1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4
The London System is a setup rather than a single line. White plays d4, develops the dark-squared bishop to f4 early, and then builds a pyramid with e3 and c3, with the knights on f3 and d2 and the light-squared bishop on d3.
Its appeal is that the setup barely changes: against ...d5, against ...Nf6 and ...g6, and against most other replies White can follow the same plan. The key detail is move order. The bishop goes to f4 before e3, so it is not shut in behind its own pawns, as it is in the Colle System.
Once seen as a quiet club opening, it became a serious top-level weapon in the 2010s, with Magnus Carlsen among the grandmasters who play it regularly.
Step through the main line with Next and Prev, or click any move. Flip the board to see it from Black's side.
You play the same first eight moves in most games, so you can spend your study time on middlegame plans instead of memorising lines. The structure is solid and the f4 bishop stays active outside the pawn chain.
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 e6 4.e3 c5 5.c3 Nc6 6.Nbd2 Bd6 7.Bg3 O-O 8.Bd3
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The London pyramid (c3, d4, e3) is very hard to break, which is its main strength. Its main weakness is the b2 pawn. Once the c1 bishop has gone to f4, no white piece defends b2, so ...Qb6 is Black's most common way to put early pressure on White.
White's middlegame plans are kingside play with Ne5, f4 and sometimes g4, or central expansion with e3-e4 after Black's pieces have committed. If Black castles short and White can push a pawn to e5, the f6 knight loses its post and h7 becomes a target.
1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nd2
Putting the bishop on f4 on move two is now the most common London move order. White keeps the option of Nc3 (the Jobava London) or builds the usual pyramid with e3, c3, Nd2 and Ngf3.
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bf4 Bg7 4.e3 O-O 5.Be2 d6 6.h3
Against ...g6 and ...Bg7, Black will aim for ...d6 and ...e5 to hit the f4 bishop. White's usual answer is a calm Be2, h3 and O-O. The h3 move gives the bishop a retreat square on h2.
1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4 e6 4.e3 Bd6 5.Nb5
An aggressive cousin of the London: the knight goes to c3 and White eyes Nb5 against c7 and d6. If Black plays ...Bd6 too early, Nb5 hits the bishop at once. White often castles queenside and attacks.
1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 c5 3.e3 Nc6 4.c3 Qb6 5.Qb3
Black hits b2 before White has castled. The standard answer is Qb3, offering a queen trade. If Black takes on b3, axb3 opens the a-file for White's rook.
The setup takes its name from the London tournament of 1922, where several players used it.
For decades it had a reputation as a safe club opening. That changed in the 2010s, when Magnus Carlsen, Gata Kamsky and other elite players used it regularly. It is now one of the most popular 1.d4 systems among club players.
Copy the position at the end of the main line, open the chess move calculator, paste it into the “Paste FEN” box under the board and press the FEN button next to it. Stockfish 19 then suggests a move for the side to play, at the strength set on the calculator's slider, and you can play on from there to test your own ideas.
r1bq1rk1/pp3ppp/2nbpn2/2pp4/3P4/2PBPNB1/PP1N1PPP/R2QK2R b KQ - 6 81. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bf4 e6 4. e3 c5 5. c3 Nc6 6. Nbd2 Bd6 7. Bg3 O-O 8. Bd3For a move-by-move review of a whole game you played with this opening, use the chess analysis board.
Knowing the moves is not the same as playing them under pressure. Play chess against the computer with the white pieces and steer the game toward the London System from move one, then sharpen the tactics that come out of it with chess puzzles.
Go deeper: How to improve your chess rating · Castling rules and timing
Yes. You learn one setup and one set of plans and can use it against almost any defence. It teaches development and pawn structure without forcing you to memorise long lines.
There is no refutation, but Black's most testing plans start early: ...c5 with ...Nc6 and ...Qb6 against b2, or a King's Indian setup with ...g6, ...d6 and ...e5 to hit the f4 bishop.
Both reach the same setup. 2.Bf4 is now the most common move order and keeps the option of Nc3. 2.Nf3 first is more flexible and can transpose to other 1.d4 openings.
Only if both players want it to be. White can attack with Ne5, f4, g4 or a Bxh7+ sacrifice, and the Jobava London with Nc3 often leads to opposite-side castling.
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