In a time where the opening phase has
become extremely important, every chess player must give this phase its due
attention. With various good books available, the quantity of information on
the internet and the powerful engines, it is no wonder that it is now very
difficult to get a big advantage out of the opening, never mind winning a game
out of it.
Everybody knows a decent amount of
theory, there is no doubt about that. However, not everybody has the time and
energy to learn long and complicated lines and we’d even say that, depending on
your level, it may even be completely unnecessary. Up to a certain level, it is
more important to devote your energy to understanding the important concepts of
the game than learning moves by heart.
If you are one of these players, we can
suggest you give the London System a look.
Here are a few reasons why this opening
might suit you.
1. No big amount of theory
This is perhaps the most important
thing about this opening. This is more of a system than an opening with long
lines that involve remembering exact moves. Here the accent is more on knowing
the plans, how to place your pieces and understanding the arising pawn
structures.
You will find that in the latest years
many Grandmasters have included it in their repertoire with good results, with
one of the most famous specialists being Gata Kamsky. Thanks to their
games the theory of this opening has, of course, started to develop, but you
can use it more as a guideline; it’s not a know-by-heart or get into a worse
position kind of repertoire.
2. It is a solid option
As many 1.d4 openings are,
the London System is a solid choice.
It is very difficult for black to break
it, given that you face, for example, a stronger opponent. It can lead to long,
strategic battles, but don’t be fooled.
Black has to be prepared to meet it
otherwise things can easily go downhill for the second player, which leads us
to the third reason why this is a resourceful opening choice.
3. It has its poison
The games where white wins by
incredible attacks on the kingside are not few. A quick search in the database
will show that black must play with care and, most importantly, be aware of
white’s ideas.
As mentioned before, white has many
resources and attacks can come out of the blue for the unprepared player.
There is an interesting idea where
white doesn’t hurry to castle but instead tries to quickly install a knight on
e5, but the bishop on g3 and continue with f4. In this case, the king can
remain in the center, but white can even consider castling short at the right
moment. As the center usually remains closed, the same idea can be used even
after castling short in the first place.
4. It can be played in different ways
As mentioned above, this is a solid,
but resourceful opening. That means that you can vary the plans; one day you
can go for the attacking plans and another day play positionally.
There are different move orders and
each has its ideas, giving you options inside the same system. It is important
to avoid preparation and try to get your opponent on unknown territory and
studying various plans can help you surprise your rivals.
5. It is an opening that allows you to improve your chess
understanding
This is not an opening where you need
to learn the moves by heart, but one where you need to study games of the
strong players and understand the plans in each type of structure.
This means that you won’t actually
focus so much on the opening phase but on the middlegame one, which will allow
you to improve your positional play and attacking skills.