{"id":741,"date":"2021-10-27T18:56:12","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T18:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forwardchess.com\/blog\/?p=741"},"modified":"2022-03-31T10:32:22","modified_gmt":"2022-03-31T10:32:22","slug":"book-review-playing-the-stonewall-dutch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forwardchess.com\/blog\/book-review-playing-the-stonewall-dutch\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Playing the Stonewall Dutch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Book Review: Playing the Stonewall Dutch<\/em><\/strong> by Nikola Sedlak (Quality Chess Publishing)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Playing the Stonewall Dutch<\/a>
Publisher:<\/strong> Quality Chess
Author:<\/strong> GM Nikola Sedlak
FC<\/strong> Release date:<\/strong> Jul 08, 2020<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cNot a Dutch surely? That would be fine by me! \u2026 So it is a Dutch Defence. One of the openings which, just like most masters, I am very happy to play on the white side.\u201d <\/strong>\u2013 <\/em>Tigran Petrosian (commenting on his game against Bent Larsen, San Antonio 1973 (1-0, 63).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The late, great former world champion was not a fan of the Dutch Defence, as the above quote shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, his opponent in this game, Bent Larsen, wrote in 1974:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSolid, rock-solid. Is this [the Stonewall Dutch] the answer to Black’s dreams if he has little time for opening theory? For some players, it may be, though it is a little discomforting that most experts think White has a small but clear positional advantage… Though some may call it primitive it is a fine solution to many of Black’s problems. But some difficulties remain. First of all, the Stonewall is not so good if White does not fianchetto his f1-bishop! It is very much against this bishop that Black’s strategy is directed. So if White is not a fianchetto man you are probably wise to have another system ready. (Not all Stonewall fans will agree.)\u201d<\/em><\/strong> – Bent Larsen, 1974.

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GM Bent Larsen, the World Champions killer, scored victories over 7 World Champions between 1948 and 1985. Picture from his auto-biographical book Bent Larsen’s Best Games<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Nearly fifty years later, the author of this book, GM Nikola Sedlak, sides with Larsen and not Petrosian, and he provides a black repertoire on the Stonewall. He writes about the position after 1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 d5:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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