Courses (16)

There is no shortage of repertoires against the London System. What there has never been is seven of them, side by side, produced independently by strong players who did not know what the others were writing.
That is what the Modern Chess Autumn Challenge produces, and this database is the result of its first stage. Each of the seven participants was handed the same two problems — a repertoire for Black against the Classical London (1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4) and against the Jobava London (1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4) — and each solved them their own way.
Fourteen recommendations. No two alike.

Few sidelines have reshaped everyday 1.d4 play over the past decade like the Jobava London — 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 followed by 3.Bf4. Baadur Jobava did more than anyone to bring it into serious practice, which makes him an unusually credible guide to taking it apart. Here he does exactly that, showing Black how to defuse a system he understands from the inside.
That gesture sets the tone for the whole course. King's Indian Defense: A Complete Repertoire – Part 6 is the volume where GM Andrea Stella and GM Baadur Jobava turn to everything White plays instead of a real King's Indian — the sidelines designed to sidestep the fight rather than enter it.

The London System survives on a simple promise — White never has to think, assembling the same setup no matter what Black does. GM Mitrabha Guha's repertoire refuses that arrangement from the start: after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 d5 3.e3 c5, Black strikes at d4 immediately, brings the knight to c6, and pins the defender with ...Bg4, denying White the undisturbed development the system depends on. Built on one repeatable scheme you can play game after game, it turns the London from an opening you tolerate into familiar territory where Black is the one asking the questions.

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."

For decades the London System has carried a reputation for being quiet, safe, and a touch boring — a system you reach for when you want a calm game rather than a fight.
GM Alexey Dreev opens this course by dismantling that idea from forty years of personal experience. The London, he argues, is far more unpleasant to face than its tame image suggests.
Black has many setups that equalize on paper, yet in nearly all of them he is left untangling small, irritating practical problems move after move. That gap between reputation and reality is the thread running through Part 1, and the goal is stated plainly: by the end, you are the one posing the problems.

The London System without the memorisation: GM Ioannis Papaioannou presents a practical, low-theory repertoire for White built on understanding the structures rather than recalling forced lines. Organised by Black's setup and taught through model games from elite practice — Carlsen, Ding Liren, Giri, Aronian and others — it gives club players a complete, ready-to-play weapon and stronger players a reliable, time-efficient addition to their 1.d4 arsenal.

For decades, the great unsolved question of 1. For decades, the great unsolved question of 1.d4 d5 has been everything that isn't 2.c4. Dreev and Basso solve it through a unified Black system built on principle rather than memorization, anchored by a revolutionary new idea against the London. The third volume completing the authors' QGD series — and the final piece of a comprehensive repertoire against every first move White can choose.

For decades, the London System carried a dual reputation. Strong players employed it as a reliable universal weapon, while critics dismissed it as a toothless option. GM Ivan Cheparinov's new course challenges this perception entirely.
His London isn't about avoiding preparation—it's about controlling the narrative. Where traditional London theory offers White a safe harbor, Cheparinov presents something more refined: a repertoire built on concrete plans rather than generic setups. Each of Black's defensive structures receives a tailored response, and what emerges is a system where White's flexibility becomes a weapon rather than a compromise.

1.d4 for Black Against the Sidelines – Jospem’s Repertoire by GM Jose Martinez Alcantara and GM Pier Luigi Basso completes the trio of courses covering Black's full response to 1.d4. This course offers a powerful and practical repertoire against systems where White avoids an early c4—such as the Trompowsky Attack, London System, Jobava London, Veresov Attack, Colle System, and others. With 10 theoretical chapters, 30 test positions, a Memory Booster, and multilingual PGN files, the course is designed for players seeking clarity and confidence against these tricky lines. Together with the Nimzo-Indian and Bogo-Indian courses, it forms a complete bulletproof repertoire for Black against 1.d4.

In this course, IM Kushager Krishnater delivers a practical and combative repertoire for Black against three of White’s most popular and theoretically resilient systems: the Catalan, the London System, and the Jobava London. True to his trademark style, Krishnater prioritizes fresh, offbeat directions that take the opponent out of their comfort zone—without compromising on objective soundness.