Dutch, Classical variation (A96). What are your experiences?

I enjoy a good Dutch defense. f5 vs d4, c4, Nf3. I don't mind if the gambits are played. Leningrad, Stonewall, Classical all fun for me.

What if White opens with a Réti like this: 1. Nf3 f5 2. b3 and he wished to continue his game like a Nimzo-Larsen opening, can you still maintain this as a Dutch defense as a Black player?

Hmm, think that ends up in A04 Zuketort Dutch variation.

1. Nf3 f5 2. b3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 c6 5. Bg2 d5 6. O-O Bd6 7. Bb2 O-O This gets a stonewall set up. But really it depends on what white tries to do and whether black wants address it directly or go for a solid set up. Obviously you cant go for a Leningrad because you are behind in development on that diagonal. But you can go for a stonewall, classical or even use a queen side fianchetto of your own with the classical.

i think the classical dutch can be very dangerous to a person who does not know how to handle it as white. Often times black plays Qe8-Qg6 and gets a knight on e4, as welll as a kingside attack with g5-g4. if white does not play critically here often black is the one left with an advantage

I find that I get good positions against people who dont know what to do in the opening against the Dutch, even when I play suboptimally. But I think that is normal at my level for many openings. I like to throw in Bb4 to pin a Knight to the king (Nimzo Indian style) or give check (Bogo Indian esque) and then play b6, Bb6 if I see just the queen side developing or e3 instead of g3. I like to borrow theory from Indian lines if my oponent develops slow enough for me to use it. Els the Dutch can be a little under developed on the queens side. So it is nice to give white some problems there, force them to castle king side and point everything kingside, which is what the dutch is really for.

Would White not be prepared to meet a Dutch? He would not make the moves 1. Nf3 f5 2. b3 without reason and preparation. If you look up the score on this opening, it favours White with about 37% wins, 29% draws and and some 34% wins for Black. Well, just my quick thought

Oddly enough people make generic queens pawn developing moves but the order makes a massive difference as to the effect of the move has on the position and difficulty for the game.

I was rather surprised to see this Nimzo-Larsen, or Dutch Zukertort with 2. b3 is actually played relatively many times in recent years on a high level. I found 512 games here in total in the database, getting back to the 1920's.

Here is one of my first ever games I played with the Dutch classical, that I was very happy with and ended in a draw. I had just taken up chess again for a few months after 30 years.

As GMegasDoux said earlier, you can also encounter gambits, which I did. One of my first games I met the Krejcik Gambit and flunked it.

By the way, on Chessable there is a free course available based on 1. d4 f5 2 Nc3 called "Destroying the Dutch". Quite interesting and informative ofcourse as well for Dutch players themselves.

https://www.chessable.com/destroying-the-dutch/course/12327/

So far I have now played 7 correspondence games; 2 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses. Here is my second win from last September. It was a lenghty battle, but after White had his light square bishop locked up, it was a matter of time to win.

you could try the Qe8 lines

I will take a look at it later this week.

What I remember here from some posts ago in this topic, is that @Iassus45_dinnao mentioned that he thought the Dutch (classical) could be thwarted by playing the London. Now, ofcourse I haven't played such a game, but the advocate of the Dutch Simon Williams (who also made a course on the London) made a very nice reply. You can see this on YouTube.

Longer Chess Games #62 Dutch vs London System - YouTube

@Erwinmk From that GingerGM video f5 Nf6 e6 Bb4 b6 Bb7 is a set up I like to get to and I dont mind trading off the dark squared bishop, but it can also go back to d6 or e7. Even relocate to f6.

this is known as the english setup where white goes for a setup based on the lightsquares that is very similar to the nimzo indian

I was looking a little bit at it this afternoon, and I think Black can continue his game in a Dutch style after 1.Nf3 f5 2. b3. I will look up something later on, but I think this is a good one for a classical Dutch, where White losses a tempo playing the b3 pawn, where this is much beter suited immediately on b4. Perhaps there is even a line when White foresakes the finachetto with his King bishop on g2, when Black can optimise with pacing his Queen bishop quickly on b7(?).

You can avoid this nasty line with White playing 2. Nc3 altogether, by first answering 1. d4 with 1. .. e6. Even in this free course the only real option is now given to play a London....! That could perhaps not even prevent Black from playing the Dutch anyway, i.e. 1. d4 e6 2. Bf4 f5