The Classical London System — Part 2: Meeting Black's Concrete Lines
Part 1 gave White a reliable structure against Black's classical setups. Part 2 answers a different question: what happens when the opponent has done the homework? GMs Alexey Dreev and Pier Luigi Basso built this course around Black's sharpest, most computer-tested tries against 3.Bf4 — the exact positions a well-prepared opponent will steer toward today. The repertoire doesn't just patch holes; it turns the London into what Dreev calls "a complete, future-proof weapon."
What Makes This Course Different
Most London material stops at general plans and comfortable structures. This course goes the other way, meeting Black's sharpest tries head-on — including lines where engines call the position equal. The critical case is 5...Qb6 followed by 6.dxc5 Qxb2 7.Rb1 Qc3: theoretically drawn with perfect defense, but very hard to hold over the board.
Dreev doesn't claim a refutation, and says so plainly. Instead he offers his own practical route, one where White keeps generating problems and Black must find only-moves to survive. Where a line is genuinely fine for Black, the authors say so and sharpen the fight with precise move orders like 3…Bf5 4.c4 e6 5.Qb3, hitting b7 at once.
Authors and Reasoning
Alexey Dreev annotates from decades of personal experience with these structures — including, by his own account, games where he sat on the Black side of 5...Qb6 himself. That inside knowledge shapes the recommendations: rather than searching for a theoretical knockout that doesn't exist, the course prioritizes lines that create maximum practical resistance. Pier Luigi Basso, Dreev's regular collaborator on the Catalan According to Dreev series, brings the same structural discipline to organizing fifteen chapters of dense, forcing theory into a usable repertoire.
Variation Map
- 3.Bf4 c5 (main line)
- 4.e3 Nc6 5.Nbd2 Qb6 (Black's most principled try)
- 6.dxc5 Qxc5 → Chapter 1
- 6.dxc5 Qxb2 7.Rb1 Qc3 → Chapter 2
- 7...Qa3 (Pultinevicius idea) → Chapter 3
- 5...cxd4 6.exd4 Qb6 7.Nb3 Bg4 → Chapter 4
- 7...Bf5 (modern approach) → Chapter 5
- 5...e6 6.c3 Qb6 7.Rb1 → Chapter 6
- 4...e6 5.Nbd2 Qb6 6.Rb1 Bd6 → Chapter 7
- 6...Bd7 (Abdusattorov idea) → Chapter 8
- 3...Bf5 (symmetrical) 4.c4 e6 5.Qb3 → Chapters 9–11
- 3...e6 4.e3 Bd6 (5.Bd3, Van Foreest) → Chapter 13
- 4...Be7 → Chapter 12
- 3...Bg4 → Chapter 14
- 3...c6 → Chapter 15
Premium Course Features
This is a Modern Chess Premium course, built as a complete training system:
- 15 theory chapters with video explanations
- 30 test positions — critical moments with tactical and strategic solutions
- 5 training positions for interactive computer practice
- To-Go Version of every chapter — condensed files for pre-game review
- Memory Booster — for long-term recall of key ideas
- Multilingual PGN files — English, German, French, and Spanish
- Full download access — all materials are yours to keep
Completing the Repertoire
This course is the second half of a two-part project. The Classical London System for White - Part 1 covers Black's classical setups against 3.Bf4; Part 2 covers the modern, concrete tries. Together, they cover the full spectrum of Black's replies to 3.Bf4, so whatever your opponent has prepared, the answer is already in your repertoire.
To see Dreev's practical answer to the London's toughest defensive test — and everything Black's modern setups can throw at 3.Bf4 — dive into the full course and start building a London you can trust for the rest of your career.