TacticForge

Chapter 1 of 6

1…d5 with …Nf6, …e6 or …c6

The heart of the London: e3, Nf3, Bd3, Nbd2 and c3, with the bishop going back to g3 when Black offers to trade it. Then Ne5 or the break e4.

After 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Black's most natural replies are …Nf6, …e6 and …c6, and they usually lead to the same kind of position. White builds the triangle of pawns on c3, d4 and e3, puts the bishop on f4 outside it, and develops with Nf3, Bd3 and Nbd2.

Black has two ways to fight it. One is …Bd6, offering to trade White's best bishop: the book answers Bg3, and if Black takes, hxg3 opens the h-file. The other is …c5 and …Qb6, going after b2: here White takes on c5 and uses the time the queen spends grabbing a pawn.

At a glance

The set-up

e3, Nf3, Bd3, Nbd2, c3, castling. The order changes; the squares don't.

Against …Bd6

Bg3. If …Bxg3, hxg3 and the h-file is yours.

Against …c5 and …Qb6

dxc5, and meet …Qxb2 with Rb1.

Against …Bf5

Bd3, offering to trade the light-squared bishops.

Key ideas

The triangle

The pawns on c3, d4 and e3 make the centre almost impossible to break. Black's …c5 hits only a pawn that is defended twice. Behind the wall, White finishes developing and chooses the plan: Ne5 and a kingside attack, or the break e4.

The h-file

When Black trades on g3, taking back towards the centre with the h-pawn opens the h-file for White's rook, even before castling. Sometimes White keeps the king in the centre for a while and uses the open file at once.

Punish the queen raid

The bishop on f4 has left b2 without a defender, and …Qb6 hits it. Taking on c5 first gains time: if the queen grabs b2, Rb1 chases it, and every queen move is a free move for White's development.

From history

A name from 1922

The London System is named after the London tournament of 1922, where the set-up with d4, Nf3 and Bf4 appeared seven times, in games by José Raúl Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine and Akiba Rubinstein. Capablanca, then world champion, won the tournament unbeaten with 13 points from 15.

Mason's favourite

Forty years earlier the master James Mason was already playing it regularly, at Vienna 1882, London 1883 and New York 1889. At the time it had no name of its own and was filed as an "irregular opening".

The lines

Click a move or use the arrows. Highlighted moves carry a note, and under each note you'll find the other moves played from that position, including the tempting mistakes. The number under the board is Stockfish's evaluation from your side: minus means your opponent is better.

Black plays 2…Nf6

The main line: e3, Nf3, Bd3 or Bg3

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 2…e6

2…e6: Bg3 against …Bd6

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 2…c6

2…c6: the Slav set-up

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 3…Bf5

3…Bf5: trade with Bd3

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 3…c5

3…c5: dxc5 against …Qb6

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 3…Nc6

3…Nc6

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 4…c5

4.Nf3 c5 5.c3

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 4…Be7

4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bd3

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…Bxg3

5.Bg3 Bxg3 6.hxg3

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…c5

5.Bg3 c5 6.Nbd2

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…Ne4

5.Bg3 Ne4 6.Bd3

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 3…c5

3.e3 c5 4.c3

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 4…Bxg3

4.Bg3 Bxg3 5.hxg3

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 3…Bf5

3.e3 Bf5 4.Bd3

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 3…e6

3.e3 e6 4.Nf3

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…Bg6

5.Bd3 Bg6 6.O-O

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…Bd6

5.Bd3 Bd6 6.Bg3

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…Ne4

5.Bd3 Ne4 6.Nbd2

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…Bg4

5.Nbd2 Bg4 6.c3

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…Bf5

5.Nbd2 Bf5 6.dxc5

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…e6

5.Nbd2 e6 6.c3

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 4…e6

4.Nf3 e6 5.Nbd2

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…Bxf3

5.Be2 Bxf3 6.Bxf3

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…Nbd7

5.Bd3 Nbd7 6.Nbd2

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 4…cxd4

4.c3 cxd4 5.exd4

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…h6

5.hxg3 h6 6.Nd2

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 4…Bg6

4.Bd3 Bg6 5.Nf3

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 4…f5

4.Nf3 f5 5.Bd3

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…Bxe5

5.Ne5 Bxe5 6.Bxe5

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…f6

5.Ne5 f6 6.Qh5+

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…Nd7

5.Ne5 Nd7 6.Nxf7

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…Be7

5.Nbd2 Be7 6.c3

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…Nf6

5.exd4 Nf6 6.Bd3

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…Nf6

5.Nf3 Nf6 6.O-O

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Black plays 5…Nd7

5.Nf3 Nd7 6.O-O

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

A model game

Games between masters, with the engine's evaluation under the board.

Magnus Carlsen plays this chapter's set-up against Viswanathan Anand: e3, c3, Nd2, and Bg3 against …Bd6. After …Bxg3 hxg3 the h-file is open, and Carlsen gives up his light-squared bishop on c6 to take over the queenside with his rooks.

World Blitz Championship · 1-0

Carlsen, M. – Anand, V., 2016

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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.

Take these into your games

Bishop first

Play Bf4 before e3. The other way round, the bishop is shut in behind its own pawn.

Don't trade the London bishop for free

When Black offers …Bd6, step back to g3. The bishop on the h2–b8 diagonal is White's best piece.

Watch b2

Once the bishop has left c1, b2 is loose. Before every move, ask what …Qb6 would do.