The London System used to have a reputation as a dull and boring opening. However, the ‘London look’ has been spruced up in recent years, with numerous players at the top level adding it to their repertoires.
Malcolm Pein take a closer look in today’s Daily Telegraph column.
Malcolm Pein on…The London Look
Jan-Krzysztof Duda failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the New in Chess Classic. He was, however, involved in four fascinating duels in the popular London System.
Duda was ground down by Gujrathi Vidit when he tried 1.d4, 2.Nf3 and 3.Bf4 as White, but defeated Wesley So on the black side, albeit only after running into serious trouble early on. His pawn-grabbing was soundly refuted by Levon Aronian, but the Polish number one did win an instructive game against Alireza Firouzja, where the old adage proved true as a knight on the rim really was dim.
The London System in Action
A. Firouzja – J-K. Duda
New in Chess Classic
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 Qb6 5.Qc1 (5.Nc3!? is critical when Black should develop, not grab: 5…cxd4 6.exd4 Qxb2? 7.Nb5 Bb4+ 8.Nd2 Nd5 9.Rb1 Qxa2 10.Rxb4! Nxb4 11.Nd6+ Ke7 would already have been winning for White in So-Duda had he found 12.Qh5!) 5…Nc6 6.c3 Nh5! 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 d5 9.Nbd2 g5 10.Bg3 Nxg3 11.hxg3 g4
(Now White should have activated his knight with 12.dxc5! Bxc5 13.Nd4.) 12.Nh4?! Bd7 13.Be2 h5 14.a4? (14.Nb3! cxd4 15.exd4 eyes c5 and minimises the damage) 14…cxd4 15.exd4 Rc8 16.Qb1 Bh6 17.b4!? Nxd4?! (Tempting, but 17…Ne7 18.Qd3 Qc7 or 17…e5! is excellent for Black) 18.cxd4?! (18.a5! Qc7 19.cxd4 gives Black no more than sufficient compensation) 18…Qxd4 19.Ra2 Qc3 20.Qd1 Qxb4 21.0-0 0-0 22.Bb5!? Bxb5 23.axb5 Qxb5
Black has four pawns for the piece and the knight on h4 can’t move. White might now try 24.Kh2!? Rc3 25.Qe1 Qd3 26.f4 to break out.
Test Your Strength
For today’s puzzle, how should Black meet 24.f3?
24.Nb3 Rc4!? 25.Rxa7 Rfc8 26.Ra1 Bg7 27.Rb1 Rb4 28.Rc1 Rc6 29.Rb1 Rb6 30.Nd2 Qd3! (Black aims for exchanges, since White is in effect only playing with one knight) 31.Rxb4 Rxb4 32.Nb1 Qxd1 33.Rxd1 b5 34.f4 Bd4+ (34…Rb2! and b4-b3) 35.Kf1 Kg7 36.Na3 Bb6 37.Rc1 (After 37.Nf5+! exf5 38.Rxd5 Ra4 39.Nxb5 Black has to find 39…h4!) 37…Rb3 38.Rc6 Bd8! 39.Nc2 Bf6 40.Kf2 Rc3! 41.Rxc3 Bxc3 (Black’s bishop and three extra pawns totally outclass the white knights) 42.Ke2 b4 43.Kd3 Kf6 44.Nd4 Be1 45.Ne2 b3 0-1
Highlight the space below this line to reveal the answer.
24.f3? Qd3! (or 24…Rc3) is strong, and if 25.fxg4? Qxg3 26.Nhf3 hxg4.
