5 Most Common London System Mistakes (+ Course Announcement)

The London System has a bit of a strange reputation.
For some players, it is almost synonymous with avoiding theory: you play d4, Bf4, Nf3, e3, Nbd2, c3, Bd3, h3, O-O, put your pieces on familiar squares, and hope to reach roughly the same position every game.
And if I'm being honest, if someone genuinely doesn't want to learn much opening theory with White, the London is probably one of the best openings they could choose, and is probably one of the least likely to be punished. It is very robust, and you are much less likely to just get blown off the board for not knowing theory than in many other openings.
But just because you play like that, doesn't mean you should.
Once you start studying the London seriously, you quickly discover that there is an enormous amount of nuance hidden behind what looks like a simple setup. You may need to pay a lot of attention to Black's move orders. Sometimes c3 is exactly what you want, while in other positions you should delay it because c4 + Nc3 may be a better setup. Sometimes h3 is necessary, but sometimes it is just a waste of tempo. The way I like to play it, I sometimes even delay Bf4, the very move that's most commonly associated with the London System itself.

Before we get into it, if you're mainly here for the London System repertoire I recently released, you can find it here:
https://payhip.com/b/XBDVa
Use the code LONDON89 at checkout for a massive launch discount.
The link is also in my Lichess profile description, and I've included much more information about the course and its contents toward the end of this post.
For everyone else, I genuinely think the five ideas below can make a significant difference to how you play and understand the London System, whether you play it with White or face it with Black. But please read this post till the very end.
So here are five mistakes I see London players making all the time.

---

1. Playing the London on Autopilot

This is probably the biggest one.
Especially in blitz and bullet, it is very tempting to treat the London like a sequence of premoves:
d4, Bf4, Nf3, e3, Nbd2, c3, Bd3, h3, O-O...
And because the opening is so flexible, you can often get away with it.
But "getting away with it" and playing the opening well are two different things.
One of the biggest disadvantages of blindly following the same setup every game is that you would not take into account Black's setup.
Sometimes you want to delay c3, because keeping the c-pawn flexible gives you the possibility of playing c4 in one move.
Sometimes you need h3 because ...Nh5 would otherwise be annoying, while sometimes you don't need h3, because the bishop already has a perfectly good retreat after ...Nh5, and you would simply be wasting a tempo.

The London Doesn't Work Equally Well Against Everything

There is another problem with the idea that you can simply play the London against any setup.
Consider this position:

This is a fairly typical London setup against a King's Indian structure, and I just don't particularly like it for White.
One of the biggest assets of White in the London against ...d5 setups is White's strong control of the e5-square, which can often also become a good outpost for a knight.
But here, ...d6 firmly takes control over e5, so I think even intuitively, it probably makes sense why London isn't the most challenging setup against K.I.D.
It's also not entirely obvious what the bishop on f4 is accomplishing. White has also voluntarily chosen a relatively passive Slav-like pawn structure instead of trying to grab the centre with c4 and/or e4.
That doesn't mean White is worse, and playing that way is of course possible.
But if my objective is to fight for an opening advantage, I don't think the London is half as convincing against King's Indian setups as it is against ...d5.
That is also why I don't recommend blindly playing it against absolutely everything.

You Need to Be Comfortable Outside "London Positions"

Another danger of always trying to recreate the same setup is that if the positon ever changes in its nature, you can feel completely lost.
During my analysis of the London, I constantly encounter positions that resemble all sorts of different openings.
Sometimes the structure was more reminiscent of Advance French, Advance Caro-Kann, Reversed Exchange QGD, and even Catalan.
A good London player shouldn't be someone who can only play stereotypical London positions.

---

2. Being Too Afraid of Doubled f-Pawns

Another thing I see constantly is White automatically responding to ...Bd6 with Bg3, and that has almost become like an automatic response that is often taught to beginners from day one.
There are absolutely positions where Bg3 is the correct move.
For example:

Here Black has already committed the knight to c6.
In this position, Bg3 makes perfect sense.
If Black exchanges with ...Bxg3, White gets hxg3, opening the h-file and sometimes gaining useful kingside ideas involving g4-g5.
More importantly, White is choosing to exchange the bishops on favorable terms.
But now compare that with this position:

The crucial difference is that Black has not played ...Nc6.
But Bg3 is still the most common move on Lichess.
After something like Bg3 O-O Nbd2 Qc7, Black can simply continue with ...Nbd7 and prepare ...e5: Back gets an extremely comfortable setup without ever committing the knight to c6. I would honestly rather play Black there.
And there was no reason White had to retreat the bishop to g3 immediately.
Instead, White can simply continue developing with Nbd2 or Bd3 and wait.
Only if Black later plays ...Nc6, then Bg3 may again be the best response.

Doubled f-Pawns Aren't Automatically Bad

Many London players seem to have an instinctive aversion toward the structure arising after:
...Bxf4 exf4
But why?
The f4-pawn isn't necessarily weak: if needed, White can always support it with g3.
More importantly, the pawns on d4 and f4 give White a really good grip over e5.
And there is something slightly funny about being terrified of doubled f-pawns while being perfectly happy to play:
Bg3 Bxg3 hxg3
which also gives White doubled pawns.
Doubled pawns aren't automatically good or bad.

---

3. Forgetting to Protect the Dark-Squared Bishop

Oh boy do we love this one.
London bishops get trapped with ...Nh5 all the time.
Consider this position:

On Lichess, White overwhelmingly plays Bd3 here.
This move does of course makes complete sense, and isn't necessarily bad.
But what you have to consider is: Black has just played ...Be7, which may seem like a completely harmless developing move, so most Lichess players just continue developing normally.
But ...Be7 has one very important nuance.
After ...Nh5, White no longer has the usual retreat Bg5, because the bishop on e7 controls that square.
So if White plays Bd3, they should already be thinking about what they will do after ...Nh5.
One good answer is actually Be5.
It may look strange at first, but this is a very common London idea, and White can still fight for an advantage.
What I frequently see instead is:
Bd3 Nh5 Bg3?!
and White simply allows Black to exchange the bishop for a knight under unfavorable circumstances.
That is exactly the kind of thing you want to avoid.
The simplest solution in the original position is:
h3
Now the bishop always has Bh2, and ...Nh5 is just never a concern.
There are other interesting possibilities, including Ne5, but h3 is the most straightforward.
The lesson is not that ...Nh5 is some terrifying move.
It's just that sometimes, you genuinely do need to spend a tempo on h3.
Which brings us immediately to the opposite mistake.

---

4. Playing h3 When You Don't Need It

Some London players refuse to play h3.
Other people exist on a polar opposite end of the spectrum, and seem determined to play it in every single game.
Here is a good practical example from a very strong Lichess blitz game.

Of course, 6.h3?! does not lose the game.
White is not suddenly worse because one tempo was wasted.
But if your goal is to play the most accurate moves and fight for an advantage, giving away tempos like this really does matter a lot.
And there is usually a fairly intuitive way to decide whether h3 is needed.
One good question to ask is:

What happens if Black plays ...Nh5?

If you can comfortably answer with Bg5, Be5, or another useful retreat, there is likely no reason to play h3.
If ...Nh5 would genuinely force the bishop into an unpleasant situation, or trap it, then playing h3 is likely a good idea.

---

5. Missing the Right Moment for a Central Break

The London is quite unusual in a sense, because White does not fight for the center in the most direct way possible from move one.
White delays c4 and instead builds up the position more gradually.
So if you want to fight for an advantage while playing the London, you need a good sense of when the moment has arrived to strike back.
Your two most important tools are usually:
c4
and
e4
These really are your two biggest friends in London.
And sometimes the important decision is also knowing when to release the tension with dxc5 first.

Striking With dxc5 and c4

Here is another strong Lichess blitz game.

The critical moment in this game came after 11...Bd7.
White had already prepared c4 by putting the rook on c1.
But they still didn't take on c5.
After 12.dxc5 Bxc5 13.c4, White immediately challenges Black's center under very favorable circumstances.
Instead, White played 12.Re1, just another reasonable-looking improving move.
The problem is that Black could now have played ...c4, closing the center and leaving the rook on c1 without purpose.
This is an important principle:

When you get an unusually favorable opportunity to execute a central break, don't assume that opportunity will still exist five moves later.

The e4 Break

The same principle applies to e4.
Consider this theoretical main-line position:

I strongly believe, hand on heart, that White should play:
9.e4!
Black still hasn't developed the bishop with ...Bb7, and this is an excellent moment to strike in the center immediately.
A lot of players, including very strong ones, instead choose moves like Qe2 or Ne5.
Qe2 is perfectly understandable because it prepares e4.
But why prepare something that can already be played?
Of course, this is a heavily analyzed theoretical position. Playing e4 does not magically give White an advantage on the spot. You still need to know tons of theory afterward.
But I think it illustrates the broader point very well.
If you play the London too passively, simply improving pieces forever, eventually Black will finish development and you're already "playing Black".

---

Bonus: Don't Lose Your Bishop on Move 3

And finally, one slightly less serious bonus mistake.
But somehow I still see this surprisingly often.
Consider this position:

Black has just played the ridiculous-looking:
2...h5?!
It looks like Black has forgotten how openings work, but this move actually contains one cheap trap.
The most common move for White on Lichess is:
3.e3??
and suddenly Black has:
3...e5!
If White plays 4.dxe5, Black follows with ...g5 and ...h4, trapping the bishop.
And if White instead takes with the bishop:
4.Bxe5 f6
followed again by ...g5 and ...h4, and the bishop gets trapped anyway.
What's interesting is that if White plays almost anything sensible other than e3, Black's early ...h5 would just be completely nonsensical.
Moves like Nf3 or c4 are completely fine.
So if you remember absolutely nothing else from this article:
don't play e3 against ...h5.
And for the love of God, please don't premove it.

---

London System: A Compact Repertoire for White - Course Announcement

The main reason I wanted to write this article is that all five mistakes point toward the same broader idea:
the London System is much deeper than its reputation may suggest.
It can be tactical, it can be positional, it can lead to quiet maneuvering games, direct kingside attacks, complicated central battles, unusual pawn structures, and a surprising amount of concrete theory that you should probably know.
It is also an opening that has served me extremely well personally and has been part of my repertoire while reaching 2700+ in both Blitz and Rapid on Lichess.
Over time, I accumulated more and more analysis of the opening, and I eventually decided to organize it into a complete repertoire.
So I've now released:

London System: A Compact Repertoire for White

https://payhip.com/b/XBDVa
The course is supplied as annotated PGN files and contains 14 chapters, including an overview and detailed coverage of the most important setups I recommend for White.
The repertoire covers:

• 1...d5
• 1...Nf6 followed by ...e6
• the major main lines and sidelines within those structures
• recurring strategic ideas and a lot of move-order subtleties
• concrete tactical variations where it's necessary to remember
• detailed explanations behind my recommendations

The analysis was checked extensively with strong engines, but I did not want this to become a giant collection of unexplained computer lines.
The moves are accompanied by commentary explaining the ideas behind them.

Why No King's Indian?

As I mentioned earlier, the course deliberately does not cover King's Indian setups with ...g6 and ...d6.
As I said, I just don't recommend playing the London against those structures if White's objective is to fight for an advantage.
I may eventually make separate material covering what I prefer against the King's Indian, or simply explore some of those ideas in future blog posts.

Who Is the Course For?

I would say the repertoire is primarily aimed at stronger players, roughly 2000+ Lichess, because some of the analysis becomes quite detailed and theoretical.
But that absolutely does not mean you need to be 2000 to benefit from it.
If you are lower rated, I still think you can benefit enormously from the course. I would simply recommend approaching the course differently.
Focus more on:

• understanding the recurring ideas
• recognizing the important pawn structures
• understanding when h3 is necessary
• learning how to react to ...Nh5
• understanding when to play c4 or e4
• understanding which exchanges and pawn structures tend to be good for White

and worry less about memorizing every single variation.
All of the major recommendations are explained in words, so you can take as much or as little theory from it as is appropriate for your level.

How I Chose the Repertoire

My goal was to make the repertoire as reliable as possible while still giving White the best practical chances of fighting for an advantage.
That doesn't mean every variation leads to some huge objective edge.
Chess doesn't work like that.
In some lines, I think White can put Black under serious theoretical pressure.
In others, the realistic result of good opening play may simply be a slightly more pleasant position with good practical chances.
But throughout the course, I tried to choose recommendations that I would personally be comfortable using in a serious game.
This is not meant to be a repertoire that only works in online blitz.
You can use it in:

• serious OTB classical chess
• Lichess Classical
• Rapid
• Blitz

You could try using it in Bullet too, although with all the move-order nuances in the London, you may spend half your clock trying to remember whether this was the position where you were supposed to play h3 or avoid it.
Maybe don't blame me for getting flagged.

---

In conclusion, I just want to again bring up the fact that the London System is sometimes presented as the opening you choose when you don't feel like studying openings.
But I think that misses the point of what makes this opening so rich and interesting.
Its robustness is exactly what makes it attractive to players across a whole bunch of different levels and playing styles, but at the same time it is also an opening with an enormous amount of strategic and theoretical depth.
You can play it quietly, you can play it aggressively, you can reach very technical positions, you can launch fierce attacks, you can transpose into structures that barely look like the London at all.
And that is why I ultimately think the opening can fit into and successfully be part of almost any chess player's repertoire.
Just don't play it on autopilot, and don't premove 3.e3: you might run into 2...h5 one day.