Sleepy kitten wrote on 12/04/08 at 14:38:45:


Would you really call the Cambridge Springs (5...Nbd7 6.e3 Qa5+ 7.Nc3) very poor? This transposition is a bit irritating from Black's point of vew of course; so is 4...f5 5.g3 transposing to Stonewall main lines. That's why 4...dxc4 and 4...Bd6 have been tried, but I don't know their status these days.

Simple question: after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 e6, 4.Qc2 is described as "tricky". Isn't it very strong? What can Black do against it? For example, isn't 4...Nf6 5.Bg5 a very poor version of queen's gambit declined?

Alluren wrote on 11/13/08 at 21:06:22:


There are those who play this for the win from the first move.  I am one of them, in fact.  If I were a Slav player I would meet this with the main line, not with an early ...a6 and not with 6...Nh5 as recommended in one recent repertoire book.  Black holds with good play, of course.

But it mystifies me why anyone absolutely needing the full point would play 2...c6 against a good opponent, given that Black's winning chances in the Exchange are pretty slight.  Since the Noteboom is so combative, I would think that 2...e6 would be a more appealing way of reaching it.

Something I didn't see mentioned was 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3. This gets played quite frequently and playing either 2 ... c6 or 2 ... e6 cuts out some of black's better options vs the "d-pawn specials" (Torre, London, Colle). 2 ... e6 is probably the better option if you definitely want to play the noteboom as c5 is an important move in a ton of those special systems. I get the exchange slav played against me all the time - both by lower rated players hoping to make a draw and by higher rated players hoping to outplay me positionally with little risk to themselves.

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. Nf3 / Nc3 c6 then dxc4 seems to be the best line to get there, because any exchange on d5 leads to a version of the QG exchange black will like.

The Marshall gambit is not easy, but quite rarely played. Most white players reach semi-slav positions via 2....c6 3.Nf3 and why learn a highly complicated variation, when you only can use it after 2....e6 Nc3...)? Black seems to be o.k. in the marshall, but has to know theory. 

As I tried to find a black repertoire against 1.d4, I thought I could base it on the Noteboom - maybe like you do. The bitter truth is: Very few white players allow it! Almost everybody plays 4.e3. So you have to play other (Meran) lines too, or transpose to the stonewall by 4....f5 or 4.....Bd6 5.Nf3 f5 

The noteboom sometimes occurs in blitz games or in my low-level OTB-games, but almost never in CorrCess or against OTB-opponents who have a good opening knowledge. 

By the way if you like the stonewall its good to know, that the so-called "Slav-Stonewall" is easier to play than the original, because the mover order most of the time cuts out the most dangerous lines of the standard stonewall like Nh3 or Bf4. Black usually has better chances to get an attack one the kingside, because white does not play g3. Furthermore, White will often not be familiar with it, because he normally plays other variations agaisnt the Dutch.

If you are ready to become some kind of stonewall-specialist this is the easiest and laziest repertoire against 1.d4 you can imagine. Sure there are some tricky sidelines with Qc2 or early Bg5, but in 90% of your games you get

- an QG - exchange allowing you to place your bishop on f5

- the Noteboom or Marshall Attack - and only for these systems you need exact and deep theoretical knowledge

- The Slav-Stonewall as described above

- a "normal" stonewall variation if White plays an early g3. This most of the times happens after 1.Nf3 or 1.c4, so this move order even gives you a line against the flank openings

But you have to love the stonewall! If you do, this repertoire is extremely easy to play and quite sound.

Alluren wrote on 11/12/08 at 19:45:40:


If you want a fight, 2...e6 is marginally a better way to reach the Noteboom than 2...c6 because the Exchange Slav is hard to score a full point against and even contains some venom.  1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.dxc4 is not an issue because this way, Black will painlessly develop his c8 bishop to f5. 

Either way though, one position that has to concern you is: white pawns on c4,d4, white knight on f3; black pawns on c6,d5,e6; everything else on original squares.  In this position, White can play 4.Qc2 and flummox your Noteboom ambitions.  If you play 4...Nf6 he can play 5.Bg5 with a reasonably good Queen's Gambit. 

The other thing you have to worry about is the Marshall Gambit.  With a white knight on c3 instead of f3, White plays 4.e4.  This gambit is extremely dangerous.