Micah asks:

I am 17 years old and I have a USCF rating of 1664. I have played the London System for a while now on the Internet and in tournaments with pretty good success. Recently a new book on the London System came out titled WIN WITH THE LONDON SYSTEM. This is a very good book on the London. They propose some different move-orders like 2.Bf4 instead of 2.Nf3, 3.Bf4. I have three questions about some of the analysis in that book.
 
1) 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 c5 3.e3 Qb6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bxb8 Rxb8 6.Bb5+ Bd7 7.Bxd7+ Kxd7 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.Qd2 Qxb2 10.Rb1 Qa3 11.Rb3 Qa6 12.Ne2 Nf6 13.0-0 here the authors state "we feel white has more than enough compensation for the pawn" and they give the variation 13...Kc8 14.Nb5 Ne4 15.Qd3 Rd8 16.c4 +/=. But black doesn't have to play ...Kc8. I have had trouble finding how white should proceed after 13...Ke7/Ke8/Qd6 and a few other moves. Can you help me on those moves?

2) 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 g6 3.e3 Bg7 4.Nf3 d6 5.h3 0-0 6.Be2 Nc6 7.0-0 Nd7 8.c4 e5 9.Bh2 f5 10.Nc3 g5 Here the authors recommend 11.dxe5 and they only cover black responding with ...Ndxe5. What about if black responds with ...dxe5? It seems then black can get some pretty good kingside play after ...dxe5. I was thinking maybe white can play 12.Qd5+. Can you help me with what to do against 11...dxe5? Is it 12.Qd5+?

3) 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Nf3 c5 5.c3 Nc6 6.Nbd2 Be7 7.Ne5 (they recommend this over 7.Bd3 because that allows ...Nh5) and then against 7...Nxe5 they recommend 8.Bxe5 and they say 8.dxe5 is ineffective when Black has not castled. But why can't white play 8.dxe5 Nd7 9.Qg4? The idea of Qg4 is seen in several other variations of the London like 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 e6 3.e3 Bd6 4.Bxd6 Qxd6 5.Qg4 and 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Nf3 c5 5.c3 Nc6 6.Nbd2 Bd6 7.Ne5 Bxe5 8.dxe5 Nd7 9.Qg4. So I am wondering why they don't recommend playing dxe5 and Qg4 in that variation. It seems good to me. What do you think about dxe5 followed by Qg4?


Silman Replies:

Q1: 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 c5 3.e3 Qb6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bxb8 Rxb8 6.Bb5+ Bd7 7.Bxd7+ Kxd7 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.Qd2 Qxb2 10.Rb1 Qa3 11.Rb3 Qa6 12.Ne2 Nf6 13.0-0

The position after 13...Ke7 seems to be very much in Black's favor, whose King appears safe while also retaining a solid extra pawn AND a structural edge on the queenside. I don't know why ...Qd6 must follow ...Ke7. Instead I would consider a tightening move like ...Rfd8 or ...Rfc8 (depending on White's response to 13...Ke7).

HOWEVER, I really don't like 5.Bxb8. I would prefer 5.Nb5 Na6 6.Nf3 with perhaps a small edge to White thanks to Black's offside Knight. One sample: 6...c4 (Better is 6...Nf6 7.Be2 Be7 8.0-0 with chances for both sides) 7.a4 Bd7 8.Be2 Bxb5 9.axb5 Nc7 (9...Qxb5 is too risky.) 10.0-0 Bd6 11.Bxd6 Qxd6 12.b3 cxb3 13.c4 gives White comfortable play.

Q2: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 g6 3.e3 Bg7 4.Nf3 d6 5.h3 0-0 6.Be2 Nc6 7.0-0 Nd7 8.c4 e5 9.Bh2 f5 10.Nc3 g5 11.dxe5 dxe5

My first impression would be to play 12.Qd5+ Kh8 13.c5!? (13.Rad1 seems too slow to offer anything). And now:

13...Qe7

* 13...g4 (incredibly ugly) 14.hxg4 fxg4 15.Nd2! Nxc5 16.Qxc5 Qxd2 17.Rfd1 and I think Black is in serious trouble due to lines like 17...Qc2 (17...Qxb2 18.Rab1 Qc2) 18.e4! (Trapping the Queen and defending f2.) 18...Nd4 19.Bxe5 Nxe2+ 20.Kh1 and wins.

* 13...a5!? when both 14.Rad1 and 14.Rfd1 lead to fun positions that need a serious analysis.

14.Qc4 Qxc5

14...Nxc5 15.Nd5 Qd6 16.Nxc7 is just good for White.

15.Nd5 Qd6 16.Rad1 g4 17.hxg4 fxg4 18.Ne1 and Black's position has a lot of holes, which leads me to prefer White.

Of course, all this needs analysis and testing. Don't trust my quick, toss it out, analysis!

Q3: 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Nf3 c5 5.c3 Nc6 6.Nbd2 Be7 7.Ne5 Nxe5 and now the authors recommended 8.Bxe5 which is safe though a little dull.

Your 8.dxe5 Nd7 9.Qg4?? loses to 9...g5! so you would have to try 9.Bd3 instead, which is okay.