What Do The Engines Say? 7. Dutch

MODERN computer programs are revolutionising how we approach openings.

This first became noticeable when supposedly refuted moves started making a comeback as engines showed resources that had evaded the world's top players.

But more recently, as engines grow in strength, there has been a trend in the opposite direction, at least at the highest level.

Grandmaster Nigel Davies summed this up in a post at chesspublishing.com, where he recounted a conversation with Canadian GM Kevin Spraggett, who "opined to me that ancient openings are making a comeback because engines are finding flaws in the more risky ones."

Davies added: "I think there is a lot of truth in this, which is confirmed by the migration of top players to strictly classical openings."

Engines are still far from the stage of knowing all there is too known about openings.

Their play in that stage of the game is not on a par with their abilities in tactical middlegames.

We cannot expect engines to tell us move-by-move how to play our favourite opening variations,

But their opinions on what we should be looking at - the moves that show the most promise - are certainly well worth considering.

So in this series I will be looking at what the engines say about mainline opening positions.

THE pure Dutch 1.d4 f5 is the opening about which a world champion supposedly quipped: "If your opponent wants to play the Dutch, you shouldn't try to stop him."

Those words, or something like them, are usually attributed to Tigran Petrosian, although I have already seen them put in the unlikely mouth of Mikhail Botvinnik (unlikely because for many years he was the Dutch Defence's leading exponent).

Stockfish17 recommends continuing with the fashionable 2.Bg5!?, while Dragon1 prefers the traditional responses of 2.c4 and 2.g3.

Often these days the Dutch arises after Black first plays 1...e6, and White avoids a transposition to the French with 2.e4.

Following 1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 the engines fluctuate between 3.g3, 3.Nc3 and 3.Nf3.

After 1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 f5 Stockfish17 is for quite some time torn between 3.g3 and 3.c4, but comes to agree with Dragon1 that the real choice is between 3.c4 and 3.Bf4, with both engines marginally preferring the latter.