London System

I recently received some free video files from Andrew Martin. He was pushing his Foxy Videos series. Since fhe files he sent me were free and free is my favorite word I took a look. The videos were about the London System. The London System gives white development and mobility and black winds up with a restricted game. I tried this system out in some of my own online games and sure enough Martin was right. This is a great system! Just as an example I put a game below that I got from Chessgames. com.

If anyone else is interested in this system and has thoughts, games and/or ideas he would like to share please do send them in. I would be very much intereested in your comments as well as tricks and traps and such for this system.

P.S.

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the London System-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_System

The London System is a chess opening that begins with 1.d4 and 2.Bf4 or 2.Nf3 & 3.Bf4. It is a "system" opening that can be used against virtually any black defense and thus comprises a smaller body of opening theory than many other openings. The London System is one of the "Queen's Pawn Game", where White opens with 1.d4 but doesn't play the Queen's Gambit. It normally results in a closed game.

Sverre Johnsen and Vlatko Kovačević, in the introduction to their 2005 book Win with the London System, state:

Basically the London is a set of solid lines where after 1.d4 White quickly develops his dark-squared bishop to f4 and normally bolsters his centre with [pawns on] c3 and e3 rather than expanding. Although it has the potential for a quick kingside attack, the white forces are generally flexible enough to engage in a battle anywhere on the board. Historically it developed into a system mainly from three variations:

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bf4.

The corresponding Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings codes are D02, A46, and A48.

Advice for London players can be found in:

Win with the London System by Sverre Johnsen & Vlatko Kovacevic (2005)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627074459/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen85.pdf

Play the London System by Cyrus Lakdawala (2010)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627100246/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen139.pdf

For those facing the London:

Dealing with d4 Deviations by John Cox (2005)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627032909/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen89.pdf

Beating 1.d4 Sidelines by Boris Avrukh (2013)

http://dev.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Beating-1-d4-Sidelines-p3724.htm

I've won most of my games using the London due to this stupid stunt by Black as follows.

White's dark squared bishop locked outside of the pawn chain is very tempting to take. They castle kingside and swing their King's knight over to take it. The bishop backs up to g3 and they exchange opening the h-file!

This is why I always castle queenside in the London. The bishop is too tempting for them! They want it! and they open up the h-file! Of course, more experienced players would see this and would cook up some other plan, but it always makes me crease when they castle Kingside and decide to open up lines towards their king for the tempting bishop :) 

The London is ehh...ok....I don't really like it that much anymore....kinda refuted....

You mean you don't know what to do without an opening advantage?

derrama mgar3ama but black can take knight . knight

I dont like it

Basically if black isnt brain dead then it will be a draw, because white is too much of a coward to create any expansion so both sides sit and wait with no weaknesses.

You should keep the London as a secret weapon. One because some players hate playing against it and two the knowledge gained from it, namely understanding structure, can be applied to other openings.

I play it lol

I've been starting to toy with this in blitz and rapid games. True fact: Komodo 9.2 and the other top engine dev versions love the London right now.

I play this system a lot and have done well against players in my ratings range - 1600. The basic notions of openings still prevail - openings do not win games; well played openings lead to manageabvle mid-games and well played mid-games lead to adventageous endgames. If you keep this in mind you will do well against even opponents using the London System. In real time over the board play with clocks running it is a nice system because  no matter what your opponent tries the normal positions get you to a manageable point.

The best line to play against the London system is with the King's Indian set up and black easily equalizes. Sure, the London is a safe way to reach the middlegame ok but not really an opening to gain a slight advantage.

Yeah, that's greast for you guys at master or near master levels. We 1600s don't go really far with slight advantages.

I've been reaching the London/Colle/Torre positions as a result of starting with 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4. 

I'd like to see an example game illustrating this idea! Please do send one in!

As a 1500 London user with white, I find it most annoying when black castles long. Takes all the sting out of my kingside ambitions and I often find myself using quite a bit of time redeploying to the queenside. I can do this without much trouble if black allows me to keep the center closed, but with proper play black can equalize and a lot of draws result. I've got several games, wins and losses, which I think demonstrate a lot of the ideas for both sides, but my phone won't allow me to pop in any PGNs... Do you have to be a member for that function? Glad to be a part of the site y'all:)

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