@Randomemory: I had though that offering up an f3 pawn Blackmar-Diemer style would be just fine, and after a cursory glance at the internet White does indeed get great compensation after 3...exf3, but it appears Black has 3...d4 which does present an issue.
White appears to be fine, but yes, not so crushing as I would've thought.
I would stay away from the dragon. The new versions of the Yugoslav attack (9.0-0-0 and even 9.g4!) are just too strong, and white seems to have a theorical advantage even against perfect play by black. Plus a lot, really a lot of people are well booked up against the dragon. I believe the dragon is so popular because of its name, but it's not an opening I would trust to be my main repertoire.
The hyper-accelerated dragon is much more solid, but of course you have the Maroczy bind, where you'll be slowly strangulated; while you can have some counterplay (if you know what you're doing), you can hardly ever win.
That "theoretical advantage" comes from making the first move. 9.0-0-0 is nothing to fear for black after 9...d5, when there are lots of attacking and tactical opportunities. 9.g4 is also nothing to fear when black has Be6 or even Bxg4!?, again with good tactical opportunities. I have no idea where your assumptions are coming from.
From watching videos on here, particularly IM Rench's and even Dzindzi's analysis on the 9.0-0-0 variation.
White has a significant advantage after 9...d5, 10.Kb1 it's the best move iirc.
@shepi13
1. d4 f5 ... hmm...
Seems too tempting to play 2. e4 after that. Apparently this is the Staunton Gambit. I can't see any reason on paper why this wouldn't be better for White than From's Gambit. The extra tempo that White has in this situation, coupled with Black's weakened kingside defense would be not only sound but downright crushing, surely.
Because of the pawn on d4, Black can't simply transpose into a King's Gambit to save himself; instead he gets something worse.
The idea of Nc3 is that black pretty much has to play a wierd stonewall with d5, otherwise you get the positions after 2. e4 without having to sacrifice a pawn.
The Dutch 1...f5 against 1. d4 is sharp and allows Black to dictate terms as early as move 1 -- with some of the other move sequences being discussed, you might not get to your opening if your opponent doesn't cooperate.
Even this is flawed thinking. I'm one that has played the Dutch on and off. White has move orders that make certain Dutches bad.
For example:
1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 - Here, the Stonewall is HORRIBLE, allowing both Bf4 (without structural damage done to White) and Bd3. 4...Bb4 is correct, playing an improved Nimzo-Indian
1.d4 f5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 - Here the Leningrad is HORRIBLE. 3...g6 4.h4! h6 5.Nc3! with 6.Qf3! coming is bad for Black
Also, I have had MANY positional Dutch games. It ain't a "catch all" defense for sharp play!
I have been playing the dutch for the past 2 years consistently. I know basically all of ins and outs of the proper move orders to reach the openings you want.
Unfortunately, the leningrad dutch is simply not that good against 1.d4.
Not because it is not a good opening, it is just simply the result of the opening move orders. Here is a brief guide of how I play the Dutch.
Well, I would play 1..f5 against 1.d4 everytime if i could, but the problem is white has countless variations deviating from the main line. They are basically the reversed sicilian gambits, and probably better tbh.
For example 1.d4 f5 2.e4 is very annoying to play against as black (the Staunton gambit is probably a bit better for white in my opinion), 2.Bg5 is even worse to deal with (2..g6 is probably best, but i dont like black's position there, look at the entire line, ive excavated most of it, only finding white to be doing just good), and probably the safest continuation 2.Nc3 is also very enterprising.
Now this does not mean it is unplayable, it just means you have to deal with particular sidelines that are much more tactical and probably more advantageous than the particular main line with the g3 systems.
Against 1.d4, some of the people who want to play the classical dutch, or the stonewall dutch will likely play 1..e6 to avoid many of these annoying anti-dutch sidelines. As 2.Bg5 loses immediately, 2.Nc3 runs into 2..d5 and white really has nothing better than 3.e4 going into a french (which dutch players will likely have to know), and 2.e4 gives black the starting position of the french defense after 2..d5.
Therefore it makes sense to play (at a lower level), 1..e6 against 1.d4 rather 1..f5 if you don't want to be struggling in the opening.
Of course, I had to suffer about a couple months with 1..f5 to realize it was not fun for black, and the kingside weaknesses could be exposed more easily than in the mainlines!
Now, the dutch uniqely can be played against 1.c4, and i personally find the leningrad dutch after 1..f5 2.Nf3 Nf6 and black plays g6, bg7 and d6, as my favorite response. It is ironic that the leningrad can not be deviated away in the english than with 1.d4. You may not be able to play a normal classical dutch or stonewall against the english, which is why i play the leningrad against it.
Curiously enough, my main concern is finding a proper defense to 1.nf3, as 1..f5 can be strongely met by 2.d3, and you probably need to do some exploration on this to understand why black is not doing well.
logically then against 1.nf3, i play 1..e6, meeting 2.e4 with d5 and a french, but what does black do after say 2.g3 or 2.c4? It is very difficult to say, and I am having many technical difficulties figuring out the proper setups that i like.
It should also be mentioned, that the early transposition to the leningrad after 1.d4 g6!? 2.Nf3 f5 does not help black as 3.h4! is going to decimate black's kingside. The exchange sacrifice on h5 will happen, and black suffers a long painful defense. perhaps 1.d4 g6 2.Nf3 d6 is the safest way to reach the leningrad, but white may just play 3.e4 and go into a pirc (which i despise for black)
On a sidenote after the following continuation 1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bb4 is not an improved Nimzo-Indian as you indicate, it is simply different. In fact, it may be worse than the NID. After about a year of playing this, I simply find this continuation to be satisfactory and = for the most part, but if white plays accurately, he will probably get some positional advantage. Black will have his chances, as everyone blunders their advantage these days always.
You need to suffer with every part of the dutch to like it!
No, this actually is an improved version of the Nimzo-Indian Defense. There is a line known as the "Dutch variation". It involves Black playing ...Ne4 and ...f5. Often in these lines, the Knight ends up going back to f6. So you went Ng8-f6-e4, f5, Ne4-f6, 4 moves. Now you did the same thing in 2 moves. It's similar to how the Modern Defense can often get Black an accelerated King's Indian if White isn't careful, and just plays routine moves that allow Black to play ...f5 and only then ...Nf6 rather than ...Nf6, ...Nd7, ...f5, and ...Nf6. Same concept.
Also, many Dutch books will tell you the same thing, that you have a Nimzo-Indian with Nf3 and f5 thrown in, where f5 is better for Black than Nf3 is for White.
And by the way, play 1...e6 against me. Bring it on! 2.e4! will be played in a heart beat! The French is one of the few defenses to 1.e4 where I prefer White!
I can vouch for the sveshnikov, i had flawless results with it OTB.
However I got sick of playing gainst anti-sicilians all the time.
Another opening you may want to look into is the Benko.
I agree with Fear_Itself and everybody else mentioning the sveshnikov. How come nobody is looking towards Benko Gambit (aside from Fear_Itself)?
botvinnik and anti moscow semi-slavs, slav bishop sac, white anand played vs aronian, grunfeld, kings indian defence, sicilian, many e5 variations (but white must also play something agressive)
The main problem is that white can avoid almost all agressive lines - play closed sicilian, meran with Bd3, 10. e5 and a later Be4, quiter kings indian variations such as an early d5, h3, g3, petrosian variation, etc, or guiocco pianisimo, Bg5 grunfeld, etc. There are also plenty of quieter lines that white can play against the dutch or benko. White usually gets to chose the style of the game, but to do so he must sometimes give black equality.
It may be because people are worried they wont be able to cook up some sharp positions if white avoids it.
Unlike the dutch which seems to be getting much attention, black cant force it firt move.
However it is quite possible to have a sharp repertoire surrounding most of the options white has to avoid it.
Personally I play the repertoire recommended in Aveskulov's book which advocates Benko+Blumenfeld+Vaganian. The only option white really has to avoid sharp positions are the colle/london type systems, and i'd much rather play against these than the mainline dutch, where black gets squeezed.
It may be because people are worried they wont be able to cook up some sharp positions if white avoids it.
Unlike the dutch which seems to be getting much attention, black cant force it firt move.
However it is quite possible to have a sharp repertoire surrounding most of the options white has to avoid it.
Personally I play the repertoire recommended in Aveskulov's book which advocates Benko+Blumenfeld+Vaganian. The only option white really has to avoid sharp positions are the colle/london type systems, and i'd much rather play against these than the mainline dutch, where black gets squeezed.
how does black get squeezed? sure he always has a slight disadvantage positionally in the dutch, but thats it...
In the Classical and stonewall I dont see how you think black doesn't get squeezed.
In the Leningrad maybe black has a slight positional disadvantage, but whites position is much easier to play
The reason the dutch is seldom seen at top level is because white is playing for two results, he risks very little chance of losing with accurate play.
In the Classical and stonewall I dont see how you think black doesn't get squeezed.
In the Leningrad maybe black has a slight positional disadvantage, but whites position is much easier to play
The reason the dutch is seldom seen at top level is because white is playing for two results, he risks very little chance of losing with accurate play.
Can you show me how black gets squeezed?
Well at top level, many black players are not ready to suffer for a definite positional disadvantage for the rest of the game.
I'm not going to spoon feed you, especially as I don't have a decent database.
I'm not going to spoon feed you, especially as I don't have a decent database.
I have played the dutch for the past few years, and yes black has quite a definite positional disadvantage (what opening doesnt these days!), but i never get squeezed if i properly react. What you are claiming is forced...i disagree, but that is only for the sake of provoking analysis out of you, not a claim. Of course, since you are not going to spoon feed me it, i can safely assume you do not know how black gets strangled 
If I give a line where black is simply playing for a draw, you give a different one, then I give a different one....
Chess, being a game of seeminly infinite possibilities means we would never finish the discussion, and I dont really care that much.
Search games from the last 10 years +2600 in the dutch and it should be pretty clear black has very slim winning chances.
The only statisticsI can get are some dodgy ones from chess games, where the top practitioner of the classical was botvinnik apparently with 6 games.. (obviously not correct, im sure theres an advocate of the classical out there). But still, he won none of them.
Im afraid without a database this is the best I can do, of course if you can provide the theoretical mainline where after some best play from both sides, black has real winning chances...maybe we can continue.
I found the old line I used to play a while back....
There's a variation for you, please suggest improvements on black's play.
I found the old line I used to play a while back....
There's a variation for you, please suggest improvements on black's play.
im not a big fan of the classical dutch lol ( i actually dont play it), but from what i remember, white has some positional advantage after 11.e4!, because of the backward d pawn, and black's semi-retarded (used correctly?) development.
Im more or less interested in the setup white has against the stonewall. I would like to keep this for future reference. 
Okay here's the starting point of the stonewall.
start from there, there are lots of plans in which white has a bit of positional pressure, but black is holding his own. Show me one that is definitively bad for black
The stonewall is a far cry better than the classical, but its not exactly sharp, wouldnt you agree?
EDIT: I never said it was BAD for black, I just said he wouldnt be playin for a win, though he has good drawing chances.
Anyway, here it is:
If you want sharp try the french winawer....i think it is very sharp and many people will agree with me...