1.d4 f5
The Dutch Defense answers 1.d4 with 1...f5. Black controls e4 with a pawn, much as the Sicilian controls d4 against 1.e4. The position is unbalanced at once, which suits players who want to play for a win with Black.
The cost is a slight weakening of Black's king: after ...f5 the e8-h5 diagonal and the e6 square are less protected. Black has to develop carefully, and White has sharp anti-Dutch tries such as 2.Bg5 and the Staunton Gambit 2.e4.
There are three main setups: the Leningrad (...g6 and ...Bg7), the Stonewall (pawns on c6, d5, e6 and f5) and the Classical (...e6, ...Be7 and ...d6).
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Black creates an unbalanced position from move one and keeps winning chances. The f5 pawn controls e4 and gives Black a natural kingside attack.
1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O d6 7.Nc3 Qe8 8.d5
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The Stonewall locks the centre with pawns on c6, d5, e6 and f5. Black gets a rock-solid grip on e4, often posts a knight there, and attacks with ...Qe8-h5 and ...g5. The weaknesses are the e5 square and the light-squared bishop on c8, which is hemmed in by its own pawns.
The Leningrad keeps the centre fluid. Black fianchettoes, plays ...d6 and aims for ...e5. If White closes the centre with d5, Black uses the c5 square for a knight and keeps the option of ...e5 or ...c6.
In the Classical Dutch (...e6, ...Be7, ...d6) Black keeps flexible options for ...e5 and plays a quieter, more positional game.
1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 d5 5.Nf3 c6 6.O-O Bd6 7.b3 Qe7
Black builds the stone wall with ...e6, ...d5 and ...c6, places the bishop on d6 and the queen on e7. White usually tries to trade Black's good dark-squared bishop, for example with b3 and Ba3, and fights for the e5 square with Ne5 or Nd3.
1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O d6 7.Nc3 Qe8
Black develops with ...e6, ...Be7 and ...d6 and keeps the option of ...e5. The queen often goes to e8 and then h5 for a kingside attack.
1.d4 f5 2.e4 fxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5
White gives a pawn at once to open lines against Black's king. After 2...fxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5, White often wins the pawn back or gets a big lead in development. Black has to know this line before choosing the Dutch.
1.d4 f5 2.Bg5 h6 3.Bh4 g5 4.Bg3 f4 5.e3 fxg3 6.Qh5#
Against 2.Bg5, Black's ...h6 and ...g5 chase the bishop. After 4.Bg3 f4 5.e3, taking the bishop with 5...fxg3?? opens the e8-h5 diagonal, and 6.Qh5# is mate.
1.d4 f5 2.Bg5 h6 3.Bh4 g5 4.Bg3 f4 5.e3 h5 6.Bd3 Rh6 7.Qxh5+ Rxh5 8.Bg6#
A second version of the same idea. After 5...h5 6.Bd3 Rh6??, White sacrifices the queen: 7.Qxh5+ Rxh5 8.Bg6#. The bishop gives check along the e8-h5 diagonal and Black's king has no squares.
The Dutch is named after Elias Stein, a Dutch player whose 1789 book recommended 1...f5 against 1.d4.
Mikhail Botvinnik used it in world championship play, and his handling of the Stonewall is still studied today. At the top level it is a less common but respected weapon, chosen mainly by players who want to avoid the heavily analysed Queen's Gambit and Nimzo-Indian lines.
Copy the position at the end of the main line, open the chess move calculator, paste it into the “Paste FEN” box under the board and press the FEN button next to it. Stockfish 19 then suggests a move for the side to play, at the strength set on the calculator's slider, and you can play on from there to test your own ideas.
rnb1qrk1/ppp1p1bp/3p1np1/3P1p2/2P5/2N2NP1/PP2PPBP/R1BQ1RK1 b - - 0 81. d4 f5 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. Nc3 Qe8 8. d5For a move-by-move review of a whole game you played with this opening, use the chess analysis board.
Knowing the moves is not the same as playing them under pressure. Play chess against the computer with the black pieces and answer 1.d4 with the Dutch Defense, then sharpen the tactics that come out of it with chess puzzles.
Go deeper: Checkmate patterns to know · Chess tactics for beginners
Yes. It is less common than the Queen's Gambit Declined or the Nimzo-Indian, but none of White's tries refutes it. Black must know the sharp anti-Dutch lines such as 2.Bg5 and the Staunton Gambit 2.e4.
The Stonewall is the easiest to learn because the pawn structure is fixed. The Leningrad is the most dynamic and suits King's Indian players. The Classical is the most flexible.
It is a reasonable choice for attacking players, but it weakens the black king slightly, so you need to know the early traps. The two mates shown on this page are the ones every Dutch player should know.
It is 1.d4 f5 2.e4, a pawn sacrifice that hits the f5 pawn at once and aims to open lines against Black's king. It is named after Howard Staunton, who played it in the 19th century.
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