dark square bishop in the London
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andyclimbs
Aug 8, 2019
0
#1
Hey guys,
Aug 8, 2019
0
#2
Hey there, wondering what main ideas are for the dark square bishop in the London after 1.d4 d5 2.bf4 ..., I struggle to see benefit of bishop on h2 - b8 diagonal. lemme know
Aug 8, 2019
0
#3
First, white doesn’t want to leave his DSB on c1 behind the c3-d4-e3 pawn chain, so the bishop has to go somewhere. Bf4 is the London and Bg5 is the Levitsky Attack.
Second, the bishop deters black from developing his DSB to d6. Black has to choose between Be7 (not the ideal square) and Bd6 (giving up a good bishop for white’s bad one). By controlling the h2-b8 diagonal, particularly the b8 square, white makes it difficult for black to employ the minority attack (...cxd4 followed by ...b7-b5-b4).
And third, if you’re determined to employ an ultra-solid pawn formation, you can afford to spend a tempo or two just to give your bishop a future.
Second, the bishop deters black from developing his DSB to d6. Black has to choose between Be7 (not the ideal square) and Bd6 (giving up a good bishop for white’s bad one). By controlling the h2-b8 diagonal, particularly the b8 square, white makes it difficult for black to employ the minority attack (...cxd4 followed by ...b7-b5-b4).
And third, if you’re determined to employ an ultra-solid pawn formation, you can afford to spend a tempo or two just to give your bishop a future.