London system not mentioned in openings books - Chess Forums

ALJERWAN_M

Oct 5, 2019

0

#1

Hi
I wonder why London system not mentioned in openings books
I have Watson series and the essential series and i could not find London system
Does it have another name ?
Or the openings systems have other sources to read about them ?
I am a beginner and probably my knowledge not helping me to find the answer
If the systems have their own books what do you recommend?

kindaspongey

Oct 5, 2019

0

#2

Despite its size, the Watson series is not intended to be comprehensive. I don't know much about the essential series, but the London is a very small part of the opening world and it is not likely to get much attention in general works. For a London introduction, you may want to try First Steps: the Colle and London Systems.

https://www.chess.com/article/view/how-to-understand-openings

UnsidesteppableChess

Oct 15, 2019

0

#3

Even though the moves had been played some before, it was the 1922 tournament in London in which the giants Alekhine, Capablanca and Rubinstein were playing it that it got it's name from and is still called it nearly 100 years later.

FrogCDE

Oct 17, 2019

0

#4

It's very clear to me that openings books, even the ones targeted at amateurs and club players, don't usually take seriously enough the idiosyncrasies of the club repertoire, For example after years or playing and reading about the Dutch, I still haven't come across a book that gives useful lines against the way most club players react to it. Hardly anyone below 1800 plays 2.g3 against it and attempts to attack on the queenside, the 'mainline' strategy that takes up at least 75% of most books on the Dutch. To the club player, the defence appears to weaken the kingside and the e6 square and they usually react accordingly with kingside play - the bishop usually goes to c4 and either a bishop or knight tries to go to g5. A useful book on the Dutch for amateurs would devote most of its space to these ideas. And a useful book on the Sicilian would be mostly about anti-Sicilian tries like Bc4 rather than dismissing them as obviously inferior and using most of its pages on the mainline open lines the club player will hardly ever face.

Daybreak57

Oct 17, 2019

0

#5

Youtube GM Chess Lessons London

There you will find all I know about playing the London System.

ThrillerFan

Oct 17, 2019

0

#6

FrogCDE wrote:

It's very clear to me that openings books, even the ones targeted at amateurs and club players, don't usually take seriously enough the idiosyncrasies of the club repertoire, For example after years or playing and reading about the Dutch, I still haven't come across a book that gives useful lines against the way most club players react to it. Hardly anyone below 1800 plays 2.g3 against it and attempts to attack on the queenside, the 'mainline' strategy that takes up at least 75% of most books on the Dutch. To the club player, the defence appears to weaken the kingside and the e6 square and they usually react accordingly with kingside play - the bishop usually goes to c4 and either a bishop or knight tries to go to g5. A useful book on the Dutch for amateurs would devote most of its space to these ideas. And a useful book on the Sicilian would be mostly about anti-Sicilian tries like Bc4 rather than dismissing them as obviously inferior and using most of its pages on the mainline open lines the club player will hardly ever face.

Obviously you haven't seen all Dutch books. One of the best opening books ever written is "Win With the Stonewall Dutch" by Sverre Johnsen.

There is thorough explanation of:

A) The main lines

B) When the stonewall is playable against sidelines and when it is not and you have to play a Classical or ...Bb4 setup

C) Early e3-lines

D) Lines with Nf3 and Nc3 (no fianchetto)

E) London System setups

F) Gambits (Staunton, Poison Spike, etc.)

G) Lines against 1.c4 and 1.Nf3

Etc.

KnuppelBerry

Oct 17, 2019

0

#7

I'm always on the lookout for good club-level books. There was a series of books "XYZ for the Tournament Player" and I've found the two I've bought quite helpful. I'll check out the Johnsen book. Any other recommendations?

ThrillerFan

Oct 17, 2019

0

#8

KnuppelBerry wrote:

I'm always on the lookout for good club-level books. There was a series of books "XYZ for the Tournament Player" and I've found the two I've bought quite helpful. I'll check out the Johnsen book. Any other recommendations?

Specifically on the Dutch? Not that I'm aware of. I had a book on the Leningrad from the 90s, Aagaard's Stonewall book, a book on the classical Dutch from the early 2000s (orange cover), and the book mentioned. Not a huge Dutch player, and the only one I'd use today the few rare times I play it as Black is the one I mentioned.

My primary lines of defense are the French against 1.e4 and King's Indian against 1.d4, not the Dutch. As White, I've played the 2.Bg5 lines against the Dutch, and when I do play 1.d4 and they play 1...e6, I avoid the delayed Dutch by going into the French (2.e4).

KnuppelBerry

Oct 17, 2019

0

#9

Actually, any good club level books. I'm a pretty voracious reader and like to try different openings. Not yet experienced enough to commit to any particular repertoire but willing to explore any.

For instance, on the French I have McDonald's Mastering the French and Harding The Classical French. Thinking about picking up Uhlmann's Winning with the French. The more practical applications at the sub-2000 level the better for me.

Thanks for the info!

RussBell

Oct 17, 2019

0

#10

some London System resources...

https://www.chess.com/news/view/london-system-3451

kindaspongey

Oct 18, 2019

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#11

Perhaps worthwhile to think about what is appropriate for an ~1200 player?