There are several less explored variations of the Dutch that can serve some players well, and this book does a decent job of presenting their basic ideas and analysis. Unfortunately, the price to page ratio is relatively high, and the author fails to cover some viable white alternatives, which makes what could be a practically great book into one that is practical and pretty good.

The Classical Dutch is characterized by the black formation with …f5…e6…Nf6. Based on white’s play, black can choose to play …Bb4(+) or develop the bishop on e7. Unlike the Stonewall, where black also plays …c6 and …d5, here black is more likely to play …d6 and work for the break with …e5. Generally, if black can achieve this and prevent white from effectively playing e2-e4, he can get a reasonable game.

One of the advantages of this form of Dutch is that it is not played nearly as often as the Stonewall or Leningrad (characterized by black’s fianchetto of the dark squared bishop) variations. As a result, the black player specializing in this variation has much less theory to learn and can expect that his opponent is not nearly as prepared for this as other Dutch variations. The variation also has some pretty common themes for both players; this makes it a relatively easy variation to learn from scratch.

The author is a young aggressive player who specializes in this as black. His understanding of the key ideas is evident, and he provides a useful introduction that presents illustrative games, the basic strategic ideas for both players, and issues relating to move order. These 10 pages provide a solid foundation for a player wishing to learn the key aspects of the variation.

Part one of the book analyzes the Ilyin-Zhenevsky System, which arises after 1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 d6 7.Nc3. Black now has three major choices – 7…a5 (complex and flexible), 7…Qe8 (most common but perhaps too committal) and 7…Ne4! (the author’s punctuation and not nearly as well known to theory as the previous choices). The author deserves credit for analyzing all three of these playable choices – black players may find that one or the other best suits their needs in general or in a specific situation. At the same time, the author provides some useful guidance on 7…Ne4, noting that it has been little played but offers a relatively easy-to-learn method for black in this variation. The author also provides another chapter that covers ways that white may choose to avoid this main line after 1.d4 f5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 with 4.Nd2, 4.Nf3 or other lines after 4.c4 (such as 4…Be7 5.Nh3). This basically makes up about half the book, and I would consider it the strongest part.

If nothing else, this book provides several main line choices for black. The next 25 pages offer yet another couple of ways for black to play the main lines after 1. d4 f5 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2. First, the author explores set-ups where black throws in …Bb4+. As the author rightly notes, if white delays c2-c4 until after he has castled, these lines cannot be reached for black. The author analyzes these lines in chapters based on whether or not white fianchettos his king’s bishop. As a long-time Dutch player, these lines are not exactly cutting edge when it comes to white playing for an edge against the defense. The author also analyzes a variation attributed to Alekhine, 1.d4 f5 2.c4 f6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 Ne4!? This retains lots of options for black’s pawn placement, including transpositions to the Stonewall (characterized by …d5 and …c6) if the position warrants it. This could fit into a repertoire with the …Bb4 variations – black choosing the Alekhine method if the move order makes …Bb4+ impractical.

These “main line” approaches comprise about 2/3rds of the book, and it is its strength, with the author providing several useful methods for Black. Unfortunately, there are other ways for black to play after 1.d4 f5. As a player of both sides of this defense, I think the general opinion has become that white’s second move alternatives, particularly 2.Nc3 and 2.Bg5 are the most dangerous tests. This is not surprising, considering that 1…f5 weakens the kingside and does not immediately contribute to development. I recall that when reviewing Aagard’s book on the Stonewall Dutch, only about 25% of the illustrative games started 1 d4 f5 – the rest were 1 d4 e6 or other methods meant to avoid these dangerous second move alternatives.

There are several of these dangerous alternatives that do not even warrant a mention by the author. For something basic, try to find 1.d4 f5 2.h3. While you might think this pretty esoteric, Korchnoi has lent his name to the variation, and there has been a fair amount of coverage (white plays a quick g2-g4) devoted to it in other Dutch books. As one who has lost against this variation, I can attest to the fact that it deserves attention. IM Angus Dunnington, in his recent book ATTACKING WITH 1.d4 (click to see Donaldson’s and Watson’s reviews of this book), also suggested a repertoire based on 1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e6 4.f3!?. Again, this gets no mention here.

I don’t mean to use these examples as a sort of chess “gotcha” exercise. At the same time, this is a pretty light book repertoire-wise, and some of this stuff deserved coverage. Make no mistake, this is not a book based around extensive theoretical coverage, and while that in and of itself is not bad, one should not overlook playable alternatives either, particularly when they are the subject of discussion in recent books on the same opening variation.

In conclusion, the Classical Dutch is an underrated system within the Dutch Defense. If you already play the Dutch as black and are comfortable with the non-main line systems (or if you use the 1.d4 e6 move order and are willing to play something else after 2.e4), this is an excellent book with several useful choices for black. However, if you are just getting started with this defense and have few other resources, you might run into some painful learning experiences.

Click HERE to see Donaldson’s review of this book.

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