London System (D00)
A universal system for White with consistent piece placement. Safe and strategic.
Taught for White · 3 study lines · main line: 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.Bg3 O-O…
Free spaced-repetition drills — no account needed to analyze, and the trainer remembers what you have learned.
How do you reach the London System?
1.d4 followed by Bf4 — against almost anything. The London is a system: the same solid setup (e3, Nf3, c3, Nbd2, Bd3) built move by move, nearly regardless of what Black does.
What does the London System give you — and cost you?
For
- One setup covers most Black defenses — minimal memorization, maximal familiarity.
- Rock-solid structure: it is hard for Black to create early threats.
- The dark-square bishop develops OUTSIDE the pawn chain before e3 closes it in.
Against
- Ambition is modest — Black equalizes with accurate play.
- Well-prepared opponents target b2 and the c5 break immediately (know the ...Qb6 lines!).
- Playing the same structure every game can slow your growth in open positions.
What is the plan in the London System?
Develop the queen’s bishop outside the pawn chain to f4 before e3 — solving the problem piece early — then build a solid pyramid and angle for the e5-outpost.
When is the London System plan on — and when is it off?
Look for
- The f4-bishop’s pressure on c7 shapes Black’s whole queenside — know your answer to ...Qb6 (b3 or Qc1) before it lands.
- Trading the f4-bishop for Black’s WORSE bishop is a win — offer it only when the trade upgrades you.
Hold back when
- An early ...c5 bite needs c3 in first; and against King’s Indian setups the f4-bishop wants other squares — the system is not one-size-fits-all.
Which London System lines should you study?
Main Linealso known as: Queen's Pawn Game: Accelerated London System
1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.Bg3 O-O 6.Nbd2 c5 7.c3 Qc7 8.dxc5 Qxc5 9.Bd3 Nbd7 10.e4 dxe4 11.Nxe4 Nxe4
Final book move played in 25 master games.
The full London setup against the classical ...d5/...e6: Bf4, e3, Nf3, Nbd2. When Black challenges with ...c5 and ...Qc7, the dxc5/e4 plan turns the quiet system into an active one.
The e4 break opened the position exactly when your pieces stood best, and the knights come off on e4 with your bishop recapturing there: from e4 it eyes h7, the g3-bishop contests the b8–h2 diagonal against his d6-bishop, and Qc2 completes the battery next. Play Re1, O-O, and build a kingside initiative from a risk-free structure. This line is why the London is not "boring" — it is patient, then suddenly it is not.
vs King's Indianalso known as: London System, with Be2
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 g6 3.e3 Bg7 4.Nf3 O-O 5.Be2 d6 6.h3 c5 7.c3 b6 8.O-O Bb7 9.Nbd2 Nbd7 10.a4 a6
Final book move played in 250 master games.
Against the g6 fianchetto the London stays calm: h3 preserves the bishop, c3 holds the center, and you simply out-solid the Indian setup. Know this line and no fianchetto player scares you.
Black’s g7-bishop stares at your granite c3/d4 chain — his main piece is unemployed. Expand with a4 (as played) and consider Qb3, Re1 and e4 when fully mobilized. Do not hurry: his ...e5 or ...b5 breaks create the weaknesses you will play against. Slow chess, but you are the one with the plan.
vs ...Qb6 Counteralso known as: Queen's Pawn Game: London System
1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 c5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Nbd2 Qb6 6.dxc5 Qxb2 7.Rb1 Qc3 8.Bb5 e6 9.O-O Be7 10.e4 O-O
Final book move played in 275 master games.
The critical test of the London: Black hits b2 with ...Qb6 while your bishop is away from home. You must know 6.dxc5 Qxb2 7.Rb1 — you give the pawn back with 8.Bb5! and take the initiative.
Black’s queen went shopping on b2 and is still stranded on c3 while you built threats; he has castled, but his queenside sleeps and your pieces are the ones pointing at a king. The b5-bishop pressures the queenside he abandoned, e4 (played!) claims the full centre, and Rb1/Ne5 come with tempo. Convert time into targets: this is the line that punishes the "refutation" your opponents read about online.
What do opponents play against the London System at your level?
Reply shares from Lichess blitz, rapid and classical games, split by the rating band of the players — because the sideline that dominates beginner games often disappears entirely from stronger ones. Book moves in the study line are marked.
From the starting positionstudy line continues d5
| Lichess band | Most played | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| <1200 | d5 56%book | e6 9.2% | Nf6 8.4% |
| 1200s | d5 54.1%book | Nf6 11.5% | e6 9.4% |
| 1400s | d5 50.6%book | Nf6 14.3% | e6 9.9% |
| 1600s | d5 46.2%book | Nf6 18.4% | e6 10% |
| 1800s | d5 40.2%book | Nf6 25% | e6 9.4% |
| 2000s | Nf6 34.7% | d5 32.7%book | e6 8.2% |
| 2200+ | Nf6 45.5% | d5 27.7%book | e6 6.1% |
After 1.d5study line continues Nf6
| Lichess band | Most played | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| <1200 | Nc6 38.8% | Nf6 18.4%book | e6 14.5% |
| 1200s | Nc6 35.3% | Nf6 20.8%book | e6 16% |
| 1400s | Nc6 28.8% | Nf6 23.5%book | e6 17.6% |
| 1600s | Nf6 27%book | Nc6 21.2% | e6 19.2% |
| 1800s | Nf6 31.2%book | e6 19.8% | Bf5 14.2% |
| 2000s | Nf6 35.7%book | e6 19.2% | c6 12.1% |
| 2200+ | Nf6 40.2%book | c5 18.2% | e6 16.4% |
Shares are of games in each band at that position, from the Lichess opening explorer data the trainer itself studies from.
How often do opponents go wrong against the London System?
Of the players who reach the London System (after 1.d4), the share who make a mistake or blunder on the lines we teach, by rating band. Every reply is graded against Stockfish with the game review's own labels; each figure is a lower bound. How we measure.
Jump to your level: <1200 · 1200s · 1400s · 1600s · 1800s · 2000s · 2200+
How should you learn the London System?
Moves first, then the idea behind each move, then spaced review until recall is automatic — the method, the review schedule, and why cramming fails are covered in the opening-learning guide. The trainer here implements it directly: guided learning with the reason attached to each move, validation before practice, and a Leitner review ladder that keeps the lines you drill from evaporating.
Frequently asked questions
6% of Lichess players rated 1600–1799 who reach the London System make a mistake or blunder on the lines we teach within the first 11 moves (259M games, a lower bound). Every reply is graded against Stockfish with the same Mistake and Blunder labels as the game review; the full method is on our how-we-measure page.
AxiomChess teaches 3 study lines for this opening, each roughly ten moves deep — sourced from master practice and checked move-by-move against Stockfish before being taught. Depth past the point where a plan takes over adds review cost without adding wins.
Every move in the study lines here is engine-checked before it is taught, so the lines themselves hold up. The honest trade-offs are listed above — ambition is modest — black equalizes with accurate play — and knowing when the plan does not apply matters as much as the moves.
Your games already show which openings you actually reach and where they go wrong — the trainer picks drills from your own measured slips.
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