Where to Find Dutch Defense Theory?
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Feb 12, 2018
0
#2
Simon Williams has videos on this website about it. He goes over the classical variation
I would say avoid playing f5 weakening your king and you are good to go
greydayeveryday wrote:
I would say avoid playing f5 weakening your king and you are good to go
then you risk your opponents go 2Bf4, the London, dont follow this guy advice, play 1f5
Ok, being serious, I liked Simon agdesteins book on the stonewall, simon Williams has done a ton of stuff, books, videos, dvd on the classical Dutch and I believe gambit have a book on the Leningrad. Good luck.
Dutch is considered good if the opponent has no idea what he is doing
Depends - are you playing the Stonewall, Classical or Leningrad?
Feb 12, 2018
0
#9
You might want to check out Neil McDonald’s “Starting Out: The Dutch Defence”. I‘m not personally familiar with the book, but it is generally well reviewed on Amazon and the two books I have by McDonald are pretty good. From the table of contents it appears that the book covers the classical, Leningrad, and stonewall, as well as major anti-Dutch lines.
The Killer Dutch
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7499.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627030157/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen133.pdf
Play the Dutch
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627100246/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen139.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/5046.pdf
greydayeveryday wrote:
... and I believe gambit have a book on the Leningrad. Good luck.
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626202625/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen47.pdf
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Understanding_the_Leningrad_Dutch.pdf
OldPatzerMike wrote:
You might want to check out Neil McDonald’s “Starting Out: The Dutch Defence”. I‘m not personally familiar with the book, but it is generally well reviewed on Amazon and the two books I have by McDonald are pretty good. From the table of contents it appears that the book covers the classical, Leningrad, and stonewall, as well as major anti-Dutch lines.
A good suggestion. GM Neil McDonald is one of the better chess book authors....
There are several suggestions for books on the Dutch Defense, including the aforementioned, here (search "Dutch")...
Good Chess Openings Books for Beginners and Beyond...
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-openings-books-for-beginners-and-beyond
Hello,
Thanks for checking out my 5-day crash course Five Killer Dutch Ideas.
I'm GM Simon Williams, sometimes known as the Ginger GM. My goal for this course is to give you a few quick tips on how to play the Classical Dutch with the black pieces.
I've been playing the Classical Dutch for twenty years, and it's brought me victories over Gelfand, Sokolov and many other strong Grandmasters.
Let's get started!
The White e4 and Black ...e5 Advances
If there is one thing that a Classical Dutch player should remember, it is the following piece of advice:
- If White can achieve the e4 advance without Black playing ...e5, and Black has to exchange with ...fxe4, White will generally obtain an advantage.
- If Black can achieve the ...e5 advance he will generally be at least equal.
White normally obtains an advantage by playing e4 when Black cannot play ...e5 for the following reasons:
- After e4 fxe4, White has at his disposal the half-open e-file, which his rooks can use to exert pressure on Black's weak e6-pawn.
- After the exchange on e4, Black is left with a passive and cramped position, which is not what a Dutch player is looking for.
If Black achieves ...e5 the position is generally equal for the following reasons:
- ...e5 combined with Black already having a pawn on f5 gives Black a large centre, and this centre gives him options of starting a kingside attack or holding a spatial advantage in the middle of the board.
- After ...e5 Black's dormant c8-bishop can enter the game by moving to f5 or g4, or when Black's queen is on h5, to h3. In nearly all cases this gives Black an active game.
Tomorrow, we'll have a look at at an example game that illustrates if Black can achieve the ...e5 advance he will generally be at least equal. In the meantime, feel free to check out my blog where you'll find plenty of Dutch material, or hit the reply button and drop me a line - I will respond personally to every email.
Until then,
GM Simon Williams
Ginger GM
Hello,
This is day 2 of my 5-day crash course Five Killer Dutch Ideas. If you'd like to download the PGN file of the games featured in this email to view in your favourite chess program, you can do so via this link.
Black's Kingside Attack and the ...Qe8-h5 Manoeuvre
As we saw yesterday, after move 1 of the Dutch the pawn structure indicates that White will have more space on the queenside and Black on the kingside, so it is no surprise that in many games White plays on the queenside while Black attacks on the kingside. This tendency becomes even more pronounced when White plays d3 rather than d4 and adopts a normal English set-up. Black should remember the following pieces of advice when attacking on the kingside:
- It is risky to play ...g5 when White can open the centre (typically with the standard e4 break). ...g5 is normally only advisable when the centre is blocked.
- Black's pieces are on their ideal squares for an attack in the following position:
When starting this attack it is obviously worth considering where the White pieces are. For example, if White still has his queen on d1, ...Qh5 is not as effective due to the possibility of White playing e3 and Ne1, offering the exchange of queens. An exchange of queens benefits White since Black will find it hard to deliver checkmate without her majesty.
Manoeuvring the black queen to h5 is a common occurence in the Classical Dutch and shows an advantage the opening has over the King's Indian Defence and indeed the Leningrad Dutch. In those openings, Black's g6-pawn stops any such queen manoeuvre.
Let's take a look at an example.
Tzend - Knezevic
Leningrad tt 1960
1.c4 f5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.d4 e6 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 O-O 6.Nf3 d6 7.O-O Qe8 This is one of three sensible moves which Black can choose from. One idea is ...Bd8 followed by ...e5, while another is to place the queen on h5 to exert pressure against White's king. 8.Qc2 This is basically the right idea since White plans the advance e4. However, this move has a major failing. 8...Qh5 9.e4 e5
The queen on h5 indirectly protects the e5-pawn. This is a good example of following the rule we learned yesterday - if Black can achieve the ...e5 advance he will generally be at least equal. The queen is well placed on h5, especially now that White's queen has moved to c2, since moving the f3-knight will not offer an exchange of queens - an option Black must consider when the queen is still on d1.
10.dxe5 dxe5 11.Nd5 11 Nxe5 is bad due to 11...fxe4, when White's e5-knight is en prise to Black's queen. 11...Nxd5 12.cxd5 Bd6 Black is at least equal. 13.Ng5 This is a big mistake which lands White in a terrible position. 13...f4 Black gains some precious tempi with this natural move. 14.Nf3 g5 The immediate 14...Bg4 is also good for Black. 15.b3 Bg4 16.Qd1 Bc5 17.Qc2 Nd7 18.Nxe5 Nxe5 19.Qxc5 fxg3 20.fxg3 Rxf1+ 21.Kxf1 Bh3 22.Bxh3 Qxh3+ 23.Ke2 Rf8 24.Be3 Qg2+ 25.Bf2 Qf3+ 26.Kd2 Qd3+ 0-1
I hope this game has given you a taste of how dangerous the Dutch can be if White does not play carefully. Tomorrow, we'll take a look at the consequences of White acting in the centre with the advance d5.
Until then,
GM Simon Williams
Ginger GM
Hello,
Welcome to day 3 of my 5-day crash course Five Killer Dutch Ideas. If you'd like to download the PGN file of the games featured in this email to view in your favourite chess program, you can do so via this link.
White Plays d5
As well as White achieving the e4 advance, Black also has to watch out for White playing d5, which gives White control of an important central square. This is normally not dangerous for Black if he can counter with ...e5, achieving one of his strategic goals, but there are times when this is not possible, as this next game shows.
Larsen - Dreyer
Havana OL 1966
1.c4 f5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.d4 O-O 6.Nc3 d6 7.O-O Nc6?! This is a common mistake, since after White's reply, Black can't continue with ...e5. The move ...Nc6 is normally only good when White's queen is on c2 or he has doubled c-pawns. 
8.d5 Ne5 9.Nd4 White now achieves a safe advantage. 9...exd5 This is another mistake. 9...Nxc4 is better, but White still holds an edge. 10.cxd5 Ng6 11.Qc2 Ne8 12.f4 This prevents any counterplay. 12.e4 is a mistake since Black can continue with the thematic 12...f4, achieving active play. 12...Bf6 13.Be3 White is better; he has more space and a half-open c-file via which he can exert pressure on Black's c7-pawn.
After the d5 advance Black generally has to keep the equilibrium with the move ...e5. An exception to this is shown next.
Karayannis - Vlahos
Ano Liosia 1996
1.d4 f5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.O-O O-O 6.c4 d6 7.Nc3 Ne4 This move is Black's simplest way to achieve equality. 8.Qc2 Nxc3 9.bxc3 White keeps his queen on c2, so as to speed up the e4 advance, but the doubled c-pawns become a weakness. 9...Nc6 This move, preparing ...e5, is now correct since Black can't allow White to play e4 unhindered. After the critical reply in the game, Black's pressure on the c-pawns compensates for his inability to play ...e5.
10.d5 Black must counter 10.e4 with 10...e5, following the golden rule If Black can achieve the ...e5 advance he will generally be at least equal. In this Black actually holds a small advantage. 10...Na5 11.dxe6 Now Black continued 11...Bxe6, which is not best, but should be viable. I recommend instead 11...Nxc4, when play would probably continue 12.Nd4 d5 13.Nxf5 Bxe6, when Black has full equality.
It is normally the case that when White has doubled c-pawns, the advance d5 is ineffective. This is because White's c4-pawn will find it harder to advance to c5, and so White is left with weak c-pawns for the rest of the game.
Next, we'll explore how Black should react against systems where White does not fianchetto his king's bishop.
Until tomorrow,
GM Simon Williams
Ginger GM
Hello,
This is day 4 of my 5-day crash course Five Killer Dutch Ideas. If you'd like to download the PGN file of the games featured in this email to view in your favourite chess program, you can do so via this link.
Black Plays ...b6
White normally fianchettos his king's bishop against the Classical Dutch, and there is a good reason for this. The king's fianchetto normally prevents Black from playing ...b6, which is a move he wants to play. In the lines where there is a white bishop on g2, Black's light-squared bishop finds it hard to enter the game unless he can achieve the ...e5 advance. However, if he is able to play ...b6 and ...Bb7, Black develops his bishop and controls some important squares on the a8-h1 diagonal, in particular e4. Therefore, if White does not fianchetto, it is nearly always correct for Black to play ...b6 and ...Bb7. The following game, a rare loss by Alekhine, is a good example of this.
Alekhine - Lowcki
St Petersburg 1914
1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 This continuation makes life easy for Black. 4...b6 Black grabs the chance to fianchetto his bishop. 5.Bd3 Bb7 6.Nf3 Bb4 Fighting for control over the important e4-square. Black is already very comfortable here. 7.Bd2 O-O 8.Qc2 Bxc3 9.Bxc3 Ne4 10.O-O-O d5 11.Ne5 Nd7 12.Nxd7 Qxd7 13.Be1 dxc4 14.Bxc4 Nd6 15.Bf1 Be4 16.Qc3 a5 17.f3 Bd5 18.a3 Rfb8 19.Bd3 b5 Black pushes on towards White's king, while White prepares to strike in the centre.
20.Qc2 Rb6 21.e4 Rc6 22.Bc3 Bc4 23.d5 exd5 24.Bxc4 Rxc4 25.b3 Rc6 26.exd5 Rc5 27.b4 axb4 28.axb4 Rc4 29.Kb2 c5 30.dxc6 Qxc6 31.Qb3 Kh8 32.Rd3 Qb6 33.Kb1 Rc6 34.Qd5 Nc4 35.Rhd1 Rcc8 36.Qxf5 Qa6 37.Bxg7+ Kg8 38.R1d2 Nxd2+ 39.Rxd2 Qg6 40.Qxg6 hxg6 41.Bb2 Rd8 42.Rxd8+ Rxd8 43.Kc2 Kf7 44.f4 Ke6 45.g4 Rc8+ 46.Kb3 Rc4 47.Bc3 Rxf4 48.h3 g5 49.Kc2 Rf3 50.Bd2 Kf6 51.Bc3+ Kg6 52.Be1 Rxh3 53.Kd2 Rf3 0-1
Black Plays ...b5
Black sometimes plays ...b5 to divert White's c4-pawn. After White moves his c-pawn (either with cxb5 or c5), Black gains more control of the light squares, first and foremost d5. This can benefit Black in a number of ways, and d5 is a useful square to plant a black piece. Playing ...b5 also gives Black more control of the queenside. The following game is a good example.
S. Williams - Gleizerov
Isle of Man 2001
1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Qc2 b6 5.g3 Bb7 6.Bg2 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 O-O 8.O-O Bxc3 9.Qxc3 d6 10.b4 White should probably try d5 somewhere around here, to be followed by Nd4. 10...Qe8 11.a4 a6 Preparing the advance ...b5! 12.Bb2 Nbd7 13.a5 Ne4 14.Qc2 Ndf6 15.Ne1 Rc8 16.Nd3 b5 Gaining more control of the light squares and the centre.
17.c5 Bd5 A very good square for the black bishop, bearing down on the kingside and the queenside. 18.Bc1 h6 19.Nb2 Ng5 20.f3 Qg6 21.Be3 e5 22.Kh1 e4 23.f4 Ne6 24.Rac1 Rfd8 25.Rfd1 h5 26.Bf2 h4 27.e3 hxg3 28.Bxg3 Kf7 29.Kg1 Ng4 30.Qe2 Rh8Black has a big advantage due to the pressure against White's king. I find that one of the most irritating things in chess is playing against your own opening! As this game demonstrates, I did not put up much resistance.
We've looked at several fundamental ideas that Classical Dutch players must keep in mind. Tomorrow, we'll put it all together and see how what we've learnt helped me to beat one of the world's strongest players.
GM Simon Williams
Ginger GM
Hello,
This is the final email in my 5-day crash course Five Killer Dutch Ideas. If you'd like to download the PGN file of the games featured in this email to view in your favourite chess program, you can do so via this link.
Day 5: My Victory Over Boris Gelfand
The Dutch is a great opening to throw strong players off-guard. Let's take a look at how one of the very strongest dealt with my Classical Dutch in the European Team Championships.
Gelfand, Boris - Williams, Simon
European Club Cup 2012
1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O d6 7.b4 Gaining space and clamping down on the queenside. After 7.Nc3 I intended 7...Ne4. There's plenty of material on this line in my Killer Dutch DVD.
7...a5 In the past I've answered 7. b4 with 7...Ne4 8.Bb2 a5. Now 9.a3 is probably the best move, when White holds his queenside space after 9...axb4 10.axb4 Rxa1 11.Bxa1 d5. In this line, 9.b5 allows 9...a4 which is annoying for White as it's now not trivial to develop the b1-knight.
8.b5 8.a3 is obviously not possible now after my move order. The White queenside pawns can now become a target for Black after moves like ...c6 and ...d5.
8...Ne4 9.Qc2 Bf6 10.Bb2 a4 Again, this annoying move makes it hard for White to develop his queen's knight due to a possible a4-a3.
11.Nfd2 11.Ne1 with the idea of f3 is also sensible.
11...d5 11...Nxd2 12.Nxd2 e5 here is not so effective due to the queenside structure. White's bishops are very strong and my minor pieces are tied down. It's important to remember that in the systems with an early b4, d6-d5! is often Black's most effective break, rather than e6-e5.
12.Na3 c6 13.Rab1 Bd7 14.Rfc1 Here or on the next move White should probably play 14.e3, gaining control of the f4-square. Play might continue 14...cxb5 15.Nxb5 Bxb5 16.cxb5 Nd7 when Black is comfortable.
14...Be8 15.Nf3? f4! White is in trouble now with ...Bg6 coming. The f2-pawn can also be weak.
16.Qd1 16.gxf4 Bg6 17.Qd1 Bh4 is very dangerous for White.
16...fxg3 17.hxg3 Bg6 17...Bg5 was my first thought, but after 18.Nxg5 Qxg5 19.Bxe4 dxe4 20.Rc3! White is defending. The rook on c3 is an excellent defender and after Bc1 next White is back in control.
18.bxc6 Allowing me to develop another piece, but White has to try some active play.
18...Nxc6 19.Nb5 This was Gelfand's idea.
19...Bg5 20.Ba3 Rf7 20...Bxc1 21.Bxf8 Be3 22.fxe3 Qxf8 23.Qe1 Qb8 24.Nh4 is good for Black, and possibly better than my move.
21.Nxg5 Qxg5 22.Bxe4 dxe4 22...Bxe4 23.Nd6
23.Qe1 Gelfand decides that giving up material is his best chance. The alternatives were:
- 23.e3 Bh5 is not an option for White.
- 23.Nd6 Rxf2!? 24.Kxf2 Rf8+ 25.Kg2 ( 25.Ke1 e3 wins for Black. ) 25...e3 26.Qg1 Bxb1 The safest. 26...Rf2+ 27.Qxf2 exf2 28.Rxb7 h5 29.Kxf2 h5 is also interesting and probably good for Black. 27.Rf1 Bf5 28.Nxf5 Rxf5 when Black must be doing well. Just look at the position of the White queen!
23...e3 24.f3 Bxb1 25.Rxb1 White's main defensive idea is Nd6-e4.
25...Rf6 26.Kg2 26.Nd6 Rh6
26...Rh6 27.g4 White needs to control the h5-square, so my queen can't use it.
27...Ne7? A logical move, forcing White to exchange his bishop but 27...Nxd4! 28.Nxd4 Qf4 29.Qg3 Qxd4 should be all over!
28.Bxe7 Qxe7 29.Qg3 Rd8 30.Qe5 Qh4 31.Qg3 Qe7 32.Qe5 Rolling the dice. Both of us were short of time. I could have taken the draw here but that's not the Ginger way! Playing on is not without risk, but how many times in chess do you have a chance to beat a player of Gelfand's quality?
32...Rg6 33.c5 Rg5 34.Qxe3 h5 35.Nd6 hxg4 36.f4 Rh5
37.Qg3? 37.Rxb7 Qf6 was my intention, rolling the dice again! Alternatively, 37...Qh4 38.Qxe6+ Kh8 39.Nf7+ Kh7 40.Ng5+ Rxg5 41.fxg5 Qh3+ 42.Kg1 is a draw, as long as Black doesn't play Rf8 43.Qh6+!!
37...Qf6 38.Qxg4 Rh6 39.f5 39.Kf3 Qxd4 should also be winning for Black.
39...exf5 40.Nxf5 Rg6 41.Ne7+ Qxe7 42.Qxg6 Qxe2+ The White king is too open. 43.Kh3 Rd5 Gelfand resigned here. One possible finish could have been 44.Rg1 Qf3+ 45.Kh4 Rxd4+ 46.Rg4 Rxg4+ 47.Qxg4 Qxg4+ 48.Kxg4 Kf7 with a winning king and pawn endgame 0-1
Thanks for reading. The world can only be a better place with more people playing the Classical Dutch! Remember, there's plenty of Dutch content on my website and Ginger GM publish both a Killer Dutch DVD and an accompanying ebook.
GM Simon Williams
Ginger GM
I received the above 5 emails from GM Williams when I signed up for his free mailing list at gingergm.com
Quick request here folks, anyone know any good sources to learn the Dutch? I'm having quite a difficult time finding much, just tidbits here and there.