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I have recently been working very hard on a forthcoming Stonewall Dutch course for Chessable. I feel that the Stonewall is a great practical choice of opening in the modern age, mainly because the set up is easy to learn and very durable. In this update I share with you some of the exciting and new ideas that I have discovered in the Stonewall Dutch. Get ready for Gary the G-Pawn, who wants a piece of that White King!'

Download PGN of September ’25 Daring Defences games

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The Stonewall Dutch 6...Bd6 7 b3 Qe7 8 Bb2 0-0 9 Qc1 [A90]

In the first two games we take a look at a very sensible and positionally orientated plan from White, b3 followed up with Qc1 and ideas based around Ba3 to exchange the dark squared bishops.

It seems to me that Black has two good responses against this, frst 9...b5!?

which we study in Chernyak, V - Semenova, E.

Second, 9...a5!? with 10...Bb4 next, this is a very rare, yet good plan from Black:

This could even be the simplest way for Black to gain an equal game, see Villa, G - Spornberger, A.


The Stonewall Dutch 6...Bd6 7 b3 Qe7 8 a4 [A90]

Continuing with our analysis of White's aim of exchanging dark squared Bishops, we now look at a game that I played where my opponent continued with 8 a4. This is a common idea from White, aiming for slow positional control of e5.

Black is ok in this line, it seems to me that the best way to play is with ...a5 and a later ...Na6, see Sadwani, R - Williams, S.


The Stonewall Dutch 6 Qc2 Bd6 7 0-0 0-0 [A90]

Now we move onto a plan in the main line with an early Ne5. This has been suggested as White's best idea in a couple of sources. But I think that Black has two good ways to meet this idea. In this game we look at a plan with ...a5!? An idea that Magnus himself has used, intending to grab space on the queenside:

It is crazy to me, to think that Fressinet, L - Williams, S was played some 27 years ago! It is probably ego, but sometimes it is nice to dwell on the better results that we have had in our past. There are plenty of bad results to level things out!


The Stonewall Dutch 7 b3 Qe7 8 Bb2 Nbd7 [A90]

Whilst working on my forth coming Stonewall Dutch Course for Chessable, I came across a quite remarkable idea. An idea which I will champion in the course, but first let me share that idea with you here...

Wow! What a move! Black immediately sends his army forwards on the Kingside. See Babula, V - Bratovic, B.


The Stonewall Dutch 6...Bd6 7 Bf4 Bxf4 8 gxf4 0-0 [A90]

White can also aim to exchange dark squared Bishop with Bf4. This does has some downsides though, mainly the weakening of White's Kingside after ...Bxf4 gxf4:

In Kozak, L - Varitski, I I am going to show you an interesting way for Black to play based around ...Kh8 and ...g5 ideas. This can even be combined with ...dxc4!? and ...Nd5.


The Stonewall Dutch 5 Nh3 Bd6 [A90]

And now White aims at exchanging dark squared Bishops, but without doing any damage to his kingside pawns. So White prepares Bf4 with Nh3 first:

But Black has a good way to counter involving ...N-c6-b4 and ...a5-a4, see Tyurin, A - Eugene, F.


Till next month, Simon.

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