Platonov's Chess Academy

There's no doubt that the Dutch Defence is one of Black's most enterprising answers to 1 d4. Black strives to unbalance the position by creating an asymmetrical pawn structure on the very first move, giving himself every opportunity to fight for the initiative from the outset. It's no surprise that the Dutch particularly appeals to ambitious players who relish a complicated battle.

The Leningrad System is one of the sharpest and most interesting replies to 1. d4. Since this typical set-up is also playable against the flank openings 1. c4 and 1. Nf3, it provides the Black player with a genuine universal weapon.

How to Play Against the Staunton Gambit

The Dutch Defence is an ambitious and underrated counter to the queen's pawn opening. With his very first move Black creates an asymmetrical pawn structure, thus unbalancing the position from a very early stage and allowing both White and Black players to fight for the initiative. Black also has many options within the Dutch Defence, from the ultra-solid Stonewall formation through to the fluid Classical System and the dynamic Leningrad Variation.

For many years, the Leningrad Dutch was viewed with some suspicion in view of the slight positional weaknesses created in Black's position. However, in the 1980s, dynamic new approaches were introduced by such players as Sergei Dolmatov, Evgeny Bareev, Mikhail Gurevich and especially Vladimir Malaniuk that changed the way people thought about the Leningrad Dutch. These players showed how an active approach could compensate for these defects, and offer Black excellent winning chances.

The Stonewall Dutch is a traditional favourite amongst club players, as it offers Black ready-made attacking plans on the kingside. As Grandmaster Bent Larsen has noted, the Dutch also has the tendency to 'bring out the coward' in opponents, giving it an added practical sting. However, up until the late 1980s, the Stonewall wasn't fully trusted at grandmaster level, despite its earlier use by Alekhine and Botvinnik. Black's attacking plans were too one-sided, and White's methods too well worked out.

Publisher: ISHI Press
Author: Eric Schiller
Year of Publication: 2012 (Reprint) Pages: 160
Notation Type: Algebraic (AN)


Book Description At the time of the first edition, this opening was just becoming popular in Grandmaster chess. It soon became a hot item and for this edition we had over 20,000 games in our database. Champions of the defense include Grandmasters Agdestein, Dolmatov, Gleizerov (more than 100 games!), Glek, Karlsson, Moskalenko, Nikolic, Ulibin, and Vaisser. The theory is now pretty well established. I recommend that you start by studying the Overview below and looking at the games cited in the next paragraphs. I have concentrated on the lines most frequently seen in high level games. The opening is so absurdly transpositional that there is no way to organize it exhaustively. The most important thing is to note where the pieces usually land. About the Author(s) Eric Schiller (born March 20, 1955 in New York City) is an American chess player, trainer, arbiter and one of the most prolific authors of books on chess in the 20th century. In 1974, Schiller was the Illinois Junior Champion. Schiller played for the University of Chicago team several times at the Pan American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship. He was an organizer of the Hawaii International chess festivals 1994-98 including 1998 US Open California Champion 1995. Later that year, he appeared as a chess adviser for the music group Phish on some of the stops for their "Chess Tour" where they played an ongoing game of two chess moves per tour stop and some "band vs. audience" partial games as part of their stage performance. Schiller was an arbiter at several notable games and championships including the FIDE World Chess Championship 2000. While Vladimir Kramnik and Garry Kasparov opted not to participate in the event, they had both endorsed Schiller for this sensitive role during the planning stages. As of April 2009, Schiller has a FIDE rating of 2166. He is also an International Arbiter and International Trainer. Schiller's expertise and publications in the Flohr-Zaitsev Variation made him a sought-after expert when Gary Kasparov used that opening at the second game at the World Chess Championship 1990.

The Dutch Leningrad (1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 g6) is one of Black's most dynamic responses to the queen's pawn opening. From the first move, Black stakes a strong claim on the kingside, laying the groundwork for a potential attack on the white king. The Leningrad variation is a popular choice at club and tournament level as well as amongst grandmasters; it is a regular feature in the repertoires of Vassily Ivanchuk, Veselin Topalov and Mikhail Gurevich.