A Comprehensive Guide to the London System
2. Basic Concepts in the London System
3. Main- and Sublines of the London System
4. London System - Kamsky vs Goganov
1. Introduction
The London System is characterised by White’s dark-squared bishop being developed to f4 on move two or three after 1.d4. For example:
- 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4
- 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4
- 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4
- 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 or 2.,,e6 3.Bf4
- 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4
In this opening guide, we focus on setups that include the move …d5 by Black.
White’s basic mode of development consists of the moves d4, Nf3, Bf4, e3, Nbd2, Bd3, while …c5 is usually met with c3. This approach is viable against the majority of openings Black might choose, making it an ideal weapon for players who don’t want to spend extensive time learning theory. The London System has always been regarded as solid, but in the past, it also had a reputation for being somewhat boring and not particularly ambitious. This changed in the 2000s and 2010s, when the opening underwent a major revolution.
In search of less-explored directions of opening theory, strong GMs began to explore systems with an early Bf4, unearthing a vast number of new, sometimes surprisingly aggressive ideas! Several of the “old” main lines were reevaluated, and gradually the London System was honed into a modern weapon!
The London System was named after English masters who started playing it in the 19th century, with James Mason (1849-1905) being the first player to adopt it in a greater number of games. It once had a modest following, with some top players occasionally trying it in the odd game. This changed in the 21st century:
The London System featured prominently in game six of the World Championship Match, Ding Liren versus Ian Nepomniachtchi. Ding created a strategic masterpiece with the White pieces, leading to a crucial victory on his path to winning the title of World Champion. Additionally, world number one Magnus Carlsen became drawn to the London and started playing it regularly in 2017, scoring several impressive wins with it.
2. Basic Concepts in the London System
Now, we examine the most common positional methods and pawn structures that arise in the London System. We will establish in which situation a particular plan is promising, while in a similar one it turns out harmless.
Outpost on e5
When Black goes for a traditional setup in the spirit of the Queen’s Gambit Declined, posting a knight on e5 becomes a typical motif for White. An example from tournament practice:
Short – Susilodinata, Bangkok 2019, position after 8.Ne5!
The knight is strongly placed in the centre and cannot be expelled easily. After playing Ne5, the queen can be transferred to the kingside via f3, while at some point the f-pawn may go to f4, in support of the knight (see “Stonewall Structure”). The game continued with 8…Bb7 9.Qf3!, transferring the queen to the kingside and preventing …Ne4. 9…Nfd7 10.Qh3 g6 11.Ndf3 Nxe5 12.dxe5!. White threatens Qh6, followed by the advance of the h-pawn – Black was not able to defend against this.
For Ne5 to be effective, this move needs to be well-timed. If in the above position, White had played the neutral developing move 8.0-0 (instead of 8.Ne5), then after 8…Bb7 9.Ne5, Black would have been ready to play 9…Ne4!, preparing …f6.
Stonewall structure
As mentioned above, once the knight is on e5, strengthening its position with f2-f4 becomes a typical idea. This leads to a pawn structure, like in the Stonewall Dutch with colours reversed. In the following diagram, we see an optimal scenario for White.
Sedlak – Brkic, Reykjavik 2015, position after 11…Be7
Right before Black could exploit the weak square on e4 by playing …Ne4, GM Sedlak – a big specialist of the London System – prevented this with 12.Bxf6!. After 12...Bxf6 13.Ndf3 Be7 (hoping to expel the knight with …f6), White played the powerful 14.h4!. Now, Bxh7 is a strong threat, and 14…f6 can be met with the stunner 15.Ng5!, creating decisive threats. White went on to win in style.
In the next example, White was less successful in the stonewall structure. In the diagram below, we see that Black was able to regroup his c6-knight to f5 via e7. After this, Adams played the excellent positional move 12…Be7!:
Karjakin – Adams, Wijk aan Zee 2016, position after 12…Be7!
Next, Black continued with …Nd6, followed by …Nfe4, thwarting any hopes for an attack White might have had. Later, Adams increased his advantage by pushing his pawns on the queenside, winning an instructive positional game.
Advancing the h-pawn
In several lines of the London System, pushing the h-pawn belongs to White’s arsenal. This can serve different purposes:
- Supporting Ng5
- Pushing h4-h5-h6, in order to weaken Black’s king position
- Playing h5 to provoke …h6, with the idea to start attacking with g4-g5
In the following example, Carlsen managed to play h4-h5 under very favourable circumstances.
Carlsen – Mamedyarov, Chess.com 2020, position after 11.h5!
Here, h4-h5 creates the option of playing h6 or continuing the attack with g4-g5, etc. In the game, Carlsen demonstrated another advantage of pushing the pawn to h5: 11…h6 was met by the strong 12.Qg3!, creating decisive threats. This is possible because …Nh5 is no longer on! Mamedyarov found nothing better than to give up the h-pawn with 12…Ne8 13.Bxh6, which proved to be hopeless. According to engines, Black is already lost after 12.g3 since even 12…Kh8 does not help due to 13.Nxf7+! Rxf7 14.Bxd6, winning.
The situation is significantly more double-edged in the next diagram:
Gukesh – Keymer, Biel 2022, position after 13…Nac5!
Compared to Carlsen – Mamedyarov, the situation is much more favourable for Black. Firstly, the light-squared bishops have been exchanged, which reduces White’s attacking potential. Secondly, Keymer managed with his last move to activate his knight. The game continued with 14.Qe2 Nfe4 (14…Na4!?), leading to a complex game with chances for both sides.
Pushing e3-e4
Against systems where Ne5 is not effective, playing in the centre with e3-e4 remains an option. The idea of pushing the e-pawn gains strength when Black’s dark-squared bishop is developed to d6 and White has not yet castled. Then, the opposition of a bishop on d6 versus a bishop on g3 often works in White’s favour: e3-e4 threatens to win a piece by playing e5, while exchanging on g3 to parry the threat would open the h-file for White’s rook.
Kamsky – Goganov, Moscow 2016, position after 11.e4!
11.e4! posed some unpleasant problems for Black. He doesn’t want to exchange on e4 due to the opposition of the queen and rook on the d-file, and he also does not wish to exchange bishops since this would open the h-file. In the game, Black allowed the e-pawn to advance, which also led to serious problems (see “Sample Game” for the complete game).
Black may go for the analogous plan of preparing …e6-e5. If White is precise in the opening, this cannot be achieved under favourable circumstances. However, a slight inaccuracy may suffice to allow Black to solve all of his problems:
Nisipeanu – Movsesian, Pardubice 2021, position after 8…Nbd7!
The above diagram shows a scenario that White should avoid - …e6-e5 cannot be prevented. After 9.0-0 Bxg3 10.hxg3 e5 11.dxe5 Nxe5 12.Nxe5 Qxe5, White is not worse, but since Black controls more space, his position is very comfortable.
Carlsbad structure
After, for example, 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 c5 3.e3 cxd4 4.exd4 we reach the so-called Carlsbad structure with colours reversed, compared to the Exchange Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined. In the London System, White obtains a favourable version of this, as his queen’s bishop is already developed, which is not easily achieved for Black in the QGD. What are the typical plans connected to this pawn formation?
- White usually plays on the kingside, with the knight outpost on e5 playing an important role
- White might chase his opponent’s light-squared bishop, which is usually developed to f5 or g4 with Nh4, or h3, g4, Nh4
- Transferring the knight to d3 represents a typical manoeuvre – see Carlsen – Kramnik below
- Long-term, Black can prepare a minority attack on the queenside
- By developing the knight to e7 instead of f6, Black can prepare to advance in the centre with …f6, …e5, or on the kingside with ..f6, …g5
Carlsen – Kramnik, Moscow 2019, position after 22…Rb8
After 23.Nc1, the knight was transferred to d3, its ideal position. From this magical square, the knight solidly protects b2, while it’s also ready to jump to the strong outpost on e5. Carlsen won a textbook game by later opening the h-file with h4-h5, which led to a decisive attack.
Pihajlic – Djukic, Belgrade 2012, position after 22.Qf3
In this position, Black can gain a pleasant advantage. This is achieved by exchanging all the minor pieces! After 22..Bxe5 23.Rxe5 Nxd3 24.Qxd3 a5, …b4 can hardly be stopped. White is faced with a passive defence, whereas Black can press for a long time and is playing for two results.
Structure with doubled f-pawns
Doubled f-pawns on f2 and f4, typically come about when Black plays …Bd6 and White does not move his bishop from f4, allowing …Bxf4 exf4. This structure has pros and cons: on the plus side, White has strengthened his grip on e5, and after a possible dxc5, both his knights have access to d4 and e5.
Gukesh – Kjartansson, Chess.com 2020, position after 11…b6
Now, Gukesh played 12.Nb3 Qc7 13.Nbd4, gaining a pleasant advantage due to strong outposts for White’s knights on d4 and e5. Later, White took over the initiative with f4-f5 and won a good game.
On the downside, the d4-pawn has lost the support of his colleague on the e-file. This may become important if, after a possible exchange on d4, Black could force White to take back with the c-pawn, since the d4-pawn would be isolated in this case.
Skoberne – Kuljasevic, Austria 2019, position after 17…Nh6!
Black has just played the excellent 17…Nf5!, aiming to step up the pressure against d4. This is difficult to meet because taking on c5 is in Black’s favour, and staying put leads to an isolated pawn on d4. In the game, White tried 18.Ne5, which led to an advantage for Black after 18…cxd4 19.Nxc6 Qxc6 20.Qxd4 Nf5!, followed by 21…d4+.
If your goal is to further deepen your strategical understanding on the London System, I recommend checking out the camp databases London System - Pawn Structures, Tactical Ideas, Endgames, and Theoretical Trends (Systems with ...e7-e6), and London System - Pawn Structures, Tactical Ideas, Endgames, and Theoretical Trends (Systems with ...g7-g6), which contain a large number of instructive textbook games, positional exercises, and opening ideas.
3. Main- and Sublines of the London System
Let’s begin by comparing possible advantages and disadvantages of the possible move orders: a) 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 and b) 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4. One possible argument for going for move order a) can be seen after 2…c5 3.e3 Nc6 4.c3, when White can meet 4…Qb6 with 5.Qb3.
Position after 5.Qb3
This was considered a clever way to play, because of the following trap: 5…c4 6.Qc2 Bf5? 7.Qxf5! Qxb2 8.Qxd5 Qxa1 9.Qb5!, and Black’s queen is in mortal danger – the complications are in White’s favour. However, thanks to the pawn sacrifice 6…e5!?, this line has been rehabilitated. Following, 7.dxe5 Bf5! 8.Qc1 g5!?, Black gets very active play!Another issue pops up after 2…c5 3.e3 cxd4!? 4.exd4 Nc6 5.c3 Bf5!?. Thanks to postponing …Nf6, 6.Qb3 can simply be met with 6…Qd7, and if 7.Nf3 then 7…f6! looks quite attractive for Black! If White develops with 6.Nf3, then Black has easy development with …e6, …Bd6, followed by, depending on White’s play, …Nf6, or …Nge7.
Practitioners of the London System currently seem to prefer move order b). After 2.Nf3 c5 can be met with 3.c4, when White gets a slight advantage, or the sharper 3.dxc5. Black almost invariably plays 2….Nf6, when after 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 Nc6 we arrive at a point, where we see another difference between 2.Bf4 and 2.Nf3. If White plays 5.c3, then Black gets a comfortable game after 5…Qb6! 6.Qb3 c4! 7.Qc2 Bf5!, when it’s White who has to worry about equalising. 6.Qc2!? sets a little trap – 6…Bf5 7.dxc5! and White is slightly better -, but after 6…g6 Black is completely fine. Because of this, 5.Nbd2 has emerged as the modern main line, and this is the move order on which the following survey is based.
Classical Setup With …e6
Playing in the spirit of the Queen’s Gambit Declined is one of the most popular ways to meet the London System. After 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 Nc6 5.Nbd2 e6 6.c3 (6.Bb5!?, leading to some version of the Ragozin Defence with colours reversed, is an interesting alternative), we arrive at one of the most commonly reached positions in this opening.
Now Black can go for straightforward development with 6…Bd6, which looks most solid. After 7.Bg3 0-0 8.Bd3 (8.Bb5 is a more positional alternative) 8…b6, the continuation 9.e4!? is an interesting way to sharpen the game. The main line runs 9…Be7! 10.e5 Nh5! 11.Ng5! Bxg5 12.Qxh5 g6 13.Qe2 cxd4 14.h4 Bh6 15.h5, leading to the following position:
White has good attacking chances, position after 15.h5
White has sacrificed a pawn for promising attacking chances – a sharp fight lies ahead. Apart from this principled, but quite theoretical continuation, 9.Qe2!? represents a good alternative. White plays a useful move, preparing Rd1, without committing himself just yet – see our sample game Kamsky – Goganov for further details.
6…Be7 is another solid move, containing some subtleties. Black can be satisfied after 7.Bd3 Nh5!, when Black manages to exchange his opponent’s dark-squared bishop. 7.h3, giving the bishop a retreat square on h2, is well met by the paradoxical 7…Bd6!?, using the fact that Bg3 is no longer an option. If 8.Bxd6 Qxd6, Black will soon play …e5 with a good game. That leaves 7.Ne5, when players with the black pieces often go for the solid 7…Nd7, when White can choose between the modest 8.Nxd7, and the enterprising 8.h4!?, as seen in Kamsky – Santos Ruiz, 2023. Now, 8…cxd4 9.exd4 Ndxe5 10.dxe5 f6! is best according to the engines (no games so far!) – this definitely deserves further investigation!
Black may like to mix things up by playing either 6…Nh5 7.Bg5 f6 8.Bh4 f6, leading to strategically complex play, or 6…cxd4 7.exd4 Nh5 8.Be3 Bd6 9.Ne5 g6, when White can play the solid 10.Nd3 or the sharp 10.g4 Ng7 11.h4!?, sacrificing a pawn for the initiative.
White plays for the initiative, position after 11.h4
Black has the important option of playing …e6 on move three or four. For example, 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 e6. Not committing to an early …Nc6 gives Black some extra options – this is the recommendation of GM Michael Roiz in his recently published course Fighting the London System. If after 5.c3 Bd6, White were to continue with 6.Bg3 (in analogy to the lines seen above), Black can go for the smart setup 6…0-0 7.Nbd2 Qc7! 8.0-0 Nbd7!, followed by …e5 and equality. Naturally, the first player can not be satisfied with this. More promising is 6.Ne5 (6.Nbd2 is also possible – White does not need to fear the doubled pawns), with the possible continuation 6…0-0 7.Nbd2 Qc7 8.Bd3 b6!. If Black is allowed to exchange the light-squared bishops, then White would have nothing to write home about. Now, 9.h4!?, in the spirit of Alpha Zero, is a viable way to pose some problems. 9…Ba6 10.Bxa6 Nxa6 11.h5 h6. Black rarely allows the pawn to advance to h6 since this would lead to long-term weaknesses around the king.
Position after 10…h6
Here, the principled continuation is 12.g4!, trying to use the hook created by …h6 to open the g-file. White can afford to attack on the kingside, because the situation in the centre is quite stable. A blitz game between the young Super-GMs Gukesh – Keymer, Biel 2022, continued with 12…cxd4 13.exd4 Nc5!, with double-edged play.
Another fairly recent trend in these lines is to play 5.Be2, with the idea 5…Bd6 6.dxc5 Bxc5 7.0-0 0-0 8.c4, transposing to a line of the QGD, and giving the game a completely different character! Amongst others, this was played by Ding Liren in game ten of the recent World Championship Match in Singapore 2024 against Gukesh.
Classical Setup Without …e6
Apart from playing the conservative …e6 after 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 Nc6 5.Nbd2, Black has some more active options. The most principled one of these is 5…Qb6!?, which forces White to sacrifice the b2-pawn since b2 and d4 are under attack. The line continues with 6.dxc5! Qxb2 7.Rb1 Qc3. This is much better than taking the unimportant pawn on a2. To show the character of the play in this line, we look at one, out of several, heavily analysed continuations: 8.Bb5 g6 (8…e6 is also possible) 9.e4!? dxe4 10.Be5 Qa5 11.0-0! (this piece sacrifice is White’s best chance) 11…exf3 12.Bxc6+ bxc6 13.Qxf3 Nd5 14.Bxh8 Qxd2 15.c4 f6.
Position after 15…f6
We have reached an unbalanced, complex position. White can win the knight on d5, after which he will be up an exchange. However, his bishop on h8 is completely shut out of play, so the game is quite double-edged. This has already occurred in several OTB and correspondence games – practical chances are mutual. Computers initially tend to prefer White, but with greater calculation depth, the evaluation goes toward 0.00.
Getting the light-squared bishop with 5…Bg4, before playing …e6, looks like a healthy way to develop. Note that 5…Bf5?! does not work quite as well since White is better after 6.dxc5! e6 7.Nb3 or 7.Nd4. Black wins back the pawn, but he has to make a concession.
6.c3 e6. Now, White must find a way to disturb his opponent's development; otherwise, Black can easily be slightly better. The most common moves are 7.Qa4, which leads to a Cambridge-Springs Defence with colours reversed, and 7.Qb3, attacking the pawn on b7. After 7…Qc8 (necessary since 7…Qd7?! runs into 8.Bb5), White usually hunts the light-squared bishop, either with 8.h3 Bg6 9.g4 Bg6 10.Nh4, or 8.Nh4!?, which leads to similar positions. We are in for a tough positional battle, where Black has comfortable development versus White’s long-term advantage of the pair of bishops.
For players who find 5…Qb6 too risky and 5…Bg4 too solid, there’s 5…Nh5!?. Black chases White’s dark-squared bishop and manages to create some imbalance. Since the first player cannot be happy with 6.Bg3 Nxg3 or 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 g5 8.Bg3 Nxg3, the most popular continuation is 6.dxc5!?. White grabs a pawn as compensation for giving up his bishop. Following, 6…Nxf4 7.exf4 g6!? 8.c3 Bh6!? 9.g3 0-0 10.Nb3 Bg7 11.Bg2 (11.Bb5 Bh3! – this is the idea behind 8…Bh6!), Black has the promising idea 11…a5 12.a4 b6!.
Position after 12…b6!
Black opens the position and gets very reasonable compensation for the sacrificed pawn. This does not exhaust the possibilities of both sides, but it demonstrates typical play in this line. In my opinion, 5…Nh5!? represents a good choice for ambitious players to fight the London System. By taking a calculated risk, Black can fight for the initiative! In fact, this is GM Ivan Cheparinov’s recommendation in his course Queen's Gambit Declined According to Cheparinov - Part 2, which provides a complete repertoire for Black against various lines after 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 (also against 1.Nf3 and 1.c4; Queen's Gambit Declined According to Cheparinov - Part 1 is dedicated to 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6).
A comparatively rare line, 4…Qb6!?, is investigated by IM Kushager Krishnater in his work Aggressive Repertoire against the Catalan, London, and Jobava London. The author does a great job of mapping out new theoretical territory. 5.c4 looks like a principled try, but Krushater’s analysis proves that Black is solid enough after 5…cxd4 6.Qxd4 (6.exd4 Qxb2 is OK for Black) 6…Nbd7. From White’s point of view, it looks interesting to try 5.Nc3 a6 6.dxc5 Qxc5, and now, for example, 7.Qd2, with non-standard play in the spirit of the Jobava London.
Black plays …cxd4 exd4 – Carlsbad Structure
In the basic position after 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 Nc6 5.Nbd2, another major option for Black is to play 5…cxd4 6.exd4, leading to the famous Carlsbad structure. A good positional understanding of the underlying pawn formation is key to playing this line successfully with either colour – see “Basic Concepts”.
Usually, Black develops with 6…Bf5, 6…Bg4, or plays a preliminary 6…Qb6, forcing 7.Nb3 (White has no good way to sacrifice a pawn). The knight may look clumsy on b3, but it may later be transferred to the ideal square in this structure – d3 –, as in the example Carlsen – Kramnik above. his light-squared bishop to f5 or g4, followed by …e6 and preparing …0-0. White has a good game after 7…Bf5 8.a4! a6 9.a5 Qd8 10.Ne5.
Position after 12.Ne5
Black is solid, though he will hardly be able to generate active counterplay – a5 effectively fixes the structure on the queenside, preventing a minority attack.
6…Bg4 7.c3 e6 8.Qb3 Qc8 is similar to 5…Bg4, though the exchange in the centre seems to help White a little – he can castle short, and put a rook on the half-open e-file (possibly in connection with Ne5). The most frequently played move on move six is 6…Bf5, which also looks the most logical. Black places the bishop on a good diagonal and aims to continue developing with …e6, …Bd6, and…0-0. While White may struggle to find a theoretical advantage, he has no trouble getting a playable position. For example, 7.Bb5!? (After 7.c3 e6 8.Qb3, Black can go for the promising pawn sacrifice 8…Bd6! 9.Qxb7 Bxf4 10.Qxc6+ Kf8 with good compensation) 7…e6 8.c3 (8.Ne5!? Qb6 9.c4 is another direction) 8…Bd6 9.Qxd6 Qxd6 10.0-0 0-0 11.Re1 a6 12.Bxc6 Qxc6 13.Ne5 Qc7 14.a4 a5.
Kamsky – Matlakov, Chess.com 2023, position after 14…a5
After a quiet start, Kamsky started to spice things up with 15.g4 Bg6 16.h4, posing some questions to his opponent. The equilibrium is not disturbed at this point, but given the choice, one would probably take the white pieces!
Early development of Black’s light-squared bishop
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6. Playing 2…Bf5 gives White the option to skip Bf4 and play 3.c4! e6 4.Nc3, followed by a possible Qb3, with some advantage for White. 3.Bf4 Bf5. Besides 3…c5 and 3…e6, this is Black’s third most popular option. After developing the bishop, Black is ready to continue with …e6, followed by developing the kingside. 4.c4 looks like the most logical way to continue, using the fact that Black didn’t play …c5 himself. After 4…c6 5.Qb3 Qb6…
Position after 5…Qb6
…6.c5! Qxb3 7.axb3, White has some pressure. Black must watch out for b4-b5 and also for the manoeuvre Nd2-b3-a5.
Therefore, Black should play 4…e6, when things can quickly get very sharp. Black can meet 5.Qb3 with 5…dxc4!? (5…Nc6 is a more positional alternative, though White is probably slightly better after 6.c5 Rb8 7.e3 or 6.Nbd2), which leads to the following line: 6.Qxb7 Be4 7.Qxc7 Bb4+ 8.Nbd2 Qxc7 9.Bxc7 Ke7 10.e3 Rc8 11.Bg3 Nbd7.
Praggnanandhaa – Bacrot, Duesseldorf 2023, position after 11…Nbd7
White is up a pawn, though his position looks quite scary! Now, Praggnanandhaa improved upon the existing theory by playing 12.Kd1 and went on to win quite fast, even though the position is evaluated as equal by the engine after 12…c3. To play this line successfully (regarding either colour!) requires serious theoretical preparation!
Black can also mix it up after White’s more solid options. 5.Nc3 can be met with 5…dxc4 6.e3 Nd5!? 7.Bxc4 Nxf4 8.exf4 c6!. Similar lines (with a bishop on c8) are known from the QGD, but here Black’s light-squared bishop is active! Finally, after 5.e3, White must be ready for 5…Bxb1 6.Qxb1 Bb4+. At first glance, it may look like White has blundered, but the position after 7.Kd1! is actually quite playable! Since c4-c5 threatens to cut off the bishop’s retreat, Black has to lose some time, which gives White time to reorganise.
Position after 7.Kd1
After 7…Bd6 8.Bxd6 (8.Bg5 is an alternative) 8…Qxd6 9.Qc2 Nbd7, chances are roughly equal, though White does score well in practice.
Gruenfeld Setup
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 g6. 3…c5 4.e3 g6, may lead to a transposition. Here, 5.Nc3 is an independent line, with a possible transposition to the Jobava London. Playing Nc3 makes a lot of sense since after 5…Bg7 6.Nb5 Na6 7.c3, the knight cannot be kicked back by …c6. After 3…g6, the line can continue with 4.e3 Bg7 5.Nbd2 0-0 6.h3 (not strictly necessary at this point, but generally useful) 6…c5 7.c3, when we reach a tabia of this line. The most frequently played move, 7…Nc6?! Seems to be inaccurate, because after 8.dxc5! Black struggles to regain the pawn! 7…Qb6 is typically met by 8.Qb3, when the position is somewhere between equal and slightly better for White – 8…c4 9.Qa3!? looks playable for both sides, while Black should avoid improving White’s structure by playing 8…Qxb3? 9.axb3!
7…b6 is another popular line, approved by the engine. Following 8.Be2 (against systems with …g6, White often prefers to develop the bishop to e2 rather than d3) 8…Nc6 9.0-0 Bb7.
Position after 9…Bb7
Both sides have completed their development, both sides are solid, but what’s the plan? As it’s not easy to come up with something straightforward, it makes sense for White to play useful moves, anticipating Black’s ideas. For example 10.Qb3!?, with the idea 10…Nd7! – preparing …c5 in this way is a standard motif - 11.Ra(f)d1 getting ready to put pressure on d5 in case Black plays …e5. Another possibility is 10.Qb1, preparing a possible b4, while also vacating d1 for the rook. While it’s not possible to demonstrate a theoretical advantage, White scores quite well in practice with these ideas.
If you are a 1.d4-player in search of an all-in-one solution against 1.d4 d5 and 1.d4 Nf6, you might want to look into GM Abhijeet Gupta’s Play the London System. The author offers practical solutions against practically all of Black’s possible setups. The database also contains some deep analysis of several of the sharp lines, briefly mentioned above.
The Jobava London
The move order 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4 has been oddly neglected until 2013, when the ever-creative Georgian GM Baadur Jobava started playing it on a regular basis, producing some memorable attacking games in the process.
With Nc3 and Bf4, White goes for quick development, takes e5 under control, and prepares to castle queenside. If Black does not prevent it, White often plays Nb5 during the following moves, which forces …Na6. Even if Black can expel the b5-knight with …c6, he frequently faces long-term problems due to the misplaced knight on a6.
The theory of the Jobava London rapidly took off and produced a number of fresh lines. Let me mention two representative examples: 1.d4 d5. 1…Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 leads to the same position. 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4 g6 4.e3 Bg7 5.h4!?.
A typically aggressive line of the Jobava London
White manages to give the game a sharp character right from the start. 5…0-0 is met with 6.h5!, while after 5…h5, White can continue in a more positional manner, trying to exploit the weakened g5-square.
The second example of another topical line is 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4 a6. Black invests a full tempo to prepare …e6, followed by …c5 to prevent being disturbed by Nb5. 4.e3 e6 5.g4!?. Again, White can choose an aggressive continuation as early as move five!
It’s a rare occasion when the leading expert of an opening variation shares his knowledge with the public, but this is in fact what GM Baadur Jobava decided to do:
“To me, the Jobava London was like a lady I had fallen in love with, and I wanted to keep her all to myself. […] I felt that now is the right time for me to share all my knowledge about this opening with you. This will be the first-ever chess course on the Jobava London published by me, Baadur Jobava.”
Jobava London According to Jobava - Part 1 and Part 2 is an exceptional project in which the author does not hold back and provides a very personal take on “his” opening. Highly recommended!
4. London System - Kamsky vs Goganov
5. Summary
- The basic setup of the London System is based on healthy positional principles – quick development, control of important central squares.
- White’s basic setup is solid and easy to learn, making it an ideal choice for club players who simply want to “play chess”.
- Given serious preparation, White may certainly be able to pose theoretical problems. As we have seen in “Main- and Sublines, several sharp, and even sacrificial lines have been developed.
- In several lines, the pawn structure gets fixed. To play these lines successfully, the London player must have a good positional understanding of the underlying pawn formations.
- Against some setups, White gets attractive attacking chances, while others demand patient positional play. Develop your intuition by studying textbook games! This will help you choose the appropriate strategy.
- Follow the leader: Examine the games of the top practitioners of this opening! A short list: Gata Kamsky, Boris Grachev, Ferenc Berkes, Anton Demchenko, and, of course, Magnus Carlsen.
- For further study, I recommend GM Nikola Sedlak’s The London System: The Adventure Continues. The author is a leading expert on this topic.