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How to Recover From F6 Dutch Defense

Many chess games start with White moving the Queen's pawn to d4. Black often follows suit by making the symmetrical move, pawn to d5. However, there are a number of defensive openings for Black that break away from symmetrical play. One such opening is the Dutch Defense. This opening was popular with early 20th Century Russian masters. However, it has lost some of its popularity and is no longer used at a professional level. The opening's primary problem revolves around the f6 square. Use a few tactical ideas to recover from this potential problem, enabling Black to use the Dutch Defense successfully.

Instructions

- 1
  
  Always identify the problem squares before making a move.
  
  Identify the problem square and problem piece. In the case of the Dutch Defense, the problem square is f6. The problem piece is Black's Knight on g8. One of the most common squares for this minor piece to move to is f6, which places Black's Knight on a powerful outpost. However, if black moves or has moved the e pawn to either e5 or e6, there's a strong possibility that White will move the dark-squared Bishop to g5 later on, pinning the Black Knight to Black's Queen.
- 2
  Develop Black's opening around the problematic f6 square. Knowing the problem is the potential pinning of the Black Knight to Black's Queen, Black can prepare an appropriate defense. The Dutch Defense is typically played after White moves the d pawn to d4. After White's initial thrust of d4, Black responds with f5. Moving the f pawn to f5 stops White from gaining a pawn majority on the central squares d4 and e4. However, moving the pawn to f5 opens up the h5-e8 diagonal, exposing Black's King to a potential check. At this point in the opening, the Knight can safely be moved to f6 if Black's e pawn is still on the 7th Rank.
- 3
  
  Keep an eye on all long-distance pieces such as Bishops, Rooks and the Queen.
  
  Stop White's potential pin on the f6 square. Often, simple tactical moves are missed by novice players who over-complicate positions. Before developing Black's Knight to f6, move Black's h pawn to h6. This pawn move prevents White's Bishop from moving to g5 after Black positions the Knight there. This pawn move also creates an escape square for Black's King which can be critical if a back rank mate is looming on the horizon.
- 4
  
  Look at the entire board when determining a move, not just the center.
  
  Calculate the severity of the pin. There are two types of pins: relative and absolute. Too many novice players panic when a minor piece becomes pinned to the Queen. This is a relative pin that only serves to slow Black down. If the Knight becomes pinned to the Queen because h6 could not be played, move the Queen. Since the piece doing the pinning is a dark-squared Bishop, moving the Queen to a light square will resolve the problem. Absolute pins are pins in which a piece is pinned to the King. In the case of an absolute pin, the King has to be moved. Moving the piece usually constitutes an illegal move that puts the King in danger.

Chess & Checkers