Hungarian Opening: Dutch Defense: what should White play?

In the Hungarian Opening: Dutch Defense, White should continue kingside development with the natural fianchetto Bg2, which yields an engine evaluation of +0.84. This move develops the light-squared bishop along the long diagonal to counter Black's intended kingside and queenside pawn structure. Across 12,367 games recorded in opening databases, the position provides White with a comfortable spatial foundation and straightforward piece coordination.

The strategic role of Bg2

The primary continuation Bg2 reinforces White's grip on the long diagonal while preparing immediate kingside castling. Placing the bishop on the g2 square directly mirrors Black's pawn advance with b6, preemptively contesting the long diagonal against an impending bishop development to b7. Black's early pawn commitments have slightly weakened their control over central dark squares, and White's harmonious setup allows flexible central play in subsequent turns.

Engine main line and follow-ups

Following Bg2, the primary engine continuation unfolds with Bg2 Bb7 O-O e6 c4 Nf6. Both sides complete natural minor piece mobilization before committing central pawns. Black reinforces the center with an eventual pawn presence on e6, while White castles safely and prepares queenside expansion via the c-pawn, retaining a persistent positional plus.

Alternative central moves

White also retains solid alternatives on move three that score similarly in engine evaluations. The central space-grab c4 (+0.82) often transposes into similar structures via c4 e6 Bg2 Bb7 O-O Nf6. Alternatively, White can stake immediate claims in the center with d4 (+0.77) or choose the modest d3 (+0.75), both offering quiet, positional maneuvering setups. Even the quiet flanking move a3 (+0.61) remains playable, though delaying bishop development slightly decreases White's opening initiative.