How to play for a win in this position? (London Qb3 Qb6 queen exchange)

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RakeshMahanti

How do I play for a win as white? I keep getting this position OTB against lower-rated players and drawing.

crazedrat1000

Don't play a London - very simple.

crazedrat1000
In all seriousness if I was going to play a London I'd avoid c5/Qb6 lines by transposing into it after c3 - 
 
I'm sure there's some way to avoid c6 / Qb6
 
RakeshMahanti

Ok valid but still. I play the london since I don't like to study openings.

Mazetoskylo

This position is clearly better for white. Just play Nc3, and follow with b3-b4, possibly inserting b4-b5 if allowed, h2-h3 to preserve the Bf4 against an eventual ...Nh5 etc.

However, this very position is quite unlikely to happen in a game, especially with white to play.

magipi
ibrust wrote:

Don't play a London - very simple.

You look at a position that is very slightly better for white, and your answer is to avoid it? It surely makes sense in some alternate universe.

Laskersnephew

I don't know about any win, but you have a somewhat better position, and one idea would be to play Nc3 and then push your b-pawn to b5 and open lines on the queenside. [EDIT: I just noticed that Mazetoskylo just suggested the same thing!]

crazedrat1000
magipi wrote:
ibrust wrote:

Don't play a London - very simple.

You look at a position that is very slightly better for white, and your answer is to avoid it? It surely makes sense in some alternate universe.

You acknowledge in your own statement that the position is only very slightly better for white... you can see that queens are off the board... which means the position is drawish... if you just follow your own observations to their natural conclusion you will come to this. So then why would I want to play an almost equal, drawish position as white when I can just avoid it...? Do you know what the goal of white is in the opening? Very easily I can keep the queens on the board instead, avoid the opponents automatic Qb6 reply to the London, and even be up a pawn if they try to transpose... while still playing a London. So, can you give me one reason I should not do that instead? 
Apparently to even contemplate this basic reasoning required you traveling to an alternative universe. Well I guess when your mind is it's own little alternative universe you may be forced to return to our universe at times.

RakeshMahanti
Mazetoskylo wrote:

This position is clearly better for white. Just play Nc3, and follow with b3-b4, possibly inserting b4-b5 if allowed, h2-h3 to preserve the Bf4 against an eventual ...Nh5 etc.

However, this very position is quite unlikely to happen in a game, especiially with white to play.

Has happened to me very often

Laskersnephew

There are certainly winning chances for White. It is impossible to imagine Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov, or Carlsen ever agreeing to a draw if they had White in this position

PeterPi298

???

RalphHayward

I see this a lot in forums. Someone has an opening they know, but it takes them to a position they cannot play well. Retrench. As was graven on the wall of the temple of Apollo in Delphi, "Know Thyself". There are other "system openings". What sort of middlegame positions do you play well? Work back from that to the system which allows you to play natural moves well and win. But for what it's worth on specifics, to my mind @Mazetoskylo has nailed it in terms of theoretical chances.

Mazetoskylo
Koh-i-noor έγραψε:
Mazetoskylo wrote:

This position is clearly better for white. Just play Nc3, and follow with b3-b4, possibly inserting b4-b5 if allowed, h2-h3 to preserve the Bf4 against an eventual ...Nh5 etc.

However, this very position is quite unlikely to happen in a game, especiially with white to play.

Has happened to me very often

Care to show us a complete game where you had this exact position?

Unless it is Black to play from #1.