Dutch Defense: the complete guide
1. d4 f5
1...f5 appears as early as 1789 with Elias Stein, who recommended it as the best answer to 1.d4. Unbalanced and combative, it served the great attackers, from Alekhine to Botvinnik up to the modern Leningrad players.
How it starts, move by move
- 1. d4d4 occupies the center.
- ... f5f5 controls e4.
Both sides plans
White's plan
Occupy the center, develop quickly, castle, then pick a wing.
Black's plan
Contest the center before White occupies all of it.
What is actually played
Real shares of the continuations after 1. d4 f5, Lichess games by Elo band.
| Continuation | Elo 1400 | Elo 1600 | Elo 1800 | Elo 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2. c4 | 32 % | 37 % | 38 % | 31 % |
| 2. Nc3 | 9 % | 8 % | 8 % | 9 % |
| 2. e4 | 2 % | 3 % | 5 % | 9 % |
| 2. Bg5 | 2 % | 3 % | 5 % | 7 % |
| 2. g3 | 1 % | 2 % | 3 % | 6 % |
The main variations
- Dutch DefenseA801. d4 f5
- Dutch DefenseA841. d4 f5 2. c4
- Normal VariationA841. d4 f5 2. c4 Nf6
- Fianchetto VariationA861. d4 f5 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3
- Classical VariationA901. d4 f5 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3 e6 4. Bg2
- Classical VariationA911. d4 f5 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3 e6 4. Bg2 Be7
- Classical VariationA921. d4 f5 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3 e6 4. Bg2 Be7
- Staunton GambitA821. d4 f5 2. e4
- Staunton Gambit AcceptedA821. d4 f5 2. e4 fxe4
- Fianchetto AttackA811. d4 f5 2. g3
- Classical VariationA961. d4 f5 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3 e6 4. Bg2 Be7
- Alapin VariationA801. d4 f5 2. Qd3
Frequently asked questions
- What moves start the Dutch Defense?
- The Dutch Defense starts with 1. d4 f5. Every move is explained in the interactive explorer.
- How many named variations does the Dutch Defense have?
- 69 named variations, from the Lichess ECO database. The main ones are listed on this page; the full tree lives in the branch map.
- What is the most played continuation?
- Around 2000 Elo, the most frequent continuation is 2. c4, played in 31% of games (Lichess data).
- How can I learn the Dutch Defense for free?
- The explorer, free play, review cards and the essential ★1 course of the Dutch Defense are free on OpeningMate. The ★2 to ★5 levels and per-variation courses are part of Premium.
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