The Dutch is one of Black’s most ambitious replies to 1.d4, as with 1...f5 Black creates asymmetrical and richly complex play. Mihail Marin is the ideal author to explain both the strategic ideas and the latest theory.

The Dutch is renowned as a fighting weapon against 1.d4, as 1...f5 immediately sets up an unbalanced struggle. Then Black’s kingside fianchetto, which defines the Leningrad Dutch, allows pawn-storming play in similar style to the King’s Indian Defence. Mihail Marin is the ideal author to explain both the strategic ideas and the latest theory

Finding the right opening against 1.d4 has always been a difficult task. Keeping the balance between a solid position and having decent winning chances is very difficult. If you have experienced this problem, have you ever tried the Leningrad Variation of the Dutch Defense? When you play 1 ... f5, your opponent understands that you are not afraid and are out to win the game. Some White players like this, since they will also get more winning chances, but your choice might also unsettle many others.

1.d4 f5 without the main g3 setup

GM Mateusz Bartel - 4-times Polish Champion:

"Are you bored with the classical or popular positions after 1.d4? Are the tonnes of theoretical lines overwhelming for you sometimes? Then you should try the Dutch Defence instead!

Es waren wohl die Analysen des holländischen Meisters Elias Stein (1748-1812) zur Eröffnung 1.d4 f5, veröffentlicht in seinem Buch "Nouvel essai sur le jeu des échecs, avec des réflections militaires relatives à ce jeu" (Den Haag 1789), die zur Namensgebung der Holländischen Verteidigung geführt haben. Zwei erste Partien mit der Zugfolge 1.d4 f5 (2.c4 Sf6 3.Sc3 e6, Jaenisch - v.d. Lasa) sind uns aus dem Jahre 1842 überliefert. Im 19. Jahrhundert lange Zeit als einzige ernsthafte Alternative zu 1… d5 gehandelt, war Holländisch verpönt in der von Steinitz und Tarrasch geprägten Ära des soliden Positionsspiels, bis diese Verteidigung bei den Hypermodernen in den 1920er Jahren eine mühsame Wiedergeburt erlebte

The Vienna set-up aims for very aggressive play, which often includes sacrifices, but White prefers to be on the safe side, without burning all the bridges and to try to justify his actions from the point of view of positional play as well. This is how this usually happens. At first, he deploys his minor pieces to active positions, then he advances the thematic move f4, castles (usually on the kingside) and begins an attack only after all this.