Modern Stonewall Dutch

This is the Modern Stonewall Dutch (1.d4 f5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 4.c4 c6 followed by ...Bd6). It is a proven durable and solid defense played by Grandmasters as well.

Make sure you understand and memorize the Black Setup. You can play this setup even if White plays other things like 1.b3 or 1.Nf3.

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Highlights

Your problem will be to activate your dead bishop at c8. It can be played to h5 or to b7. I suggest you specialize to play the bishop to h5, then you don't have to push the b pawn at your queenside.

So worry about the dead bishop, play it to h5 and trade it off for a knight or bishop if you can. Get rid of it or it will ruin you...

Don't push any pawns at the queenside, because this is where White will attack you. There is nothing you can do about this as in this pawn structure White is simply stronger at the queenside and if you waste time you are going to lose the pawn at c6 and/or the a-pawn. If you get nervous and push pawns there, you will just weaken yourself and accellerate the white attack.

You are allowed to play the a-pawn to a6 if white starts a pawn storm playing b4 and a4 and trade off your a-pawn if White play b5. This is a good idea because you can't lose the a-pawn anymore later on because it is non-existent.

Your task is to attack at the white kingside or play in the center. Try to organize carefully an attack against the white king before White will run you over at the queenside, that's it.

Replay the games and watch what Black does with his dead bishop. It is important that you handle your white c8-bishop correctly or you will have a dead bishop in the endgame and lose...