London System as Black

Hi folks, apologies if this has been asked already.

I'm wondering whether the London System can be played as black virtually against any white setup?

Second, would you have any good book to suggest, that teaches how to play it as Black?

Thanks!

AG

No and No!

It is no good against 1.e4

There is no good way to play it against 1.c4 (1...d5?! is dubious to begin with, and you cannot get the Bishop out without moving the d-pawn, and going to d6 and then d5 after Bf5, Nf6, and e6 is also bad.

There are far better defenses to 1.b4 than the London (best for Black is 1...e5 and 2...Bxb4.

There are certain 1.d4 lines it will work against, but not the main ones, like 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 is a line, but not a good one.  Black has problems with the light squares on the Queenside, for the same reason that Slav players take on c4 before bringing out the Bishop.  After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3, the move 4...Bf5 is bad.  Black needs to play 4...dxc4 first (4...e6 or 4...a6 are also fine, but do nothing to prepare ...Bf5).  The reason is the pressure on d5 and b7 with Qb3 and Nc3.

So, yeah - Not a good idea in 90% of cases.  There are a few cases where playing d5, Nf6, Bf5, e6 is ok, but they are so few and far between that it's not worth spending the time to learn it.

If you are a London System player as White and looking for something comperable from a stylistic perspective, I would recommend the Slav Defense - 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5.

Other lines you'd need to know are 3.Nc3 and 4.e3, 3.Nf3 and 4.e3, and 3.cxd5.

ThrillerFan, many thanks. I had hoped for a Yes instead but you clearly made the point. Thanks a lot for saving me much time.

You should avoid "system" openings like the London ANYWAY.

They're OK if all you want is to beat (or TRY to beat) a same-skill opponent.

But they're a big handicap if what you want is to LEARN and IMPROVE.

"System" openings are not an aid to thinking. Perhaps at GM level they are, but not at our level. They are a SUBSTITUTE for thinking. You play the London so that you WON'T have to think.

... and unfortunately, that means you won't learn and improve.

You must think even if you play the London... 

You can follow what people say here and never play the London as Black, or you can try it for yourselves, review your games, and see what works and doesn't in it. This way you'll actually learn and know why you think this or that.