Stonewall Variation, Modern Variation

The Modern Variation is the version of the Stonewall Dutch in which Black commits to ...c6 and ...d5 before castling and develops the dark-squared bishop to d6 instead of e7. From d6 the bishop guards e5, the square the Stonewall chain leaves weak, and aims toward h2 in support of kingside play. The setup was developed in the 1980s and 1990s by grandmasters including Artur Yusupov, Sergey Dolmatov, Nigel Short and Simen Agdestein. It has since overtaken the traditional ...Be7 line in popularity.

White's plans center on the dark squares. The most frequent reply is 7. Nc3. The Botvinnik idea 7. b3 prepares Ba3 to trade off Black's best minor piece, and 7. cxd5 fixes the structure early. Engines also favor 7. Qc2 and knight maneuvers such as 7. Ne5 or 7. Ne1 heading for d3, which keep pressure on e5 and support an eventual e4 break. White holds a slight edge in engine terms, and decisive results are common in practice. The play is positional and maneuvering, with relatively little forcing theory.