Dutch Defense: Classical Variation
Also known as Classical Dutch
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
2,576,802 games: White 47.7% / Draw 5.4% / Black 46.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch Defense: Rubinstein Variation | 1,632,7171.6M | |
| 405,701406K | ||
| 235,506236K | ||
| 97,04897K | ||
| 55,30155K | ||
| Dutch Defense: Bellon Gambit | 44,36044K | |
| 35,98736K | ||
| 14,68815K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.47 White is slightly better
Best play: 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Nc3 O-O 6. Bg2 c6 7. O-O d5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 47% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 42% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 249K | |
| 1400–1799 | 984K | |
| 1800–2199 | 1.6M | |
| 2200 and up | 332K | |
| Masters, over the board | 5,839 |
Master games
- Ding Liren – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Eljanov, P. – Carlsen, M.
- Gelfand, B. – Carlsen, M.
- Wojtaszek, R. – Carlsen, M.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 26, 2026
Overview
Dutch Defense: Classical Variation (ECO A84, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Dutch Defense, reached after 1. d4 f5 2. c4 e6 (2 moves).
In 2,576,802 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.7%, Black 46.9% and 5.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. Nc3, in 63% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Dutch Defense: Rubinstein Variation and Dutch Defense: Stonewall Variation, Modern Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Dutch Defense: Classical Variation
3. g3 scores best for White: 54.2%, with White winning 50.9% and Black 42.4% of 236K games. The most played answer, 3. Nc3, scores lowest: 49.9% in 1.6M games. Stockfish's first choice is 3. Nf3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Dutch Defense: Classical Variation peaked in 2018 at 0.13% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.11% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.11% | 39,952 |
| 2017 | 0.12% | 67,027 |
| 2018 | 0.13% | 100,246 |
| 2019 | 0.11% | 138,748 |
| 2020 | 0.098% | 287,152 |
| 2021 | 0.081% | 318,691 |
| 2022 | 0.094% | 353,271 |
| 2023 | 0.098% | 367,954 |
| 2024 | 0.098% | 351,497 |
| 2025 | 0.11% | 373,855 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.12% | 129,930 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (3)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Dutch Defense: Classical Variation (A84)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/dutch-defense-classical-variation