsson breaks away — If there was a traffic jam after seven rounds of the GibTelecom Masters there is gridlock after eight although GM Jan Gustafsson of Germany started speeding and broke away from the pack by defeating WGM Natalia Zhukova with black. Eight of the co-leaders at start of play drew, two lost and only Gustafsson reached 6.5/8 with over a dozen chess players on 6 points. Michael Adams held former US chess champion and FIDE championship finalist Gata Kamsky to a draw with black and the pair are in the group on 6. The top seed Etienne Bacrot is also on 6/8. He made a slow start but is back in contention. In the following game he employs the Moldovan Variation of ... Posted by ganstaman | uskidscompute.com 9/27/2006 08:23:41 Play online chess expanding on loreta's adviceMessage: In this situation, when white eventually plays d4, you'll see that he wants a stonewall. You probably shouldn't respond with ...d5, making a symmetrical stonewall. White has created the hole on e4 for you to occupy. In return, he wants the e5 square. If you play ...d6 instead of ...d5, you deny him that square, which is very good for you. ——— The Scotch Opening, part 4: what does White do next? — Fashions come and go in chess. And this is is one that may well be on the way back. 4... Bc5 is one of Black's main options against the Scotch chess opening (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4). How should White continue? RB I've done a tiny bit of study on the Scotch and so am not quite the total novice I was when we began this survey. In fact, I've reached this position in a couple of recent casual games. I've tried both of White's two principal continuations here, 5 Nxc6 and 5 Be3 (5 Nb3 is less often seen). The first of these looks appealing for White: 5...dxc6 6 Qxd8+ Kxd8 puts an end to Black's castling ... Posted by loreta | uskidscompute.com 9/27/2006 11:59:18 Play online chess As ussuallyMessage: Posted by ionadowman | uskidscompute.com 9/27/2006 20:14:55 Play online chess mattdw...Message: But the impression is that you would like to steer the game towards open positions, rather than to go along with the closed or semi-closed positions the Stonewall sets up. Fair enough. Just as it's likely you would be more comfortable with room to move, one who likes the Stonewall might find his agoraphobia coming on with an open game... Cheers, Ion Posted by mattdw | uskidscompute.com 9/29/2006 12:11:29 Play online chess Ta.Message: |