why is the London so popular?

Its easy to learn. Its flexible. It works no matter what black does.

It's because White can play the first 10-11 moves semi-automatically with nearly no possibility of making a mistake with often a ready made kingside attack. Black on the other hand has to be fairly careful to not drift into a worse position even with playing natural looking moves while having no way of making things complicated for white.

I would say because it's a relatively easy opening for beginners to understand and understand the ideals of how to play a half decent game while playing with time

Marketing/People always need an easy way out

At this point its a meme opening too xD

I am an over the board expert that uses the London, but do not play it like a blind squirrel. In fact, I only play it when one of Black's first 2 moves is ...d5 (i.e. 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 or 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5), only then do I play the Neo-London (1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c3) or the general london if Black has committed to say, shutting in the Bishop, like 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4.

If Black has not played ...d5, I tend to go for the Torre instead (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bg5 or 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5 - note after 1...e6, I play 2.e4 to avoid the Deferred Dutch and 1...f5 I play 2.e4 and after 1...g6 or 1...d6, I also play 2.e4 with 2...Bg7 3.Be3 in the first case and 2...Nf6 3.f3 in the second case.)

So the London can be played without being one that just plays it like a blind squirrel, which blind squirrel describes 95% of Amateurs that play the London.

hi

Easy to learn that's why