How to play the London System

The London in four pictures

Before the moves, the shape. These boards strip the London down to what matters: where your pieces go, the pawn moves each side is waiting to make, and the squares the game turns on.

What is the London System?

The London System is a chess opening for White that starts 1.d4 and 2.Bf4. It’s called a system rather than an opening because White aims for the same setup whatever Black plays: pawns on c3, d4 and e3, knights on f3 and d2, and bishops on f4 and d3. You learn one set of moves and one set of plans, not a new line for every defence.

It takes its name from the London tournament of 1922, where nine of the 120 games were Londons, played by Capablanca, Alekhine and Rubinstein among others. The setup is older still: James Mason was playing 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 in the 1880s. Today Gata Kamsky is one of its most regular top-level users, Magnus Carlsen, Vladimir Kramnik and Levon Aronian have all won with it, and Ding Liren won game 6 of the 2023 World Championship match with it. The short history below has the dates and sources.

Why learn the London first

No opening wins by force, and the London doesn’t claim to. What it gives you is the best return on your study time.

Is the London System good?

Yes. It’s sound at every level, from beginners to world champions, and it gives you familiar, playable positions in almost every game. It won’t refute anything, and against accurate defence Black can equalise, as against any opening. Its real strength is that you spend your thinking on plans, not on memorising theory.

Is the London System good for beginners?

Yes. The setup is the same in almost every game, so you can play it after one short lesson, and its plans teach good habits: develop, castle, then attack. Learn the three alarms early, because the tricks against the London are aimed at players who set up on autopilot.

Why do some players call it boring?

Because it can be played without ambition: the same squares, the same swaps and a quiet draw. But the plans have teeth. The Stonewall attack with Ne5 and f4, the e4 break, the open h-file and the Greek gift sacrifice on h7 all grow out of the same setup.

The London in numbers

Lichess publishes every rated game played on it, so the London’s popularity doesn’t have to be taken on trust. These figures count blitz, rapid and classical games in the Lichess opening explorer, as of 15 October 2026.

It pays off most where most people play. For players rated 1000–1599, White scores 54% with the London, against 53% with 1.d4 as a whole. Higher up, it scores about the same as any 1.d4, as the table shows.

How we counted: a position counts every game that reached it, whatever the move order. The London’s games and its share of 1.d4 games count 2.Bf4 against 1…d5 and 1…Nf6, so they leave out Londons reached another way, such as 2.Nf3 and 3.Bf4. White’s score counts a win as one point and a draw as half.

The London System setup, move by move

Here’s the main line against 1…d5, the one every London player knows by heart. Step through it on the board.

The order can change a little. Against 1…Nf6 you still play 2.Bf4 and e3. Against a kingside fianchetto the light-squared bishop goes to e2 instead of d3, and h3 comes early. What never changes is the rule: bishop out before e3.

Many books, and many grandmasters, start 2.Nf3 and 3.Bf4: Ding Liren did in 2023. Playing the bishop on move two, the Accelerated London, is just as old, since James Mason played it in the 1880s, and Sverre Johnsen and Vlatko Kovačević’s 2005 book Win with the London System recommends it. It’s the order this guide and the course use.

The strategy map

Most of the London’s middlegame fits on three boards, all from the tabiya after 8.Bd3: where you’re going, where Black hits back, and the squares that decide it.

Three plans once you’re set up

The setup is only half the story. From the tabiya, let Black’s eighth move choose your plan.

Plan A: a knight on e5

Plan B: the e4 break

Plan C: the h-file

What to play against each defence

Black gets to choose the battle. Here’s the short answer to each common reply, from the lines in the course.

Three alarms to check every move

Most London disasters start in the same three places. Check them before each move.

b2, when …Qb6 arrives

Once your bishop leaves c1, nothing guards b2, and …Qb6 attacks it, often while …c5 hits d4. The rule: if c3 is already in, play Qb3, which guards b2 and offers a queen swap; after …Qxb3 axb3 your rook gets the a-file. If c3 isn’t in yet, play Nc3!, which hits d5, so that …Qxb2 runs into Nxd5.

c2, checks and knight raids

Block …Bb4+ with c3, a move you wanted to play anyway. Blocking with the queen on d2 just loses it. …Nb4 aims at c2, where …Nxc2+ would fork king and rook once a second piece joins in, so kick the knight with a3 before …Bf5 arrives.

f4, the bishop hunt

Black’s knight often heads for h5 to swap itself for your best bishop. In the main line, Bg3 keeps the bishop on its diagonal. Against …g6 setups, play h3 early so it can drop back to h2. And whenever a knight lands on h5, check whether your queen can simply take it.

London System traps to know

The same few ideas win games again and again. Pick a trap and step through it on the board.

Famous London games

Six wins, from the tournament that named the opening to a World Championship match. Every score here matches two published sources move for move. The photos come from Wikimedia Commons and are credited under each game; the players aren’t connected with London System Chess.

Alekhine v Euwe, 1922

London 1922, round 4 · Classical · White won

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bf4 Bg7 4.Nbd2 c5 5.e3 d6 6.c3 Nc6 7.h3 O-O 8.Bc4 Re8 9.O-O e5 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Bxe5 dxe5 12.Ng5 Be6 13.Bxe6 fxe6 …

From the tournament that gave the opening its name. Alekhine builds the London shell against a King’s Indian: Bf4, Nbd2, e3, c3 and h3. When Euwe breaks with 9…e5, he takes twice on e5 and swaps on e6, leaving Black with doubled e-pawns and a bishop shut in behind them.

The queens come off on move 15, and Alekhine presses in the ending until 50.Rxe6 wins a pawn and Euwe resigns.

The London idea: a solid setup can give you the better ending as surely as the better attack.

Score: BritBase and ChessBase.

Photos: Alekhine: Bain News Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Euwe: an unknown photographer for Spaarnestad Photo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Kamsky v Shankland, 2014

Eastern Class Championships, Sturbridge, 2014 · Classical · White won

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 d5 3.e3 e6 4.Nd2 c5 5.c3 Nc6 6.Ngf3 Bd6 7.Bg3 O-O 8.Bd3 Qe7 9.Ne5 Nd7 10.Nxd7 Bxd7 11.Bxd6 Qxd6 12.dxc5 Qxc5 13.Bxh7+ …

The setup from this guide, move for move, by one of the London’s most regular grandmasters. Once the dark-squared bishops are off, Kamsky plays the classic sacrifice 13.Bxh7+ Kxh7 14.Qh5+, then brings his knight to g5 by way of e4, gaining time on Black’s queen.

He wins the piece back with 22.Qxe7, and his queen and rook keep checking the open king until Shankland resigns.

The London idea: the Greek gift, straight out of the London setup.

Score: chessgames.com and US Chess.

Photos: Kamsky: Stefan64, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped and resized, via Wikimedia Commons. Shankland: Stefan64, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped and resized, via Wikimedia Commons.

Carlsen v Tomashevsky, 2016

Tata Steel Masters, Wijk aan Zee, 2016, round 6 · Classical · White won

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4 b6 4.e3 Bb7 5.h3 Be7 6.Bd3 O-O 7.O-O c5 8.c3 Nc6 9.Nbd2 d5 10.Qe2 Bd6 11.Rfe1 Ne7 12.Rad1 Ng6 13.Bxg6 hxg6 14.Bxd6 Qxd6 15.Ne5 g5 16.f4 …

The world champion in 30 moves. Carlsen gives up both bishops, plants a knight on e5 and meets 15…g5 with 16.f4!, a pawn offer that opens the f-file for his rook and queen.

He wins the pawn back with 20.Rxf4 and swaps queens, his rooks reach the seventh rank, and Tomashevsky resigns two pawns down.

The London idea: a knight on e5 and the f-pawn behind it, Plan A from this guide.

Score: The Week in Chess and chessgames.com.

Photos: Carlsen: Miroslav.vajdic, CC BY 4.0, cropped and resized, via Wikimedia Commons. Tomashevsky: Stefan64, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized, via Wikimedia Commons.

Kramnik v Grandelius, 2016

Norway Chess, Stavanger, 2016, round 1 · Classical · White won

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 d5 3.e3 e6 4.c3 c5 5.Nd2 Nc6 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.Bxd6 Qxd6 8.f4 cxd4 9.cxd4 O-O 10.a3 Ne7 11.Ngf3 Qb6 12.Qb3 …

A former world champion in the 2.Bf4 move order. Kramnik swaps his London bishop at once and builds a Stonewall with 8.f4. When Grandelius hits b2 with 11…Qb6, he answers 12.Qb3, the queen-swap offer from this guide’s b2 alarm.

In the queenless middlegame his knight settles on e5 and his rook takes the c-file, and his rook and knight win the ending.

The London idea: with c3 already in, Qb3 guards b2 and offers to swap queens.

Score: The Week in Chess and chessgames.com.

Photos: Kramnik: GFHund, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized, via Wikimedia Commons. Grandelius: Stefan64, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped and resized, via Wikimedia Commons.

Jobava v Ponomariov, 2016

Chess Olympiad, Baku, 2016, round 8 · Classical · White won

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 cxd4 5.exd4 a6 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.Nge2 e6 8.Qd2 b5 9.O-O Be7 10.a3 Bd7 11.h3 O-O 12.Rfe1 Na5 13.Rad1 Qb6 14.Ng3 Rfc8 15.Nf5 exf5 16.Rxe7 Be6 17.Bh6 …

The Jobava London, by the man it’s named after. The queen’s knight goes to c3, and Jobava develops at speed, with his rooks on e1 and d1. Then he strikes: 15.Nf5 exf5 16.Rxe7 puts a rook on the seventh rank, and 17.Bh6! tears open Black’s king.

Ponomariov resigns after 21 moves with material level, because there’s no good way to stop Rxe6.

The London idea: the Jobava version gives up the c3 pyramid for speed and a direct attack.

Score: chessgames.com and The Spectator.

Photos: Jobava: Andreas Kontokanis, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped and resized, via Wikimedia Commons. Ponomariov: Stefan64, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped and resized, via Wikimedia Commons.

Ding v Nepomniachtchi, 2023

World Championship match, Astana, 2023, game 6 · Classical · White won

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 Nc6 5.Nbd2 cxd4 6.exd4 Bf5 7.c3 e6 8.Bb5 Bd6 9.Bxd6 Qxd6 10.O-O O-O 11.Re1 h6 12.Ne5 … 44.Qf7

The London in a World Championship match, down 3–2. Ding swaps the dark-squared bishops, puts a knight on e5 and swings his a1 rook into play by way of a3, while his queen goes to g3 and his h-pawn marches to h5.

The attack lands on the king: 42.Qc7, 43.Ng6 and 44.Qf7, and Nepomniachtchi resigns facing mate. The win levelled the match, and Ding went on to take the title.

The London idea: a quiet setup, then every piece aimed at the king.

Score: the official broadcast and The Week in Chess.

Photos: Ding: Stefan64, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped and resized, via Wikimedia Commons. Nepomniachtchi: Frans Peeters, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped and resized, via Wikimedia Commons.

A short history of the London System

The London is older than its name, and it has been played at the top in almost every era since.

1. 1880s

   James Mason’s bishop

   James Mason plays 1.d4 and an early Bf4 in at least 20 recorded games. By 1882 he has the whole setup, with e3, Nf3, c3 and Nbd2, against Berthold Englisch in Vienna (the game). Some opening databases still call 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 the Mason Variation.

2. 1922

   The tournament that named it

   At the British Chess Federation’s congress in London, nine of the 120 games are Londons, played by Capablanca, Alekhine and Rubinstein among others (the tournament). By 1925 Alekhine is writing about “the London system” in print.

3. 2000s

   A grandmaster’s weapon

   Gata Kamsky plays it regularly at the top level, and ChessBase later names him one of its highest-level regular users. In 2005 Sverre Johnsen and Vlatko Kovačević’s Win with the London System recommends 2.Bf4 at once.

4. 2015–2016

   World champions join in

   Magnus Carlsen wins with it in classical and rapid games, and Vladimir Kramnik at Norway Chess. At the 2016 Olympiad, Baadur Jobava’s wins make his sharper version, the Jobava London, famous.

5. 2023

   A World Championship win

   Ding Liren plays the London in game 6 of his title match against Ian Nepomniachtchi and wins it, levelling the match (FIDE’s report). Reports at the time called it the first London in a title match. Ding went on to become world champion.

6. Today

   Millions of games

   On Lichess alone, White has met 1…d5 or 1…Nf6 with 2.Bf4 in 144 million games. The numbers above show who plays it and how it scores.

How to learn the London System

The quickest route is the one the course follows:

1. Learn the setup against 1…d5 until you can play it without thinking.
2. Learn one plan for each of Black’s main setups. The table above is your map.
3. Learn the three alarms and the traps.
4. Review little and often. Short, regular reviews beat cramming, and the course spreads them out for you.
5. Play it in real games, then find the move where each game left the book.

How the course is built

• Every move checked. The course tells you White’s move in 1,016 positions, and each one was checked with Stockfish. Against 1…b6 and 1…g6 the engine would rather play 2.e4 and leave the London; the course stays with 2.Bf4, and says so.
• Built for memory. You play each move yourself instead of reading it, and each position comes back when the app predicts you’re about 90% likely to still remember it. Testing yourself and spacing it out are the two study techniques a major review of learning research rated most useful (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).
• One opening, all the way. 100 short lessons on 12 lines take you from your first two moves to grandmaster plans, in six zones by rating.

Questions