1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

1. d4 f5

Shown from Black's side. ECO A80.

Opening guide · an opening for Black

Dutch Defense

The Dutch Defense starts 1. d4 f5. Black takes control of the e4 square with a wing pawn and aims for play on the kingside. The move loosens the squares around Black's own king, so it carries more risk than most defences. The main setups are the Leningrad with ...g6, the Stonewall with ...d5 and ...e6, and the Classical.

Games in our sample
18,251
White wins
50.2%
Draws
4.6%
Black wins
45.3%
Open this position on the analysis boardResults by rating

How the Dutch Defense scores at each rating

Each row is one rating band. The share is how much of all the games in that band started with this opening.

RatingGamesShareWhite winsDrawsBlack wins
under 10005630.3%54.0%6.2%39.8%
1000 to 11999810.3%52.7%3.8%43.5%
1200 to 13991,7310.4%51.9%2.5%45.6%
1400 to 15992,8390.5%50.4%3.5%46.1%
1600 to 17994,1280.6%49.6%3.7%46.7%
1800 to 19994,2830.8%48.8%5.1%46.1%
2000 to 21992,6261.0%50.5%6.1%43.4%
2200 and over1,1001.0%49.6%7.8%42.5%
All ratings18,2510.6%50.2%4.6%45.3%

Counted from 3,156,949 rated blitz, rapid and classical games played on Lichess from 2026-10-01 to 2026-10-02 (the first 5,000,000 games of the month's public file; bullet and unrated games left out). The rating is the average of the two players' Lichess ratings. Source: the Lichess open database (public domain).

Main lines

The named lines of the Dutch Defense that were played most in our sample, each with the position it reaches.

  • 1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

    Queen's Knight Variation

    1. d4 f5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3

    2,603 games · White 48.4% · draws 4.1% · Black 47.5%

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  • 1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

    Raphael Variation

    1. d4 f5 2. Nc3

    1,491 games · White 55.3% · draws 3.4% · Black 41.3%

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  • 1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

    Rubinstein Variation

    1. d4 f5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3

    1,485 games · White 48.2% · draws 5.2% · Black 46.6%

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  • 1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

    Classical Variation

    1. d4 f5 2. c4 e6

    972 games · White 47.0% · draws 4.8% · Black 48.1%

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  • 1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

    Normal Variation

    1. d4 f5 2. c4 Nf6

    802 games · White 50.5% · draws 4.9% · Black 44.6%

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  • 1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

    Hopton Attack

    1. d4 f5 2. Bg5

    634 games · White 57.7% · draws 3.6% · Black 38.6%

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Ideas for White

  • A king's fianchetto with g3 and Bg2 is the main setup against every Dutch.
  • The Staunton Gambit, 2. e4, attacks the f5 pawn at once.

Ideas for Black

  • Keep control of e4. In the Stonewall the pawns on d5, e6 and f5 hold it for good.

Questions

What are the moves of the Dutch Defense?
1. d4 f5. In the ECO classification it is filed under A80.
How does the Dutch Defense score?
In 18,251 games with it in our sample, White won 50.2%, 4.6% were drawn and Black won 45.3%.
At which ratings is the Dutch Defense played most?
Among players rated 2000 to 2199 it is 1.0% of all games in our sample, its highest share. Its lowest share, 0.3%, is among players rated under 1000.
Which line of the Dutch Defense is played most?
Dutch Defense: Queen's Knight Variation (1. d4 f5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3), with 2,603 games in our sample.

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