The London System — Chess Library

White plays the same handful of developing moves against almost anything. The reason it is everywhere: the setup is easy to learn and hard to punish.

Lesson

White to move. Main line: 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bf4 Bg7 4. e3 d6 5. h3 c5 6. Be2

London System, with Be2 (A48). The line runs 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bf4 Bg7 4. e3 d6 5. h3 c5 6. Be2 — the move order matters, and this is the one the theory follows.

Bf4 develops the bishop before e3 closes the diagonal, and h3 preserves it from ...Nh5. The setup is repeatable, but the move order still responds to Black’s pressure.

White’s usual break is e4 after Nbd2 and c3; Black challenges the center with ...c5 or ...e5. Treat the London as a structure with plans, not a sequence to play on autopilot.