All openings
You're WhiteEasy to start7 lines
London System
1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 · D00–D02, A45–A48
The London gets your bishop out to f4, builds a pawn pyramid on c3, d4 and e3 behind it, and castles, whatever Black is up to across the board. You learn one setup and a few precise answers, and save your thinking for the middlegame. It's for players who want a plan they can trust from move one.
Three ideas to hold on to
- 1. Get the bishop to f4 before e3 shuts it in, then build the c3–d4–e3 pyramid behind it.
- 2. Black will try to swap off that bishop: meet …Bd6 with Bg3, and keep h3 handy so the bishop has h2 when …Nh5 comes.
- 3. When Black's queen hits b2 from b6, put yours on b3 and let Black decide about the trade.
The lines
Each line ends on your move. Five clean runs, spaced out, and it’s booked.
3…e6: the main line
6…Be7 7.h3
…Bd6: Bg3 and the open h-file
6…Bd6 7.Bg3
2…c5: the queen trade
2…c5 3.e3
2…Bf5: swap the bishops
2…Bf5 3.e3
Queen's Indian setup: aim for e4
2…e6 3.e3
3…c5 and …Qb6: meet the clamp
3…c5 4.c3