Playing the Stonewall Dutch

Playing the Stonewall Dutch

The Stonewall is the boldest version of the Dutch Defence: with ...f5, ...e6, ...d5 and ...c6 Black throws up a wall of pawns, grabs central space, and clamps down on e4, accepting a slightly awkward light-squared bishop in return for a genuine attacking structure. It has a reputation as dubious — and grandmaster Nikola Sedlak sets out to prove that reputation wrong.

Sedlak plays the Stonewall himself with a healthy plus score, and this book is the distilled result of that experience. He provides a complete Black repertoire against everything White can try: the fianchetto systems with Bf4, the various knight deployments (7.Nbd2, 7.Ne5, 7.Nc3), the 7.b3 and 5.Nh3 set-ups, and the lines where White avoids the fianchetto altogether.

Crucially, he also covers the practical side that most opening books skip: move-order subtleties, how to reach the Stonewall against 1.c4 and 1.Nf3, and the choice between the solid "flexible" Stonewall and the sharper "aggressive" version with ...g5 ideas. A chapter of exercises lets you test the typical attacking patterns.

A combative, opinionated repertoire for club players and above who want a fighting answer to 1.d4 that steers the game onto their own terms.