Chess lessons › Chess openings
The London System
A set-up that White can play against almost anything, and how Black can meet it.
The idea
One set-up that White can play against almost anything.
- The bishop comes out to f4 before e3 can shut it in.
- Then e3 supports d4, and the bishop is not blocked.
- Next come c3, Nbd2, Bd3 and castling, and the set-up is done.
In a game: Good if you want one plan with White; after Bf4, watch for Qb6 attacking b2.
How the lesson begins
Find the move
White to move. Both sides have developed a knight. Bring your bishop from c1 out to f4, before you play e3. This is the London System.
A hint
The bishop on c1 travels along its diagonal to f4.
Show the answer
3. Bf4
Bf4 is the London System. The bishop comes out before the pawn move e3, because after e3 the pawn would block it in. From f4 it eyes the pawn on c7. Among players rated 1200 to 1599 on Lichess, White played 3.Bf4 in 23% of the games that reached move 3 in this way.
The London System is a set-up, not a set of lines. White plays the same moves against many answers: Bf4, e3, c3, Nbd2, Bd3 and castling. Watch the standard set-up.
- 3... c5 Black attacks d4.
- 4. e3 The pawn defends d4 and opens the diagonal for the bishop on f1.
- 4... Nc6 5. Nbd2 The second knight comes out.
- 5... e6 6. c3 The pawns on c3, d4 and e3 make a solid chain, and the bishop on f4 is outside it.
- 6... Bd6 Black offers to trade the bishops.
- 7. Bg3 The bishop retreats to g3 and stays on its diagonal.
- 7... O-O 8. Bd3 The other bishop comes out, and White is ready to castle.
In numbers
How often it is played
| Rating | Value |
|---|---|
| Under 800 | 16 |
| 800 to 1199 | 33 |
| 1200 to 1599 | 33 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 28 |
| 2000 and up | 22 |
How the games ended
White won 51%, 5% were drawn and Black won 44%, over 55,433 games that start this way, in a sample of rated Lichess games from 2026.