heavypieces wrote on 12/08/11 at 06:19:53:


Arrg sorry, I meant of course to write '7...a5', not '7...a4'. I can't modify my earlier post now, so please take this by way of apology, because I made the 'a4' error a few times in that post. Stupid brain!

TN wrote on 12/08/11 at 07:06:01:


Thanks for your interesting suggestions.

9...Nxc3 is the move given by Williams on the DVD, so it's worth noting that we're moving outside the Killer Dutch repertoire with your suggestions: that's no reason to dismiss them though. Perhaps we can 'patch' the Williams repertoire.

9...d5 strikes me as not a bad move, but it produces a stonewall dutch pawn structure and a hole on the e5 square. I guess if people know their stonewall dutch it could be an idea worth trying; trouble is, it's very different from the classical dutch ideas on the DVD, which are based on striving for an e5 break followed by attacking the kingside.

9...Nc6 actually looks much worse than 9...d5 to me. Can't White just retreat the Q to b1, then pick up a pawn? For example after 10.Nxe4 Nb4 11.Qb1 fe 12.Qxe4. I can't see what Black has for the pawn here.

To correct the typo: he means 10. bxNc3 (took me some time to figure out what he was referring to with Qd5+! )

Anyway, I like TN's 2nd suggestion, but frankly I do not see the problem with Black's position after 13. Qd5+ Kh8. It could be that I am still asleep, but can you please enlighten me? 

When I first got the 'Killer Dutch' DVD, I was very impressed. 

I loved the production, Williams is a great presenter, and the opening itself felt like a punchy, fun line. 

I adopted the 'Old faithful' line 7...a4 - the core of the DVD -which Williams claims to have played for 20 years. 

But then I saw that, on Williams's own website, someone posted on his forum a move sequence which showed a huge crack in the very main line that Williams advocates. Even Williams had to agree that this was 'well spotted' (quote) and went on to confess that he now plays the different move 7...Ne4 for this very reason. Williams also said that he would address this issue in his ebook on the Dutch - but that's been a long time coming and I'm still waiting.

I was very disappointed in this development. I find it hard to believe that Williams did not know about this line despite playing the 'Old faithful' for twenty years.

All the posts I'm talking about are still avaliable on his website, the thread is called 'Killer Dutch mainline' in his forum.

Therefore, before you go embracing the Killer Dutch, be warned. The mainline of 7...a4 leads straight to a lost game.

If anyone has any suggestions for bettering Blacks play in this line, I'd love to hear them - I really did like the 7...a4 Dutch.

[Edit]: To save people going to Williams's forum I've cut and pasted the post below. Note that it's as originally posted, typos and all.

"Hi Simon,
I'm studying your video, I have seen it already a few times to understand the basic idea, and now I'm getting a bit more in details.
I have a question on a line you suggest in the DVD and that seems wrong to me  

1 d4 f5
2 Nf3 e6
3 g3 Nf6
4 Bg2 Be7
5 00-00
6 c4 d6
7 Nc3 a5
8 Re1 Ne4 (the old main line)
9 Qd3 Nxc3
10 bxc3 Nc6 (to meet e4 with e5
11 e4 e5
you analysis stops here, but if you go further a couple of moves... White seems much better to me

e.g.
12 dxe5 dxe5 (according to Fritz is the best)
13 Qd5+

Now I'm not even a class A player, so I could be very wrong but I think here white is better !?
Am I wrong?"

[Edit]: To avoid confusion I've changed a typing mistake on White's tenth move, which originally read 'Nxc3' when clearly bxc3 was meant.

There's a lot to watch. I've been watching it over the last few days, and I've still got a ways to go. It's interesting stuff and makes me want to take up playing The Bird again.

GMTonyKosten wrote on 12/04/10 at 03:00:43:



Not at all.  I was just amused to see a quick shot I took on my mobile phone turning up all this time later.

Yeah, that update is a mini-monograph on how to play the "Classical."