Dutch Defense: Leningrad Variation

ECO A87-A89intermediate

The Leningrad Dutch — ...f5, ...Nf6, ...g6, ...Bg7, ...d6 — fuses the Dutch's kingside ambitions with the King's Indian's dragon bishop, producing Black's most aggressive sound system against 1.d4. The whole apparatus aims at one break: ...e5, after which the f- and e-pawns roll forward with the g7 bishop firing behind them. The main line (7.Nc3 with 7...Qe8 or 7...c6) is a sophisticated fight for that break; White's counters revolve around d5 clamps and the queenside majority.

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Main line

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.

Move by move

The first 12 moves of the main line, explained one at a time. Every move of every variation is annotated like this inside the trainer — this page shows the opening moves so you can judge the explanations before signing up.

White advances the pawn to d4, staking a claim in the center and giving the bishop and queen room to develop.
Black pushes the pawn to f5, the key move of the Dutch Defense. Black wants to control the e4 square and build an attack on the kingside.
White plays c4, adding another pawn to the center. Now two pawns side by side control a lot of important squares in the middle.
Nice and quick, the knight jumps out to f6, a dark square near the middle of the board. Developing a piece early like this is a smart way to get your army ready and keep your king safe.
White nudges the pawn to g3, preparing to place the bishop on g2. This sets up a strong diagonal for the bishop to aim across the board.
Black pushes the pawn to g6, planning to develop the bishop to g7. Together with the knight on f6, this forms the Leningrad setup.
The bishop slides to g2, resting on the long diagonal. From here it points powerfully toward the center and queenside.
Black develops the bishop to g7, completing the fianchetto. The bishop on g7 is a strong piece that looks deep into the board.
The knight jumps to f3, a strong central square. It supports the d4 pawn and gets ready to join the action in the center.
Black castles kingside, tucking the king safely behind the pawns on f7, g6, and h7. The rook on f8 is now ready to become active.
White castles kingside, moving the king to safety behind the pawn wall. The rook on f1 is now well placed to support future play.
Black advances the pawn to d6, giving the pawn chain a solid foundation and opening a path for the dark-squared bishop to develop.

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Win rates by rating

Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.

Rating	Games	White wins	Draws	Black wins	Position after
400-600	408	54.9%	8.3%	36.8%	1.d4 f5
600-800	34	52.9%	2.9%	44.1%	1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3
800-1000	48	54.2%	2.1%	43.8%	1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O d6
1000-1200	25	52%	0%	48%	1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O
1200-1400	552	51.1%	2.2%	46.7%	1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O d6
1400-1600	1,380	50.1%	3.3%	46.6%	1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O d6
1600-1800	273	47.6%	3.7%	48.7%	1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O d6
1800-2000	686	49%	6.4%	44.6%	1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O d6
2000-2200	1,396	48.1%	5.6%	46.3%	1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O d6
2200-2400	1,647	47.2%	6.9%	45.9%	1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O d6

Most played continuations (2200-2400 rating)

After 1.d4 f5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O d6:

Nc3 — played 80.2% of the time (White wins 45.8%, draws 6.7%, Black wins 47.5%)
b3 — played 7.2% of the time (White wins 55.9%, draws 10.2%, Black wins 33.9%)
d5 — played 6.7% of the time (White wins 52.2%, draws 6.3%, Black wins 41.4%)

Related openings

Frequently asked questions

What is the point of ...Qe8 in the Leningrad?

It is the system's signature multi-tool: the queen supports ...e5 (the thematic break), eyes h5 for kingside attacks, and unpins the e7 pawn from d-file tricks. Where the QGD queen waits, the Leningrad queen leads the charge — usually to h5 or g6 once the storm begins.

Is the Leningrad Dutch sound enough for serious play?

Yes — it has been a fighting weapon at grandmaster level for decades (Nakamura and Caruana both employ it). The weakened e6 square and light-square holes are genuine, permanent concessions, but Black's dynamic potential is equally permanent: it suits players who count winning chances, not engine centipawns.