Introduction to the Dutch Defense · Chess Openings

The Dutch Defense is one of the most fun, aggressive and versatile opening choices for black against 1.d4.

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The Dutch Defense is a very powerful weapon to add to your repertoire. It’s an opening system rather than an opening with an exact move order, and it can be reached via many different moves, and played against many different openings white chooses.

It can be employed against the Reti, English, and even Nimzo-Larsen, but the main line Dutch is played against d4.

The idea behind the Dutch is to challenge the center straight away by playing f5, thus taking control of the e4 square, and making it very hard for white to expand in the center. The downside of the move f5 is that it weakens the black king in more ways than one. It weakens the seventh rank, and both diagonals looking at f7.

Both sides have plenty of options at their disposal after the starting moves 1.d4 f5. White could choose to enter the main lines, but he could also play the London system (with Bf4), the Raphael variation (with Nc3), the aggressive Staunton Gambit (with e4, giving up a pawn), or the Hopton attack (Bg5). The normal way for white to play, though, is with c4, g3 and Bg3.

Against these main setups for white black can choose between three different systems withing the Dutch defense; the Leningrad Dutch, the Classical Dutch, and the Stonewall Dutch.

The Leningrad Dutch is a combination of classical and hyper-modern chess openings. It combines central control with quick piece development and a kingside fianchetto.
The Classical Dutch is the most flexible, least committal, and very similar to the QID in its nature. One of its main downsides is the bad e7 bishop.
The Stonewall Dutch is the riskiest of all three systems. It’s also most aggressive – an opening in which black either wins or loses. Draws are veeery rare.

I am going to be covering each of the systems and variations in separate videos in the series. I hope you enjoy it!

#chess

129 Comments

  1. Very good video. Please, please, please do a video on the Vienna game at some point.

  2. You said black can play the dutch against ANY opening other than e4. It would be interesting to see how it would play against the Grob attack (1.g4 for anyone curious)

  3. Wow…Oh, hi, I am new to your channel. I subbed just a few weeks ago. Nice videos! You must not only be the most underrated chess channel, you are probably the most underrated channel on all of YouTube. =( But still, awesome videos! Awesome videos!

  4. I’m rated about 2000 on lichess. I will continue to keep playing the Staunton against them Dutch until my opponents stop playing d5 after bg5

  5. I am so glad you covered this opening. It has been part of my repertoire my hole life. The first opening I ever learned was the Stonewall variation. The Classical is my favourite, although objectively the Leningrad is the best setup. You did forget about the Antoshin Dutch. I play all of the setups of the Dutch and study it in detail. I ever study Birds Opening in detail. I use the Dutch in tournaments and get nice wins with it. I myself am sick of all these King’s Indian Defences. I actually have been studying the Queen’s Indian Defence recently to compliment my understanding of the Dutch in greater detail. So I find it interesting that you started with the Queen’s Indian and are now adding the Dutch into the works. I am doing the opposite.

  6. 7:07 Bg3, f5 e3! Threatens a mate in one…

  7. Stepan, thank you very much for your hard work !!

  8. Hey thanks for the detail. I tried to watch Gothamchess's vid and it's not bad but he goes very quickly and as a relatively new chess player I didn't get a lot out of it

  9. I’m a d4 player and rarely come up against the Dutch. Which is the best variation for an intermediate player?

  10. It's not something you play if you are scared. If white infiltrates the 7th rank with a major piece, black will be in a world of pain. Great intro to the dutch.

  11. I enjoy your videos immensely they are very concise and complete

  12. Whenever I have to learn a new opening, I come to this channel and I have never been disappointed. All your content is great, but your opening playlists are perhaps the best part of your channel. Keep up the awesome work.

  13. Thank you man, i appreciate your efforts for teaching us. I've been winning because of you. Thank you.

  14. Stjepan fantastic work! Your very structured approach is super!

  15. Do you prefer the Dutch (Leningrad) or KID? It seems they both fight the same way for E file? Except D-L has the F-pawn pushed way before it would in KID?

  16. wow ! thank! your channel is a gold mine 🙂

  17. Love, love, love the black background instead of the white you previously employed. Especially when watching on a smartphone the white background has been too bright.

  18. i love the way you explain we , lovers of dutch defense , wish you to give us example of games till the end because ginger gm or williams simon gave us a false method but when he sais he corrected it i refused to buy the second dvd because i was frustrated because i was always attacked from e5 with knights etc . we should be grateful if you offered us a bit of your time and knowledge how to develop the main pieces and attack with dutch yours faithfully audience players thanks so much in advance

  19. Against d4 I prefer to play dutch stonwall. That I have learnt from one of your previous video. Thanks

  20. NO! the duras gambit is not a bad opening don’t listen to the engine it is good. just kidding but can you make a video on it and add it to the KG playlist

  21. Very good

    Create a vídeo about a anglo dutch defense , would be interest

  22. thank you so much, i appreciate your videos, very clear and easy to follow.

  23. Obviously the content of these videos is really superb, but can we take a minute to shoutout the thumbnails? Some of the best video graphics I’ve ever seen

  24. This video on the Dutch is so streamlined, most videos goes over my head and I have to watch them like 5-6 times to absorb it all. This is so easy to learn from, you earned my sub man.

  25. This is great analysis. But this is the LAMEST way to play chess lmao

  26. you are truly the best channel to learn chess openings

  27. Is there a video about the Dutch against 1. c4?

  28. HI stjepan, I love your videos, I am trying to learn the dutch defense and your videos are very helpful. I can't find any videos on what to do against the setup without the white bishop in fianchetto, the one you show between 4.10 and 4.15, do you have any suggestions on the differences between the two white main setups?

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