Starting from 1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 0-0, players enter the Dutch Defence: 1.d4 f5 2.c4... 0-0 — ECO A92. Lichess records 156,914 games in this line, which gives us a reliable view of how it actually performs in practice.
History and Notable Players
It arises from the Dutch Defence: 1.d4 f5 2.c4... Be7. Among the most prolific White practitioners are Ivan Farago (8 games), Glenn C Flear (7 games), Colin S Crouch (7 games). Black-side regulars include Igor Naumkin (35 games), Simon K Williams (18 games), Thorsten Michael Haub (17 games).
Performance Across Rating Levels
Popularity and results vary sharply by rating level. The 1200 bracket has 1,571 games (0.00% of all games at that level); White wins 51.4%, Black 44.9%, 3.6% are drawn. By 1800, popularity is 0.00% and White's score is 52.2% to Black's 42.6%. Among 2500-rated players the line appears in 0.03% of games and draws spike to 9.4%, indicating tight preparation. White's edge erodes by 4.7pp from 1200 to 2500 Elo, suggesting Black's counterplay is easier to find with experience.
Move Diversity and Theory Depth
Move choice is far from uniform in the Dutch Defence: 1.d4 f5 2.c4... 0-0. At 1200 Elo, the top reply is O-O, played 71.6% of the time. There are 2 other moves seeing meaningful share, and 91.1% of games stick to established theory. Entropy: 1.50. By 2500, O-O dominates at 93.8% of replies; only 1 viable alternatives remain and 99% of moves are theory. Entropy drops to 0.44. That entropy collapse is the signature of a line where preparation pays off: at the top, players know the best move and play it.
Main Lines and Variations
From the position after 1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 0-0, the recognised continuations are:
- Dutch Defence: 1.d4 f5 2.c4... d6
- Dutch Defence: 1.d4 f5 2.c4... 7.b3
- Dutch Defence: 1.d4 f5 2.c4... c6
Each branch leads to a different middlegame character — the resulting pawn structure decides what kind of game you get.
Common Mistakes
- Playing outside main lines — At 400 Elo, only 87.5% of moves follow established theory — at 2000 that climbs to 97.1%. Most of the gap is players who pick a reasonable-looking move over the best one, and the position quietly drifts.
- Neglecting development — It can feel productive to make extra pawn moves early, but falling behind in piece development is what loses most amateur games — especially in open positions where active pieces find squares fast.
- Playing without a plan — Each Dutch Defence: 1.d4 f5 2.c4... 0-0 middlegame demands a specific approach. Decide whether the position calls for attack, manoeuvre, or simplification before reaching for a move.
Practice on Chessiverse
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