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How to Play the London and Italian The Right Way

How to Play the London and Italian The Right Way

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Never judge an opening by its most common line...

— Mr. Knight

Some topics in chess can be controversial, while others are widely accepted. While people are still wondering whether Hans Neimann cheated or if Gotham is a better YouTuber than Hikaru, the London remains unfairly labeled as the most terrible opening ever, or that no one mentions how beginners always play the most boring line of the Italian.

So today, I am going to prove to you that the London is actually exciting and how you can play fun variations of the Italian and never see that awful line again. Enjoy!

The Boring Lines

The problem with both openings is that beginners often play the common, terrible symmetrical line and then judge the opening based on that one line, especially in the case of the London. While players approach the Italian by simply copying each other's moves and then praising how great the opening is, the London system is often subjected to memes, ridicule, and, worst of all, this awful trend of making fun of players who choose this underrated opening.

And the people who do defend the London to be actually exciting are subjected to mockery and taunting, showing how one sided this "London argument" is.  

Shoutout to Admiral for making this awesome comic! (See more here)

The truth is, it's their fault for playing these boring lines. They complain that the London system is dull, but have they tried the Jobava Variation? Inexperienced or experienced players claim that the Italian is dry and balanced, but have they tried the Giuoco Piano?

Two Synonyms for Boring are "Lacking Variation" or "Lacking Excitement". These openings are the complete opposite of that!

While this may seem like a huge rant, aside from proving to the world that these openings are not boring, there are variations in this blog that can turn a seemingly boring opening to a fun exciting fun. We will learn things like the Evans Gambit, the Jobava London, and so much more along with a example game that is included with each variation.

I hope you learn something new! grin.png

The Italian Variations 

Once the game is over, the King and the pawn end in the same box

— Italian Proverb 

The Italian Game is one of the oldest openings, and a beginners favorite, but many games against a sub 1500, will come to the most balanced symmetrical line of the Italian, with no excitement until a blunder happens or a huge trade. 

So in this section, you get to study the Giuoco Piano, an aggressive opening, the Evans Gambit, a gambit like the Giuoco except it's risky, and other variations which you may find interesting, so if you do play the the terrible main line of the Italian, you can look through and finally play some fun games.   

The Giuoco Piano with c4

We start off with the Giuoco Piano, a relatively easy opening to learn, starting off with the Italian Game and then playing c3 to prepare to play d4 and put both pawns in the center. If Black does not know what they are doing, then you can get all the pieces in the center and get a huge advantage, but if they do know what they are doing, then you can still be aggressive and get a fun game...
Giuoco Piano with d3
Even with one move differences can lead to a different game. You play the opening normally, and then you play d3, instead of d4, leading to a more calm game. This opening can simply delay d4, or it can lead to more equal positions with different imbalances, but beware of common mistakes that you can make which can lead to different traps..
Overall, the Giuoco Piano is a fun and aggressive opening, despite its meaning of "Quiet Game"
The Evans Gambit
The Evans Gambit is also an exciting gambit, with the same concept of the Giuoco Piano but a bit more forceful, but upon further research on the gambit, I suggest that sub 1000's play the gambit as there are a lot of traps, but in the more advanced players, if Black knows what they are doing, then it can lead to a position where its equal, or Black can get the advantage. 
The Evans Gambit is a great gambit like the Giuoco Piano, but personally, I would only play it in the Beginner-Intermediate level.   
Other Italian Variations
This is a jumble of variations, may be hard to navigate...
This is just a few variations, such as the Fried Liver, Italian Gambit, or a transition into the Scotch, which you may find useful, but I suggest looking in explorer, if you want to find some new variations, and have some variety.
The Italian Game is one of the most common, and oldest openings, and with exciting openings such as the Giuoco Piano, Evans Gambit, or a simple transition to the Scotch, you can always get a fun game with the Italian. Also if you want to do some more research, here are a list of videos you can watch to get a deeper understanding of the opening.
 
London Variations 

Nowadays, there are two things every new chess player learns very fast. The first is how to move the pieces, the second is that you must hate the London System.

— PedroPinhata 

The London, supposedly the "Most Boring", but this section explains why this is absolutely false! Its easy to look at its symmetrical, balanced, bland position and make fun of it, and the main lines can be comprised by shuffling pieces, copying each others move, or moving your rook around, making you wish that you never played d4. 

But it can also lead to some wild attacks, imbalances, and many traps, so here are three things you can try to make the London exciting and prove to everybody that the London is not all bad. 

The Jobava London

Credit to alphaous for taking the helpful annotations from a recap. (Coming from his Exciting London Blog)
One variation that London haters ignore is the Jobava London, popularized by Baadur Jobava, is a variation with lots of potential for attacks. While the lines may look similar to the regular system, don't be deceived, there is a lot of room in this seemingly bland variation. 
The Jobava is a fun opening to try if you really hate the dull London. Even if its not right for you, there is still more!
London Kingside Attacks
The lines here are simple, but this is not really a variation, but a example of how to attack...
I wouldn't call it a variation, but this is very violent way to use the regular old London, and then use your Kingside pawns as a tool to start of with a huge attack. You play like normal, and then then Black castled, you bring your h2 and g2 pawns toward the King along with bishops, and other pieces that are ready to come out.
This is a simple, but very aggressive way to attack after the unexciting London, utilizing the Kingside pawns to bring down Black's castle....
Other London Variations
I couldn't find many good London sidelines in my limited time, so I suggest you look in explorer again...
A problem I notice right away is that its hard to find good London sidelines, but, not to worry, you can make one up. While there might not be popular sidelines, when you are in the middle of a London, there is always a interesting move, waiting to be played, that can make the position interesting. Or you can play some bland theory, its up to you....
The London is unfairly awarded "Most Boring", but there are ways to spice it up. A true boring opening is the one where you have to play boring lines without losing on the spot, and the London, as we see, is not one of them. I, of course did not cover everything, but here are links to blogs and videos on how to help you play the London, tiresome, or exciting....

Looks like you made it.

Thanks for reading! This is my first educational blog, and this blog took a lot of time as I try to be as helpful as I can. The London and the Italians are often misunderstood as boring, and this blog covered counter-agruements, helpful things on each variation, and example games, so I hope you learn something!

Comment your thoughts on this blog, and I will see you soon. I hope you enjoyed this blog. : D