Introduction to the London System
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In this introductory video, I have gone over the basics, main ideas and plans of one of the most popular openings in chess: the London System.
The name itself is very descriptive. The London is a system, a setup, not an independent opening. It’s a development plan white uses regardless of what black chooses to play. If you play the London System, you can be sure to enter it. Black has no way of avoiding it. That makes it a very useful weapon for tournament chess. It’s much easier to learn than e4 or main line d4 or move on. It gives your opponent far less options. Instead of having to learn 50 different opening variations black could play, you have basically limited the amount of learning you have to do to one system!
Black has some options, though. Depending on what their weapon against main line d4 openings is, black can choose between playing setups resembling those defenses. Black can play a King’s Indian setup, a Queen’s Indian setup, a Chigorin, the Dutch, and several other setups himself. You have to be ready against each.
In the 7 detailed videos which are to follow in the series, I am going to go over ways to play against each of these setups for black, giving you an all-round opening system for white!
Now what is the London System? It is a very solid pawn and piece formation for white. It’s characterized by the pawn structure c3-d4-e3, a very solid pawn triangle which is hard for black to break, and the bishop developed to f4, outside of that pawn chain. This setup makes normal queen’s pawn defenses for black simply impossible. That means no theory! No Slav, Semi-Slav, KID, QID, or the Benoni, only the London!
It’s also a very good attacking opening. White has numerous thematic attacking plans he could employ. When you combine the solidity, the flexibility, and the attacking potential of the London System, it’s obvious why it’s one of the best ways for white to play.
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