Introduction
Hi all friends! In this new blog we are going to talk about the London System. The London System, is an opening system in chess that can be used against virtually any black defense and thus comprises a smaller body of opening theory than many other openings. Also known as the "Mason Variation," it is a line in the Queen's Pawn Game where White opens with 1. D4, but does not play the Queen's Gambit, instead opting to rapidly develop the dark squared bishop, white's most underutilized piece. This will often result in a closed game. Because of its solid reputation, the London System has faced criticism for its lack of dynamic play. The London System is comparable to the Colle System, in which the queen's bishop remains on c1. (Source: wikipedia.org).
Learning more about the London System:
The London System is a really fascinating opening! It is hated by many, since for many it can be annoying to face London, but in this study I am going to show you why the London System is one of my favorite openings, and why it must also be one of your favorites. The London System starts with 1.d4
Main Line of The London System:
Hypothetically, This is what NORMALLY we want to get to when we play the London System in the opening. This part formation can ALMOST ALWAYS be formed. Let's talk a bit about this scheme:
The Principal Line in The London System is:
Following it further, we might get this position. It's considered as the "MAIN LINE" of The London System.
This is an Equal Position according to Stockfish for both White and Black.
Black Further threatens to take our London Bishop (Bishop on f4) which is considered to be good for black. This is not something a player playing with white peices would want.
The following line looks like
Exploring further Responses from Black:
There are many moves that the opponent with black peices can play against the London System and I'll try to cover most of them and give you all the basic understanding/theory behind that.
1. "2. Bf5" - One of such popular variations is "2. Bf5". This seems like its the Copycat version of London. Further this line might look like :
2. " 2. c6" The Slav defense Variation of The London System - One of Such moves is "2. c6" This is the Slav defense in the London System. Line might like:
3. " 3. e6" The Semi Slav Variation of the London System - One of the most popular variations against the London System is "The Semi Slav Variation". A game with that variation might look like :
4. The King's Indian Defense - There is an error that I ALWAYS see in the London System players, and that is having the standard plan against the King's Indian defense. Faced with this defense, we must change the plan, and play with Nc3, then e4, queenside castling and attack on the kingside with the g and h pawns.
Conclusion:
The London System is a fascinating and wonderful opening, it can also be used on any response from Black, and it is easy to understand and play.
Memes:
