Dutch Defense: what should White play?

In the Dutch Defense (ECO A80), White's most reliable and flexible continuation is Nf3, which develops a kingside piece, controls the central e5 square, and holds an engine evaluation of +0.44. While the classical space-gaining move c4 is the most frequent choice—appearing in 47.0% of the over 21 million recorded games—Nf3 accounts for 23.0% of encounters (5.01M recorded) and offers a solid, classical setup where White scores 52.0% of points.

The Strategy Behind Nf3

The move Nf3 secures immediate influence over key central squares without prematurely committing the central pawns. An illustrative engine continuation demonstrates how White establishes a harmonious piece setup: Nf3 e6 Bf4 Nf6 e3 b6. By developing the kingside knight first, White keeps options open to deploy the bishop actively to f4 before solidifying the center.

Aggressive and Classical Alternatives

Players seeking sharp positions frequently opt for Bg5, which carries the engine's highest evaluation of +0.54. Though selected in only 5.6% of games (1.22M recorded), Bg5 achieves White's highest score at 56.5%, often continuing along the line Bg5 g6 Nc3 Bg7 e3 c6. Alternatively, the main territorial strike c4 scores 50.8% across 10M recorded games, typically transitioning toward kingside fianchetto structures via c4 e6 g3 Nf6 Bg2 d5.

Additional Positional Setups

White can also prepare the bishop fianchetto directly with g3, evaluated at +0.47 and scoring 54.1% across 784K recorded games (3.6%). Another popular system involves the immediate bishop sortie Bf4, chosen in 20.8% of positions (4.53M recorded) with a +0.43 evaluation and a 51.8% score, as exemplified by the continuation Bf4 e6 Nf3 Nf6 e3 Be7.