There’s no doubt that the Dutch Defence is one of Black's most enterprising openings. Black strives to unbalance the position by creating an asymmetrical pawn structure on the very first move, giving himself every opportunity to fight for the initiative from the outset.

It's no surprise that the Dutch particularly appeals to ambitious players who relish a complicated battle.

In this book, Neil McDonald tells you everything you need to know in order to play this opening successfully: the best lines to choose, the fundamental ideas for both sides, the traps you can set and the pitfalls to avoid, and the move order subtleties which play such an important role in the modern game.

McDonald provides a comprehensive repertoire based around the dynamic Leningrad Variation. Read this book and play the Dutch with confidence!

• An essential guide to the Dutch Defence
• A Grandmaster’s repertoire against 1 d4, 1 c4 and 1 Nf3
• Packed with new ideas and analysis

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Neil McDonald is a Grandmaster who has firmly established himself as one of the world's leading chess writers, with many outstanding works to his name.

Contents

Preface 5
Introduction 7
1 Gambit Lines and Early Oddities 16
2 White Plays 2 Nc3 37
3 White Plays 2 Bg5 52
4 White Avoids an early g2-g3 against a Leningrad Set-up 65
5 Sidelines in the Leningrad Variation 87
6 The Main Line Leningrad: 7 Nc3 c6 115
7 The Main Line Leningrad: 7 Nc3 Nc6 140
8 The Dutch versus 1 Nf3 and 1 c4 155
Index of Variations 172
Index of Games 174