London System against the early c5 (Benoni setups)

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In this video I have covered one of the most challenging setups black could choose against the London System – the early c5. This move is sharp, aggressive, and shows that black wants to fight instead of allowing white to create his London setup without issues.

If white plays the most principled way the move c5 will lead to pawn structures that resemble the Benoni. That means that black will have a “bad” structure with a weak d6 pawn. It is therefore necessary for white to be able to get outside of his normal London System comfort zone and to play against the Benoni. That fact alone makes the early c5 troublesome for most inexperienced London players.

Those who play the Benoni with black against main line d4 openings should choose this setup against the London.

White can avoid Benoni type positions if he wishes to, but that almost always leads to easy equality for black. The reason is that the move c5, if not punished with d5 breaks white’s center, therefore not allowing him the classical London triangle of pawns. If not challenged, the early c5 basically gives black the white pieces. More space and more activity.

#chess