The London System: Practical, Powerful, Underrated
The London System has a reputation problem. Annotators call it "dull." GMs call it "the easy way out." Club players who play it call it "the reason my rating is 200 points higher than it would be otherwise." The London is the most practical opening in chess: low theory, a clear plan you can execute against any defence, and enough venom to win at every level, including the Super GM level, where Carlsen, Jobava, and Kamsky have all used it to score big wins.
The setup
1.d4, 2.Bf4, 3.e3, 4.Nf3, 5.Bd3 (or Be2), 6.c3, 7.Nbd2. That's it. This is the core London setup, and you play it, in roughly this move order, adjusting for Black's specific moves, against the King's Indian, the Grünfeld, the Slav, the Queen's Gambit Declined, and almost everything else. The bishop goes to f4 before e3, so it doesn't get locked in. The pawns go to d4, e3, and c3, forming the "London pyramid." The knights go to f3 and d2, completing a solid, flexible formation.
Why it works
The London works because it prioritises structure over specifics. You don't need to memorise 20 moves of theory for each of Black's possible responses, you execute the same plan every time, adjusting the details. This means your preparation time goes to studying middlegame plans and endgame technique instead of memorising variations that your opponents never play anyway.
The resulting middlegames feature a clear strategic framework: White has a solid centre, a good bishop on d3 (or e2), and can choose between kingside attack (e3-e4 push, Qe2, Rfe1) and queenside expansion (c4, b4). Black has to play actively to avoid a slow positional squeeze.
Common plans
The kingside attack: After castling, White prepares e3-e4, opening the centre and creating attacking chances. If Black plays ...Nh5 to trade the f4 bishop, the recapture with the e-pawn (exf4) opens the e-file for the rook, a common attacking theme.
The c4 break: When Black plays ...c5, White can respond with c4, challenging the centre. The resulting pawn tension often leads to open positions where White's piece activity matters more than structure.
The h3-g4 battery: In some lines, White plays h3 and g4, creating a kingside pawn storm. This is particularly effective against setups where Black has played ...Be7 and ...0-0, the g4 push can be surprisingly dangerous.
Why GMs play it
The London entered the Super GM mainstream when Magnus Carlsen used it in the 2016 World Championship match against Karjakin. He wasn't looking for an opening advantage, he was looking to reach a playable middlegame without theoretical risk, conserving his energy for the later stages of the game. That's the London's greatest strength at any level: it gets you to a reasonable middlegame without drama.
Jobava Baadur has pushed the London into truly aggressive territory with the "Jobava London" (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4), which adds a knight to c3 instead of the more restrained Nbd2, creating sharper options.
Try it yourself
Set up the London System in our opening explorer and play through the main lines against different Black setups. Then test it in your games, start with games against the AI to practise the setup, then bring it to rated play. Track your results over 20 games; most players see an immediate improvement in consistency.