Dutch Defense (1… f5 2. c4)
1. d4 f5 2. c4
The Dutch Defense is a chess opening classified as ECO A84, reached after 1. d4 f5 2. c4. Black is to move. 3 named lines continue from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 19,058 times by this move order. White won 49%, 5% were drawn and Black won 46%. The most popular continuation is 2… Nf6 (70% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.50 (Stockfish, depth 46; best line 2… Nf6 3. g3 e6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2)
- ECO
- A84
- Moves
- 3 plies
- FEN
rnbqkbnr/ppppp1pp/8/5p2/2PP4/8/PP2PPPP/RNBQKBNR b KQkq - 0 2- PGN
1. d4 f5 2. c4
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 3,770 | |
| 1500-1999 | 12,001 | |
| 2000+ | 3,287 | |
| All | 19,058 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 2… Nf6 Normal Variation | 13,350 (70%) | |
| 2… e6 Classical Variation (2. c4 e6) | 3,987 (21%) | |
| 2… g6 | 640 (3%) | |
| 2… d6 | 402 (2%) | |
| 2… d5 | 189 (1%) | |
| 2… c6 | 120 (1%) | |
| 2… b6 | 111 (1%) | |
| 2… c5 | 67 (0%) |
Master games
273 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 41%, draw 15%, Black 44%). The strongest:
- LCZero 0.30-dag-a9b25c2b-BT2-3 (3598) – Stockfish dev-20230409-b36d39d (3639) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 24 Superfinal 2023 · 2023-04-13
- Stockfish dev-20230409-b36d39d (3639) – LCZero 0.30-dag-a9b25c2b-BT2-3 (3598) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 24 Superfinal 2023 · 2023-04-13
- Ethereal 14.24 (3535) – KomodoDragon 3.2 (3587) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 25 Premier 2023 · 2023-09-06
- KomodoDragon 3.2 (3587) – Ethereal 14.24 (3535) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 25 Premier 2023 · 2023-09-06
- GM Alexey Sarana (2712) – GM Raven Sturt (2459) 1-0 · Titled Tue 18th Jun Late · 2024-06-18
Search all games of the Dutch Defense and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- NM Andrey11976 (2812) – GM Niksss2023 (2817) 0-1 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
- Chess1Love0 (2790) – Johnizard (2719) 1-0 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
- Chess1Love0 (2786) – Johnizard (2723) 1-0 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Dutch Defense (1. d4 f5) 1. d4 f5
Continuations
- Dutch Defense: Classical Variation (2. c4 e6) A84 · 1. d4 f5 2. c4 e6
- Dutch Defense: Normal Variation A84 · 1. d4 f5 2. c4 Nf6
- Dutch Defense: Bladel Variation A84 · 1. d4 f5 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Nh6
More Dutch Defense lines (all)
- Dutch Defense: Alapin Variation A80
- Dutch Defense: Barcza Variation A80
- Dutch Defense: Hevendehl Gambit A80
- Dutch Defense: Hopton Attack A80
- Dutch Defense: Janzen-Korchnoi Gambit A80
- Dutch Defense: Kingfisher Gambit A80
- Dutch Defense: Korchnoi Attack A80
- Dutch Defense: Krejcik Gambit A80
- Dutch Defense: Krejcik Gambit, Tate Gambit A80
- Dutch Defense: Manhattan Gambit, Anti-Classical Line A80
- Dutch Defense: Manhattan Gambit, Anti-Leningrad A80
- Dutch Defense: Manhattan Gambit, Anti-Modern A80
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.