  The March 2011 outburst of the poorly-studied cataclysmic variable NSV 1436
offered an opportunity to decide between dwarf nova and recurrent nova
classifications. We use seven daily observations in the X-ray and UV by the
Swift satellite, together with AAVSO V photometry, to characterise the outburst
and decline behaviour. The short optical outburst coincided with a faint and
relatively soft X-ray state, whereas in decline to fainter optical magnitudes
the X-ray source was harder and brighter. These attributes, and the modest
optical outburst amplitude, indicate that this was a dwarf nova outburst and
not a recurrent nova. The rapid optical fading suggests an orbital period below
2 hours.
