London SystemD02
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bf4. White sets up the same way in almost every game: pawns on d4 and e3 and the dark bishop out early to f4. That makes it an easy first system to learn.
Its full name in the Lichess list is Queen's Pawn Game: London System.
Move by move
3. Bf4: bishop to f 4
- White: d4, pawn to d 4.
- Black: d5, pawn to d 5.
- White: Nf3, knight to f 3.
- Black: Nf6, knight to f 6.
- White: Bf4, bishop to f 4.
What each side wants
⚪ White: Add e3, c3, Bd3 and Nbd2, castle, and then look to attack on the king's side.
⚫ Black: Hit the middle with ...c5, bring your pieces out quickly, and think about ...Bd6 to swap off White's f4 bishop.
White made the last move, so after this it is Black's turn.
You will also hear it called the London.
Three things every opening does
The London System follows the three ideas strong players use in every opening. Get a pawn or two into the middle of the board, because pieces in the middle can reach more squares. Bring out your knights and bishops before you move the queen a lot, so she is not chased around. And castle early, so your king is tucked behind a wall of pawns and your rook joins the game. When you forget the moves, those three ideas will still help you find a good one.
Try it
Play it against Peabody on Play, then solve today's puzzle. Openings that start the same way:
Name, code and moves from the Lichess openings list (CC0), checked . The words are Peabody's own, and every move on this page is checked by Peabody's chess engine.