[Event "🧀 The Dutch Defense - Strong Opening Against d4: The Basics"] [Date "2017.09.04"] [White "Ernst Gr¨¨¨unfeld"] [Black "Carlos Repetto"] [Result "*"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "A90"] [Opening "Dutch Defense: Stonewall Variation, Modern Variation"] [StudyName "🧀 The Dutch Defense - Strong Opening Against d4"] [ChapterName "The Basics"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/dKJJeKjy/Fg6jeKua"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/FunnyAnimatorJimTV"] [UTCDate "2017.09.04"] [UTCTime "15:29:40"] [Orientation "white"] { Welcome to FunnyAnimatorJimTV's study on the Dutch Defense. Please click the heart button below if you found this study useful and also you're welcome to check out some of my other studies- some on Opening Systems ( https://lichess.org/study/oBsew7N6 ) Middlegame Strategies ( https://lichess.org/study/UX5nEia3 ) and The Nimzowitsch Defense ( https://lichess.org/study/sEo8o4Rm ) Thank you! Anyway... one of the interesting things about the Dutch is that it's quite intuitive and doesn't require a ton of theory like most openings do. If you just understand the basic moves and some of the ideas, with a little practice you can start playing the Dutch pretty seriously. It's a defense for black, but we're going to view it from white's perspective first. } 1. d4 { This is the 2nd most common first move in chess, following e4. } 1... f5 { This is the signaling move of the Dutch Defense. While not as popular as Indian Defense Setups or the Slav Defense, it's still very strong. This opening was played by many top grandmasters such as Simon Williams, Alexander Alekhine and the current world champion Magnus Carlsen. With the move f5, black is immediately gripping the e4 square with a flank pawn. People may find it questionable because black seems to be weakening the diagonal to his king, but this opening is certainly playable. This announces to white that this game is going to be a holy terror; a fight to the death. White has a few options here; The most common and fitting with the Queen's Pawn theory is the move c4. There's also g3, planning to fianchetto the bishop, Nf3, just developing, Bg5 (The deadly Hopton Attack), and even the move e4 straight away, which is known as the Staunton Gambit. We're going to look at Nf3. } { [%csl Re4][%cal Rf5e4,Yg2g3,Ye2e4,Yc1g5,Yc2c4,Gg1f3] } 2. Nf3 (2. Bg5 h6 3. Bh4 g5 4. e3 Nf6 5. Bg3) 2... e6 { The main philosophy of the Dutch is; CLOSE UP THE CENTER, and CLAIM THESE LIGHT SQUARES. It's an emphasis on the light squares, in particular, black fights for the e4 square. } { [%csl Gd5,Ge4,Gf5,Ge6][%cal Gf5e4,Ge6d5,Ge6f5] } 3. g3 Nf6 { Black brings the knight in, again controlling those light-squares. } { [%csl Gd5,Ge4][%cal Gf6d5,Gf6e4] } 4. Bg2 { [%csl Ye4,Yd5][%cal Yg2b7] } 4... d5 { You can see black's control of the light squares is becoming really strong. However, the downside of this formation is that black has weakened the e5 square significantly. A common plan for white is to aim to dominate the e5 square. } { [%csl Gd5,Ge4,Gf5,Ge6,Re5][%cal Gf6e4,Gf6d5,Ge6d5,Ge6f5,Gd5e4,Gf5e4] } 5. O-O Bd6 { Black would like to defend the e5 square somehow. } { [%cal Ye8g8,Bd6e5] } 6. c4 { [%cal Rc4d5] } 6... c6 { Although black has created this beautiful pawn structure, it comes at a cost. Since all of these pawns are on the light squares, black's light-squared bishop is a very BAD BISHOP. This bishop cannot have very much effect in this game. This is one of the major downsides of the Dutch Defense. So overall you gain the nice closed center and light-square dominance, but you weaken an important central square (e5) and limit one of your pieces' activity. So there's a couple positives and negatives of the Dutch. All openings will come with pros and cons. } { [%csl Rc6,Rd5,Re6,Rf5,Rb7,Bc8][%cal Rc6d5,Re6f5,Rb7c6,Re6d5] } 7. Qc2 { White brings up the queen, and he IS contesting those light-squares, so white isn't just handing black the center. } { [%cal Yc2f5,Yg2d5] } 7... O-O { Black typically castles kingside in the Dutch. } 8. b3 Ne4 { This is one of the main ideas of the Dutch- you want to place your knight on e4. It's past the frontier line; it's in white's territory. You are dominating the center with that wonderful knight OUTPOST. It's not 100% permanent, however. White can move his f3 knight and play his pawn to f3 where he will force the knight to move from e4. However that plan takes time. } { [%csl Be4,Yf3][%cal Bd5e4,Bf5e4,Gf2f3] } 9. Bb2 { White fianchettoes his other bishop, looking at the dark squares, so the dark squares are being fought over as well. } { [%cal Yb2g7] } 9... Nd7 { Black continues with his development. Typically this knight goes to f6 where it can eye e4 and the kingside. Right now the board is very tense; no pieces have been exchanged, both sides are developing rather quickly, everyone is vying for the e4 square. } { [%cal Gb8d7,Gd7f6,Bf6e4,Bf6g4] } 10. Ne5 { White says, well if you can do it, I can do it! White immediately grabs the e5 square with his knight. Again, one of the weaknesses of the Dutch is black has created that hole on e5 and white can try to exploit it. } { [%csl Re5][%cal Rf3e5] } 10... Qf6 { This is an interesting move. BECAUSE black has closed off the center, the only option for the players is to go to the wings; either the kings wing or the queens wing, and in this particular game the action seems to be going toward the kingside, doesn't it? } { [%cal Bd8f6] } 11. f3 { White MUST get rid of that knight. That knight is WAY TOO STRONG on e4. White (Ernst Grünfeld is following the classic Steinitz Rule of kicking the knight off his outpost. } { [%csl Re4][%cal Rf3e4] } 11... Nxe5! 12. dxe5?? { This move is a blunder because it completely opens up the diagonal to white's king. } { [%cal Gc5g1] } 12... Bc5+ 13. Kh1 Nxg3+ { [%csl Bg1][%cal Bc5g1] } 14. hxg3 Qh6+ 15. Bh3 Qxh3# { This was a cheap checkmate, but the game shows us the overall ideas of the Dutch Defense: Close the center, claim the central white squares and go for an attack on either wing. In the next few chapters we'll take a look at some of the different variations that black can play in the Dutch. } { [%cal Gh3h1,Gh3g2,Gc5g1] } *