Why play the London
The London System is the most practical White repertoire for the 1300–1700 range. It is one development scheme that works against almost any defense.
What speaks for it:
- Little theory. You need the nine moves of the scheme and two typical plans.
- You are hard to surprise. White’s setup depends little on Black’s moves, so an opponent’s home preparation rarely catches you out.
- Clear middlegame plans. White either attacks the king with Ne5 and f4 or advances on the queenside with the c- and b-pawns.
- Carlsen and Kamsky play it. Their games are collected under Model games below.
It has drawbacks too:
- At the top level Black gets an equal game.
- Players who like tactics may find it a little dull.
At 1300–1700 neither of them gets in the way. You have a system you understand, you play its first moves without thinking, and that is enough.
Core development scheme
Memorize White’s move order:
1.d4
2.Nf3
3.Bf4 the main move: the bishop gets outside the pawn chain before e3
4.e3
5.c3 defends d4 and keeps a knight out of b4
6.Nbd2 the knight goes to d2 and stays out of the c-pawn’s way
7.Bd3 (or Be2)
8.h3 against ...Bg4; after ...Nh5 the bishop drops back to h2
9.O-OThat is the base scheme. The move order can vary as long as the setup comes out the same: a bishop on f4, knights on f3 and d2, pawns on c3, d4 and e3, the other bishop on d3, the king castled short.
Two typical plans
Plan A: kingside attack
- Ne5: the knight takes a strong square in the center.
- f4: the pawn supports the knight and prepares the advance.
- Qf3 or Qh5: the queen moves towards Black’s king.
- Rae1 or Rf3–h3: a rook joins the attack.
- g4–g5 or h4–h5: the pawn storm.
The plan works when Black has castled short and has few defenders near the king.
Plan B: queenside advance
- c4 or a3 and b4: White gains space with pawns.
- Qb3 or Qb1: the queen supports b4–b5.
- Rfc1: a rook goes to the c-file.
- b5: the pawn undermines c6 in the manner of a minority attack, and Black is left with a weak pawn.
This plan is for closed positions where an attack on the king does not get through.
Choose the plan by Black’s setup. If Black has set up solidly with …c6 and …Nbd7, play plan B. If Black has castled and weakened the pawns in front of the king, play plan A.
Against 1…d5 (the classical London)
- 1.2.3.4.↳ Bd6: Black offers a trade of bishops5.↳ Bg3: don’t take on d6; the bishop steps back to g36.7.8.9.
After hxg3 White is well placed to attack:
- The h1 rook stands on a half-open file, facing the h7 pawn.
- The d3 bishop, the f3 knight and the queen point at the kingside.
- Black’s dark-squared bishop has been traded, so the king has one defender fewer.
In positions like this White follows plan A.
If Black plays 4…c5
- 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.
The move …c5 does not change the scheme. Against …Bd6 White again retreats the bishop to g3, and the choice between plan A and plan B depends on Black’s setup.
Against 1…Nf6 and …g6 (the King’s Indian, and …d5 setups in the spirit of the Grünfeld)
- 1.2.3.4.↳ d6: or ...d5, in the spirit of the Grünfeld5.↳ Be2: the bishop goes to e2: on d3 it would run into the g6 pawn6.7.
From here White has two ways to continue: c4, with play in the center, or c3 and Nbd2, as in the ordinary London. At 1300–1700 it is easier to play c3 and finish development.
The g7 bishop is strong, but it runs into the d4 pawn, which the c3 and e3 pawns defend, so there is no need to fear the fianchetto.
Against 1…Nf6 and …c5 (Benoni, Benko Gambit)
- 1.2.3.↳ d5: don’t play c3 here: White closes the center with d54.5.6.7.
The usual setup does not fit here: against …c5 on move 2 it makes more sense to close the center. This is an exception to the general scheme.
The other way is 3.e3 cxd4 4.exd4. A white pawn stands on d4 again, the c1 bishop’s diagonal is open, and the bishop comes out to f4 later.
Against an early …Bf5 (the mirror London)
- 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.
The extra tempo gives White no advantage. Play the position the same way as the main line.
Against an early …c5 (on move 3, with the pawn on d5)
- 1.2.3.4.5.↳ c3: an important move: it keeps the knight out of b4 and defends the d4 pawn6.7.↳ Bg3: the usual answer: the bishop steps away from the trade on f48.
Model games
There is no need to memorize these games. Pick a few, go through each one two or three times and watch how White carries out the plans from this article.
Each list below shows all of that player’s games in the library. You can tell the London by the first moves: he has White, opens with d4 and brings the bishop to f4 early.
Carlsen in the library
2,662 games in the libraryCarlsen plays the London from time to time; the library has a few dozen such games of his.
- Carlsen, Magnus — Arabidze,M20261-0
- Carlsen, Magnus — Erigaisi,Arjun20261-0
- Carlsen, Magnus — Henriquez Villagra,C20261-0
Kamsky in the library
1,641 games in the libraryGata Kamsky has played the London since the 2000s; the library has more than a hundred such games of his.
- Edouard,R — Kamsky, Gata20261/2-1/2
- Maurizzi,MarcAndria — Kamsky, Gata20261/2-1/2
- Moussard,J — Kamsky, Gata20261/2-1/2
Aronian in the library
2,717 games in the library- Aronian, Levon — Madaminov, Mukhiddin20261/2-1/2
- Aronian, Levon — Donchenko, Alexander20261/2-1/2
- Caruana, Fabiano — Aronian, Levon20261-0
Firouzja in the library
1,255 games in the libraryAmong the younger grandmasters, Firouzja and Gukesh play the London.
- Firouzja, Alireza — Erigaisi Arjun20261/2-1/2
- Abdusattorov, Nodirbek — Firouzja, Alireza20261/2-1/2
- Firouzja, Alireza — Andreikin, Dmitry20261/2-1/2
Gukesh in the library
1,224 games in the library- Donchenko, Alexander — Gukesh D20260-1
- Gukesh D — Muradli, Mahammad20261/2-1/2
- Gukesh D — Vokhidov, Shamsiddin20261/2-1/2
Play through the game you picked on your own first, then check it with Stockfish in free analysis or in the PGN analyzer.
When to move on
The London System suits the 1300–1700 range. The stronger your opponents, the more often they know how to set up against it, and after 1700 it is time to prepare the next opening. Signs that the time has come:
- You beat opponents of your own level, but against stronger ones Black equalizes and you cannot play for a win.
- You are bored and want deeper strategy.
- You know what the Carlsbad structure is and want to play it.
The next step is the classical Queen’s Gambit and the Carlsbad structure with the minority attack. They have an article of their own: The Carlsbad structure and the minority attack.
Related
- How to grow from 1300 to 1700: the overall plan.
- Minimal opening repertoire: why one system is enough for White.
- Minimal Black repertoire: what to play as Black alongside the London.
- The Carlsbad structure: the next step after the London.
- Free Stockfish analysis: for reviewing your London games.