London System
The London System is a chess opening that usually arises after 1.d4 and 2.Bf4, or 1.d4, 2.Nf3 and 3.Bf4. It is a "system" opening that can be used against virtually any black defence and thus comprises a smaller body of opening theory than many other openings. The London System is one of the Queen's Pawn Game openings where White opens with 1.d4 but does not play the Queen's Gambit. It normally results in a closed game. The line can be compared to the Colle System but whereas in the latter system, the queen's bishop remains on c1, the London System develops the bishop to f4 before closing the position, providing a more flexible approach.
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| Moves | 1.d4 and 2.Bf4, or 1.d4, 2.Nf3, and 3.Bf4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ECO | D02, A46, A48 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Named after | 1922 London tournament | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent | Queen's Pawn Game | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sverre Johnsen and Vlatko Kovačević, in the introduction to their 2005 book Win with the London System, state:
Basically the London is a set of solid lines where after 1.d4 White quickly develops his dark-squared bishop to f4 and normally bolsters his centre with [pawns on] c3 and e3 rather than expanding. Although it has the potential for a quick kingside attack, the white forces are generally flexible enough to engage in a battle anywhere on the board. Historically it developed into a system mainly from three variations:
The corresponding Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings codes are D02, A46, and A48.
If White is going to play the London System, it is now thought to be more accurate to play 2.Bf4 instead of 2.Nf3 and 3.Bf4.[1]
Description
The line came into fashion in the 1922 London tournament as a way of meeting hypermodern setups. The line gives White a solid position, and critics of the line refer to it as the "old man’s variation" or the "boring system".[2] Even so, the opening can lead to sharp attacks. Vlatko Kovačević and David Bronstein are among the sharp tactical players who have played the London System.[3]
Early play
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4
This position can also be reached via 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Bf4. Black usually plays either 3...c5, 3...e6, 3...Bf5, 3...c6, 3...g6, or 3...Nc6.
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4
Black usually plays either 3...b6, 3...c5, or 3...d5, transposing above.
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bf4
Play often goes 3...Bg7 4.e3 d6 5.Be2 0-0 6.0-0. As is usual in the King's Indian, Black can strike in the centre with ...c5 or ...e5. After 6...c5 7.c3, Black often plays either 7...b6, 7...Qb6, 7...Nc6, 7...Be6, or 7...cxd4. Black can prepare ...e5 in a number of ways, usually starting with either 6...Nbd7, 6...Nc6, or 6...Nfd7.
Afterwards, if unimpeded by Black's moves, White ideally would like to build a pyramid of pawns centered on d4 and develop all minor pieces.[4][5][6] This could be achieved in various orders, for example, 1.d4, 2.Bf4, 3.Nf3, 4.e3, 5.c3, 6.Nbd2, 7.Bd3.
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 |              | 8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
Example games
- Gata Kamsky vs. Samuel Shankland, Sturbridge, MA 2014:
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 d5 3.e3 e6 4.Nd2 c5 5.c3 Nc6 6.Ngf3 Bd6 7.Bg3 0-0 8.Bd3 Qe7 9.Ne5 Nd7 10.Nxd7! Bxd7 11.Bxd6 Qxd6 12.dxc5 Qxc5? 13.Bxh7+!! Kxh7 14.Qh5+ Kg8 15.Ne4 Qc4 16.Ng5 Rfd8 17.Qxf7+ Kh8 18.Qh5+ Kg8 19.Rd1! e5 20.Qf7+ Kh8 21.e4 Ne7 22.Qxe7 Bb5 23.Rd2 Qxa2 24.Qf7 Qa1+ 25.Rd1 Qxb2 26.Qh5+ Kg8 27.Qh7+ Kf8 28.Qh8+ Ke7 29.Qxg7+ Kd6 30.Rxd5+ Kc6 31.Qf6+ 1–0[7] - Magnus Carlsen vs. Evgeny Tomashevsky, Wijk aan Zee NED 2016:
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4 b6 4.e3 Bb7 5.h3 Be7 6.Bd3 0-0 7.0-0 c5 8.c3 Nc6 9.Nbd2 d5 10.Qe2 Bd6 11.Rfe1!? Ne7?! 12.Rad1 Ng6?! 13.Bxg6! hxg6 14.Bxd6! Qxd6 15.Ne5 g5 16.f4!! gxf4 17.Rf1! Nd7! 18.Qh5! Nf6?! 19.Qh4! Qd8 20.Rxf4 Ne4? 21.Nxe4 Qxh4 22.Rxh4 dxe4 23.dxc5 bxc5 24.Rd7! Rab8 25.b3! a5 26.Rc7 a4 27.bxa4 Ba8 28.a5 Rb7 29.Rxc5 Ra7 30.Nc4 1–0 (Black resigns)[8]
References
- Sverre Johnsen; Vlatko Kovacevic (2005). Win with the London System. Gambit. ISBN 1-904600-35-2.
- Donaldson, John. "London System (review of Win With the London System)". jeremysilman.com. Retrieved 2009-03-21.
- Marsh, Sean. "Colle, Torre, and London System". Chessbase. Retrieved 2009-03-21.
- Williams, Simon (Feb 2020). "London System for the Busy Chess Player". Chess.com. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- Rosen, Eric (Dec 12, 2017). "Beat Good Players with the London | Games to Know by Heart - IM Eric Rosen". YouTube. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- "Magnus Carlsen vs. Evgeny Tomashevsky (2016)". Chessgames.com. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
- "Gata Kamsky vs. Samuel Shankland (2014)". Chessgames.com.
- "Magnus Carlsen vs. Evgeny Tomashevsky (2016)". Chessgames.com.
Further reading
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The Wikibook Chess Opening Theory has a page on the topic of: London System |
- Lakdawala, Cyrus (2010). Play the London System. Everyman Chess. ISBN 978-1-85-7446-39-5.
- Nikola, Sedlak (2016). Winning with the Modern London System. Chess Evolution. ISBN 978-8-39-4429-09-6.
