London System
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4 d5 · D02
Starting positionWhite to move
0 / 14
The bishop goes out before e3 closes the door
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
- 6.
- 7.
The idea
White develops the dark-squared bishop outside the pawn chain before e3, then builds a familiar setup with Nf3, Bd3 and c3. The structure is practical, but plans still depend on Black's replies.
Main line: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4 d5 4.e3 Bd6 5.Bg3 O-O 6.Bd3 c5 7.c3 Nc6
What White wants
- Develop with Bf4, e3, Bd3, Nbd2 and castle short
- Manoeuvre the knight to e5 and keep the bishop on g3
- Attack on the kingside with Ne5, Qf3 or h4 in the right structures
What Black wants
- Trade the bishop on f4 with ...Bd6 and ...Bxf4 or ...Nh5
- Free the position with ...c5 and ...Nc6 hitting d4
- Use the queenside and the half-open c-file for counterplay
Key idea
Understand this and the moves stop needing to be memorised.
The bishop goes out before e3 closes the door
Playing Bf4 on move two or three looks casual, but it gets the dark-squared bishop outside the pawn chain before e3 fixes it in. Every London plan afterwards is about keeping that bishop useful — Ne5, Bg3, and the trade on d6.
Common mistake
Treating preservation of the London bishop as more important than the resulting position. ...Bxg3 hxg3 is a normal exchange that opens the h-file and changes the king's shelter; White should adapt the plan rather than assume the bishop trade is automatically bad.
Mistake example: c5.
Representative position
The position this opening is aiming at. Copy the FEN, or open it in the analysis board and let the engine tell you what it is worth.
r1bq1rk1/pp3ppp/2nbpn2/2pp4/3P4/2PBPNB1/PP3PPP/RN1QK2R w KQ - 1 8
Analyze this position