Nll<OLA SEDLAI<

WINNING
with the
Modern London System

A complete opening repertoire

for White against 1.d4 ds

Chess
Evolution
Cover designer
Piotr Pielach

Cover photo
Big Ben photo by Ingram Image

Typesetting
Piotr Pielach <www.i-press.pl>

First edition 2016 by Chess Evolution

Winning with the Modern London System. A complete opening repertoirefor White against 1.d4 ds
Copyright © 2016 Chess Evolution

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ISBN 978-83-944290-9-6

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 TABL E OF CO N T E N TS

KEY TO SYM BOLS 4

PRE FACE 5

I NTRODUCTION 9

THE NARROW PATH OF ADVERSITY: A BRIEF H ISTORY 11

CHAPTER ONE-CARO-KA N N POS ITION 19

CHAPTER TWO-EAR LY "i!fb6 -c4 53

CHAPTER TH REE-CLASICAL SET-U P WITHOUT e6 71

CHAPTER FOU R-CLASS I CAL SET-U P WITH ... e6 95

CHAPTER FIVE-EAR LY ...e6 1 41

CHAPTER S IX-SLAV SET- U P-2 ... c6 A N D SYM METRY 2 . . il.f5

. 159

CHAPTER SEVEN-GRUN FELD SET-U P 181

CHAPTER EIGHT-QUEEN'S GAM B I T SET- U P 19 1

CHAPTER N I NE-CH IGO R I N SET-U P A N D 2 ... �g4 199

CHAPTER TEN-TY PICAL EN DGAMES: LO N DON SYSTEM 209

CO N C LUS I O N 221
 K EY TO SYMBO LS

= Equality or equal chances

;!; White has a slight advantage

+ Black has a slight advantage

± White is better

+ Black is better
+- White has a decisive advantage
-+ Black has a decisive advantage
00 unclear

ii5 with compensation

� with counterplay

i with initiative

� with an attack

� with the idea

D only move

N novelty
a good move
!! an excellent move
? a weak move
?? a blunder
!? an interesing move
?! a dubious move
+ check
# mate
 PR EFAC E

Every chess player is searching for a suitable opening repertoire through­

out his career. In this search the player is trying to find a playing style and
a position type that will suit his sensibility and character.

I was likewise looking for openings based on my playing style in which

I would feel free and comfortable while playing, without fear that I would
be caught in unfamiliar territory facing my opponent's theoretical superi­
ority. I began my search in the earliest days, actually from my junior years
when I played i.e4 as White, striving strictly for mainlines in which I was
achieving solid results.

However, over time, the computer world has conquered chess and I real­
ized that i.e4 was too concrete for me. It was not allowing my playing style
to express itself and I was not reaching positions in which I could show
my true face. Also, I realized that i.e4 couldn't be played without thorough
computer analysis, and I must admit that I still prefer the approach of an
older generation; one which favours a chess book and a board in front of
them and which likes to hold pieces in their hands while working on the
development of their chess skills.

So, my opinion about i.e4 slowly began to change. At the age of 22 I de­
cided to seriously focus on a study of i.d4. However, I encountered one,
should I say, obstacle - and that was i. .. ds! Just to mention that i. .. llJf6
wasn't a problem, because the positions arising weren't symmetrical, while
i. .. ds followed by the Slav Defence and the Queen's Gambit was becoming
an 'impenetrable fortress' which could be credited largely to Grandmaster
Vladimir Kramnik.

I wish to emphasize that the problem for me at that time wasn't being un­
able to find an advantage for White, because I think that if Black plays the
opening phase precisely White can't reach an advantage in almost any
system (except when Black is using openings proven to be incorrect), but
the bigger issue was with the types of positions that were reached, which
didn't allow me to be free and creative. Also, the arising positions were
6

deeply analysed by professional chess players with the help of very strong
computer programs.

Continuing to explore i.d4 I got an idea to check what one of my favourite

players - Anthony Miles - had in his repertoire against i. .. ds. Two games
that left a strong impression on me were Miles - Minasian, Ohrid 2001 and
Miles - Dominguez, Capablanca Memorial 2001. In those games Miles
played 2. �f4, which is known as the "London System".

Back then I didn't know much about that system, and actually didn't care
to know, because I saw mostly weaker players playing the "London System"
and it seemed to me that they were using it with the purpose of achieving
a draw. It was precisely that attitude I had beforehand that helped me un­
derstand that maybe a great number of other players also had the same at­
titude, that they were underestimating the system and that maybe it should
be analysed in greater detail and given a new meaning. I began to see that
it could also serve as a very strong psychological weapon if studied well.
The "London System" wasn't played very often at the top level, it was rela­
tively unexplored and it was precisely those conclusions that showed me
that the effort should be made to thoroughly analyse this opening.

The move 2. � f4 is pretty underestimated and is not considered serious

enough, but I think it's completely natural and logical. White's structure
is natural, with positions similar to those from Slav Defence and Stonewall
with reverse colours, but with the problem of the inactive bishop, the so
called "bad bishop" solved at the very beginning! By the way, I successfully
played both of those openings as Black. Having that experience with the
black pieces in mind, the study of the "London System" wasn't a problem
for me because I was already well-acquainted with the ideas and types of
positions arising.

At the beginning of my exploration of this opening's secrets I didn't know if

adequate literature about this system existed, so I relied mainly on the da­
tabase, while I learned the most through my praxis and of course through
analysis of my own games. The games of Croatian Grandmaster Vlatko Ko­
vacevic were also a great influence on me. Help from my friends in analysis
of the system was also very useful, so I often exchanged experiences and
ideas with top Hungarian Grandmaster Ferenc Berkes, and I will take the
 P R E FACE 7

liberty to say that it was a fruitful collaboration because I'm personally sat­
isfied with the results achieved using the studied material.

10 years after my first game in the "London System" - with more than so
games played against many Grandmasters among others and with an over­
all performance over 2700 - I felt free and confident enough to distil my
experience into a book, its purpose being to serve as a guide for other play­
ers searching for an opening which they will play with pleasure. The ideas
and ways of treating these positions have changed over time, and I put an
emphasis on that which I currently consider to be best for White.

This is the reason why the book is called Winning with the Modern London
System. I have to mention that i.d4 i.':ZJf6 2 . .ll f4 or 2.i.':ZJf3 with � f4 are also
known as the London System. Personally, I'm not a fan of the London Sys­
tem against t. .. i.':ZJf6, especially when Black arranges his pieces as he would
in the King's Indian Defence. The position of the bishop on f4 seems ad­
equate to me only when black plays i. .. d5, in which case it has a very im­
portant role to play, as opposed to when Black has the option of playing
. . .. d6 when the London set-up seems less logical and I don't believe in it.

So I chose to deal with the London System only against t. .. ds in this book!
 I N TRODU CTIO N

In this book the London System opening is presented using all of the most
important games with thorough comments, through which the readers
will have the opportunity to understand the essence of this opening, which
in my opinion has a future ahead of it and a lot of space for growth and
development.

I would like to mention that the book comprises the most important parts
of this opening, and also the ideas reached through the experience of play­
ing games in tournaments, as well as the positions analysed in collabora­
tion with Grandmaster Ferenc Berkes. But there should always be room,
if a player chooses this opening, for some new interesting idea during the
game itself, because either side (both White and Black) can encounter
something new and unexplored in a relatively early phase of the game.
Therein lies the beauty of chess: creativity, freedom to mix things up, and
an abundance of possibilities and ideas for a game of high quality.

I'm certain that this book will be very helpful to most chess players in build­
ing a strong foundation in order to be able to use this opening in praxis.
At this point it's important to say a few words about the move order. Many
players enter this system with 2.� f3 and 3 . ii. f4. Positions reached after
2.� f3 are usually identical to those with 2. �f4, but that move order is ac­
tually less elastic and it narrows down White's options. It is for this reason
that I am promoting the development of the bishop on the 2nd move as
the main move order. Those differences in options will be the most obvi­
ous in chapters 2 and 4.

In the process of writing this book the biggest problems for me arose from
the different move orders used in the analysed games. In order to avoid
confusing the readers, for each chapter there's an introduction where the
correct move order can be seen clearly. I'm using this opportunity to point
out to readers that they definitely shouldn't skip the introductions to the
chapters!
10

At the present moment the London System i s becoming increasingly pop­

ular at the top level - even in 'classical' tournament games, although it's
much more often seen in rapid. Currently the top players who use it most
frequently are American Grandmaster Gata Kamsky and Russian Grand­
master Boris Grachev, while other top players occasionally have it in their
repertoire, usually using it as a surprise weapon. Among them are Magnus
Carlsen, Vladimir Kramnik and others. Also a great contribution to this
system came from the French Grandmaster Eric Prie, who plays it in a very
original and active manner.

One way or the other, what's important are the facts which I obtained
through my study of the London System and which I will prove in this
book with a thorough analysis of games. I will show that this system is fully
deserving of your attention for analysing and playing, that it's unjustly ne­
glected in comparison with other openings and also that it gives players
myriad interesting positions on the board, free and creative play, with lots
of space for further growth and improvement.
 THE NARROW PATH OF ADVERSITY:
A BRIEF HISTORY
Searching through the database,
the first name I found in connec­
tion to this opening, and who
played it with the white pieces, was
James Mason (19.11.1849-12.01.1905)
A great number of his games can be
found between 1876 and 1894. A lit­
tle is known about this "forgotten"
chess player from the x1x century.
He was born in Kilkenny, Ireland.
It's interesting that he was adopted
as a child and that his real name is
in fact unknown. James Mason was
the name given to him by the family
which adopted him and with which
he later moved to America in 1861.
He was a writer and a journalist by
profession, while chess was his hob­
by. James Mason left his first mark
on the chess scene by winning the
American Chess Congress in Phil­
adelphia and also a tournament
in New York. During the time he
was actively playing he was one of
the strongest players in the world,
behind the strongest - Wilhelm
Steinitz. He made a great contribu­
tion to the development of theory
and even the "London System" was
previously known as the "Mason
Variation". He also wrote several
books on chess, and the most pop­
ular were The Principles of Chess
Theory and Practice (1894), The Art
of Chess (1895), Chess Openings
(1897) and Social Chess (1900).
J . Mason - J. M. Hanham [Doz]
USA-06.Congress New York (13), 1889
This game shows that chess clas­
sics are still very important nowa­
days, especially in the development
of young players who wrongly skips
this part of chess, relying just on the
assistance of computers. Over 130
years ago Mason James was play­
ing the London System using ideas
which are nowadays playable too,
even though we live in the time of
strong engines!
1.d4 ds 2. � f4 l£\f6 3.e3 e6 4. �d3
ii.e7
In the 19th century the Queens
Gambit was one of the main openings
against 1.d4 and Black is also aims for
that set-µp here. Nowadays it is con­
sidered a passive set-up for Black.
12 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
A limp move, but Mason wanted
to preserve his Bishop. The mod­
ern reaction would be 6.CZJ gf3
without fear of 6 ... ez:Jhs
(6... ilb7 7. CZJes CZJbd7 8. '9Ji!f3! and
the square e4 is covered!)
7. il.es! and after 7.. .f6?
(7. . . CZJd7 B.g4 CLihf6 9.gs CLihs
10. CZJft !� with CZJg3 next)
8.CZJgs!+- comes with an indefensi­
ble attack! 8 ... g6 9.CZJxh7! �f7 10.g4
CZJg7
(10 ... 'B.xh7 11.gxhs 'B.xhs 12. 'B.g1 fs
13. CZJ/3 ±)
u.CZJ xf6! il.xf6 12.'9Ji!f3 gs 13.h4
CZJd7 14.0 - 0 - 0 �e7 15. k xf6 +
ez:Jxf6 16.hxgs CZJd7 n '9Ji!g3+- with
many threats such as CZJ f3- CZJ h4 or
f4-fs
6 il b7 7.CZJgb CZJbd7 8.o-o o-o
•••
For Black 8 ... CZJe4 is almost al­
ways good, to close down the di­
agonal bl-h7! In the 19th century,
players learned and built theory on
their own mistakes, without books
and databases.
9.ez:Jes ez:Jxes
It also works here! 9 ... CZJe4!
10 .ll xes CZJe8?!
•
Black had no reason to play so
passively. Consistent was 10 ... cs
1i.c3 ild6 12.f4 CZJe4!= or the now
well-known 10 ... CZJe4!
11. '9Ji!hs ! ;i;;
A typical plan in the London Sys­
tem also used nowadays by many
strong players. White is trying to
provoke weaknesses in Black's po­
sition, especially around his king.
11 g6 12. '9JJ!e2 f6 13 .ll h 2 fs
•.. •
Prevents e4, but makes a weak
point on es!
 T H E N A R ROW PATH OF ADVERS ITY: A B R I E F H I STO RY
14. �es!
a b c d e g
A nice positional move. Firstly
White puts his bishop on its most
active square and then continues
with a typical kingside plan!
14 ... �f6?!
It was a bad idea to head for the
exchange of bishops after which the
dark squares will be permanently
weak! Much better was 14 ... 'Lld6
with . . . 'Ll f7 next.
15.f4 lL\g7?
A very bad place for the knight.
Much better and more natural was
again 15 ... 'Lld6
16. �xf6 �xf6 17.lL\f3±
After a series of inaccurate moves
from Black, White is now position­
ally winning and all of Black's piec­
es stand awkwardly.
13
h a b c d e g h
17 as 18.'Lles �fs 19.g3
..•
The position has a closed charac­
ter so time is not a key factor, but
anyway I don't support wasting
time! It was better to play 19.g4±
immediately.
19 'Lles
•..
Finally Black improves his
knight's position!
20. � fa 'Lld6 21. �g2 cs 22.c3 c4?
Another positional mistake! By
closing the center, White has a free
hand on the kingside! In many open
tournaments, and also in my praxis,
I encountered this bad move from
low-rated players. Much better was
22 ... i¥c8 with the idea being to ex­
change the bad bishop with . . . .1La6!
23.JLc2 �CS 24.<i!fh2 �C7 25.g4!
Finally, after lengthy preparation,
White �btains what he wanted.
14 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
A very risky decision which could
have cost him a half-point. Clos­
ing the position always brings the
risk of a complete blockade. I pre­
fer 27.h4 EI f8 28. W h3± with the idea
of h5
27. • •
E!fs 28.�et!
White is careful! 28.h4? h5! =
leads to a complete blockade!
a b c d e
Of course! By exchanging knights
White loses the chance to make
a break-through!
30 �c6 31. �d1 �es 32.hs CZJd6
.•.
33.E!h1 gxhs?!
Black loses patience! He should
search for an escape with 33 ... Wf7!
34.hxg6+ hxg6 35.CZJe5+ We7 36.Wg3
CZJ f7 37.E!h7 Eifg8 and it's not clear
how to break into Black's position.
34. Wg1 1£le4?
Pseudo-activity with the knight!
It is needed to help in defense, so
34 . . . �g6 35.CZJe5 CZJ f7 36. � xh5
1£l xe5 37.dxe5 �b6:t and a draw is
not so far off!
35.CZJes Whs 36. i.xhs+-
Now nothing can save the black
monarch!
 T H E N A R ROW PATH OF ADVERS ITY: A B R I E F H I STO RY 15

36 �fgS 37. �xe8 l!fxe8 38. � h6

•.• 1.d4 ll:J f6 2.ll:J f3 ds 3. lH4 e6 4.e3
l!fe7 39. l!fh4 b4 40.cxb4 axb4 �d6 5.ll:Jbd2!?
41. �h2 c3 42.ll:Jg6+!
8 __ ..__._ •
"•f
Conclusion: Nowadays, almost
130 years later, White uses the same
7 ��·�f •.t.'
- -·· -
plan on the kingside.
1-0 6

sfj ··- fj
4 a �r� a JP
A. Rubinstein - S. Tartakower
BCF Congress, London (13), 1922 3a
2
a DtlJa
AfiA�R ��Afi
oilo� !P�oil
In 1922, 17 years after James Ma­
son's death, a very strong tourna­
, �.�f ,,/a�m:£a%li
a b c d e f g h
ment called London BCF Congress An interesting treatment of the
was played, and it was won convinc­ position. Allowing a partial destruc­
ingly by 3rd World Champion Jose tion of his pawn structure, White
Raul Capablanca with score of 13 takes greater control of the es square.
points from 15 games without de­
feat, in front of other elite players 5 �xf4 6.exf4 cs
•••

Alekhine, Vidmar, Rubinstein, Bo­ This is not a mistake, but I prefer

goljubow, Reti, Tartakower, Maroc­ 6 ... o-o 7. �d3 b6 with the idea of . . .
zy, Euwe etc. In that tournament �a6 and later . . . c5. to have availa­
the system with i.d4 and � f4 was ble,. after dxcs, bxcs!
used very often and after that this
opening was renamed from "Ma­ 7.dxcs l!fc7 8.g3 l!fxc5?!
son Variation" to the "London Sys­
tem". In this game the famous top
player from the beginning of the 20
century, Akiba Rubinstein, used for
that time a very original plan, where
he destroys his own pawn structure
in order to achieve other plusses in
the position and nicely outplays his
fellow famous opponent Savielly
Tartakower!
16 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
8 ... ll:lbd7 was a better option
with the idea being to exchange
one pair of knights, e.g. 9.ll:lb3 (9.b4
b6 10.cxb6 axb6�) 9 ... 0-0 10. �d3
ll:lxcs 11.ll:lxcs !fxcs and the posi­
tion is about equal.
9· Ji.d3ll:Jc6 10.C3
Preventing . . . ll:l b4 and creating
a post for the knight on d4.
io . . • o-o 11.0-0 h6 i2.ll:lb3 !fb6
i3. �e1�
Black doesn't have an active plan,
while White is controlling all the
important squares in the center.
13 il.d7 14. !fe2 �ae8?
•••
The wrong plan! Correct was 14 ...
as! with . . . a4 next, aiming to ex­
change one pair of knights.
is.ll:les ll:lxes 16.fxes ll:l h7?
Tartakower resorts to passive
play, which was not in his style!
More active was to offer a pawn
with 16 ... ll:le4! 17.!fe3!
(After 17. il.xe4 dxe4 18. !fxe4
il.c6 � Black getting some hopes
with active Bishop!)
Entering into the endgame where
Black lacks serious counterplay.
17... !fxe3 18. � xe3 fs 19.exf6 gxf6!
(19... ll:lx/6 20. �ae1±)
20. il. xe4 dxe4 2i. � xe4 es and
a pawn down in the endgame Black
can hope for salvation thanks to
his active bishop.
17.h4 fs
Black is more-or-less forced to
play this move. For example n .. f6
18.!fc2 fs 19.ll:Jd4±
18.ll:ld4 �e7 i9.f4
In this game, like in the previ­
ous, Black has a problem with his
"French bishop".
19 �hs 20.hs!
•••
 T H E NAR ROW PATH O F ADVERSITY: A B R I E F H I STO RY
Black is left without counterplay
and White has enough time to pre­
pare the g4 break.
20 !!gs 21. �fa?!
••.
Rubinstein starts to lose the
thread of the game! Now Black can
consolidate his position. The safest
move was 2i.�h1! CZJ f8 22. !!g1 �e8
23. !!g2 CZJd7 24. !!ag1 ll:Jcs 25. it.bi±
and g4 is coming next move!
21 CZJ fS!
•••
Now Black finds the nice knight
route via d1-c5-e4
White continues with his plan!
Also interesting was the prophylac­
tic 24.b4!? and although it looks like
a weakening and a very 'responsible'
move, White would prevent coun­
terplay (with . . . ll:Jcs) and after 24 ...
ll:Jbs 25.'1We3 CZJc6 26. !!c1 White has
a small but long-term advantage.
17
24 ll:J cs 25. �b1 fxg4 26.�g3?!
•••
An adventurous move, maybe
in time-trouble, but it doesn't have
a big negative effect on White's hap­
piness! 26. !! xg4 was good enough
26 ... CZJe4+ 27.�g2;;!;; with the idea of
taking on e4 at some point.
26 l!fs 27. !!h2
•••
A clever move! Freeing the queen
from defending the b2 pawn.
27 !!ef7 28. !!fi a6 29.'1Wxg4 �bs
•.•
30.l!b !!fs??+-
A 'panic' move; now we can be
sure they were in time-trouble!
Black could still save the game, al­
though with less than easy moves!
30 ... CZJe4+ 31. �h3
(31. �xe4 ? dxe4 32. !!e3 !!xf4
33. '1Wxf4 !!xf4 34. �xf4 �c4+)
3i. .. ll:Jgs+!
18 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
32.fxgs � xf3 + 3 3 . � xf3 l:!:Ye3
34.<�g3 hxgs 35.h6 g6 36. � fa �f4
37.l:!:fxe6 � xf3+! 38. � xf3 l:!:Ygi+
39. 'i!f h3 l:!:Yh1�
31.�xfs exfs 32. il.xfs �xfs?
Black misses his last practical
chance. An interesting try was 32...
�e4+!? after which White has to
find difficult moves 33. 'i!f h4!
(33. 'i!tg2 �e2�; 33. 'i!th3 �xfs!
34. ¥:!¥xfs l:!:Yg1�; 33. il.xe4 dxe4
34. �ff2 l:!:Ye3 + 35. 'i!tg2 l:!:Yd3
36. l:!:Yg6!±)
33 ... l:!:Ycs 34. �xe4 dxe4 35. � ffa e3
36. � fg2 � f7 37. 'i!tg3 �d7 38. � hl
�d2 39. �ei+-
33. l:!:Yxfs �e4+ 3 4 . 'i!tg2 �e2
35. l:!:Yg6!
Being a double-exchange up, it is
not a bad idea to give back one to
simplify the position.
35 �xf3+ 36.'i!tx f] l:!:Ybs 37. l:!:Yg2
•••
Still White needs to be careful
not to blunder into some perpetual
checks.
37... l:!:Yd3+ 38. 'i!tg4 gs 39. l:!:Yf3
Now it's over and the rest of game
just shows the fighting spirit of the
legendary Savielly!
39 ... l:!:Yb1 40.fxgs hxgs 41.h6 l:!:Ygi+
42. �g2 l:!:Ycs 43. l:!:Yf7 l:!:Ycs+ 44.e6
¥:!¥g8 45. l:!:Yxg8+ 'i!txg8 46. 'i!tfs
1-0
 C H A PT ER O N E
CARO-KA N N POSITIO N

One of the most important posi­ 3 ... cxd4

tions in this opening can also be An unpleasant reply comes after
reached via the Caro-Kann, i. e4 c6 3 ... �b6?! 4./£lc3! itlf6 s.itlbs itla6
2. d4 ds 3.ed cd 4. � f4. and a lot of 6.a4 and Black pieces are paralyzed
games in this chapter will be from on the queenside.
this move - order - which is not
ours! A defined pawn structure, of­
ten called the Carlsbad structure, is
well-known from the Queen's Gam­
bit Declined, but here White has
a tempo more and has solved the
problem of the bishop. From f4 he
can sometimes even prevent ideas
like . . . l':!b8 and the subsequent mi­
nority attack. Usually Black players
who choose this variation against
the London have the Caro as their
answer to i. e4.

1.d4 ds 2. �f4 cs 3.e3

An interesting alternative in
this position is 3.e4!? in the spirit
of the Albin Counter Gambit. It's
not a bad idea as a surprise weap­
on - but only for one, or at most
two, games! In the book this con­
tinuation will not be processed be­
cause it does not contain the struc­
tures from the London System and
therefore it's not in line with the
theme of this book.
4 ... itlc6
4 ... �b6?! also cannot be recom­
mended here. After 5./£lc3! itlf6 (5...
�xb2 ? 6. itlxds!) 6.itlbs itla6 7.a4
White has a long-term advantage.
Black's biggest problem is the itla6.
7... �xd4
5.c3 itlf6
A very interesting alternative
for Black is 5 ... � fs!? with the idea
20 WI N N I N G WITH THE M O DERN LO N DO N SYSTEM

to play a fast . . . e6-. . . .Jld6 and 15 ... �e7 16.b3 �e4 17- �c1 �c8
then to develop knight from g8 to 18 . .1i.d3 �g6! with lots of com­
e?! 6.�d2 e6 7.�gf3 ii.d6 8. ii.xd6 pensation for Black.)
'i!fxd6 and now White has two in­
teresting continuations 9. ii.bs!? (or 12 ... 0-0 13. �ae1
9.�h4!?) 9 ... �ge7 (9 ...a6 10.ii.xc6+!
'i!Nxc6 11 .�e5 with the idea g4-h4) (13 .'i!Nxb7 �ab8 14 .'i!Na6 � b6
10.� h4!? This position has not been 15.'i!Na4 �xh2=)
tested so much at GM level, but for
sure it deserve attention. 13 ... �ab8=

6 .ll fs
•••

This has been the most popular

move in the last few years. Earlier
the main try was 6 ... ii.g4 7.'i!fb3
'i!fc8

(;7. �a5 8.'i!fa4+ .1i.d7 9.'i!Nc2;!;;; ;7.

•• ••

'i!Nd7?! 8 .�g/3! with the unpleas­

ant threat of �es and Black has to
lose time with 8 ...a6 9 .�e5 �xe5
10.dxe5 �g8 11 .h3 .1i.f5 12 .g4! .1i.g6
13 .c4 e6 14 .cxd5 exd5 15 ..1i.g2 �e7
a b c d e g h 16.0-0± and white is much better
developed.)
6 . .1i.d3 with the plan of stopping . . .
.Jlfs is most often played, but there
is a simple way for Black to equal­
ize. 6 ... .1i.g4 7. 'i!fb3 'i!fd7 8.CLJd2
e6 9.�gf3 .1i. xf3 10.� xf3 .1i.d6
11 . .1i.xd6 'i!fxd6 12.0-0

(1 2. 'i!f xb7 � b 8 1 3 . 'i!f a6 � b 6

14.'i!fM o - o 15. ii.bs

(15.'i!Nc2 is too slow 15 ...e5t)

 CHAPTER O N E - CARO-KAN N POS I T I O N
This is the critical position. See the
game Piscopo-Madeja Ita eh team
2009. (10 ... 0-0?!- game Browne
W.-Larsen B. San Antonio 1972.) ;
This continuation is played quite
often. My opinion is that this plan
for black is better in the position
where the white knight stands on
bl and the bishop on d3. This may
occur after i.d4 <ls 2. it. f4 cs 3.e3
cd 4.ed �c6 s.c3 � f6 6. it.d3 g6.
In this position the g6 plan makes
more sense because Black has the
option of playing . . . it. fs with the
idea being to create a compact
center.
In the case of the diagram position
White does not have to develop his
bishop to d3, while Black does not
gain anything special from . . . it.fs
because it stares into space and
he is later unable to play e6 (un­
less preparing it by weakening the
kingside with the moves . . . h6, . . .
g s so that his bishop would not
21
be trapped). Another problem for
Black in this position is the bishop
g7 which is permanently useless,
and there is no realistic possibility
of bringing him to life with . . . es
because White controls the center
very well.
7. it.e2! this is the most precise
move order!
(7.�gf3 � hs 8. it.e3 VJ!id6!oo; or
'J. h3 � hs 8. it. h2 it. h6!oo}
(The Serbian grandmaster Ivan
Ivanisevic tried another plan
in this position but he couldn't
find full equality 9... �e8!? 10.0-0
�d6 11. �e1 e6 12. it.ft b6 13.�es
�e7 14. VJ!la4 it.b7 15. VJ!id7!? VJ!ixd7
1 6.�xd7 "Bfd8 17. it.xd6 "Bxd7
18. it.f4 �fs 19.a4 � Popovic Mi­
los-Ivanisevic Ivan, Serbian Team
Championship 2007.)
10.0-0
See Kovacevic. V­
Mikhalchishin.A, Pula open 1980.
7.�gf3 e6 8.VJ!ib3 VJ!ic8 9.�h4!
Only with this energetic ap­
proach White can count on an ad­
vantage. In this case, the advantage
of the two bishops.
22 WI N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
9... .ie4
Black also has other possibilities.
9 ... .ig6 10.� xg6 hxg6 11 . .id3
Cl:Jhs 12. il.e3 i.d6 13.0-0-0!? (See
the game Kramnik V.-Sjugirov S.
Qatar Masters 2015).
9 ... iLg4 10.h3 .i hs 11.g4 il.g6
12.�xg6 hxg6 13. il.e2� (Berkes F.­
Nguyen T. Zalakaros open 2016).
An original concept which her­
alds in non-standard positions.
Black changes the structure and
plays against the knight on h4. This
is one of the most critical positions.
More natural is 10 ... � xe4 11.� f3
.id6 12 . .i xd6 � xd6 13 . .id3 �c7
14.�c2 -see Carlsen M. -Wojtaszek
R. Reykjavik 2015.
11.g3 il.e7 12.�g2
Aimed against . . . �ds.
12 �ds 13. il.d2 o-o 14. il.e2
•••
See the game Sedlak N.-Ivanov
M. Aschach 2015.
W. S. Browne (2530) - B. Larsen (2625)
San Antonio (8), 29.11.1972
We will start with a pure classic.
The game started as a Caro-Kann,
the "dull" Exchange Variation. But
in this clash of two great fighters
there is no place for boredom. The
critical moment in the opening was
10 ... 0-0 which was premature and
gave White the advantage of the
bishop pair. White used that ad­
vantage and showed us the recipe
of how White has to conduct the at­
tack on the kingside!
1.e4
Our move order would be i.d4 ds
2. il.f4 cs 3.e3 cxd4 4.exd4 �c6 5.c3
� f6 6.�d2 iLg4 7.�b3 �c8 8.�gf3
e6 9 . .id3
 CHAPTER O N E - CARO-KA N N POS I T I O N
1 ... c6 2.d4 ds 3.exds cxds 4. iLd3
1£lc6 5.c3 1£l f6 6. iL f4 iLg4 7.�b3
�c8 8.1£ld2 e6 9./£lgf3
Now we have our position from
the different move order. You al­
ways need to read the introduc­
tions to chapters carefully, because
there are written our preferable
move-orders.
9 iLe7 10.o-o o-o?!
•••
This natural move hands White
the advantage of the two bishops.
23
A better solution is 10 ... 1i.h5! as in
the next game, with the idea of ex­
changing the important bishop on
d3, as in our next game.
11.1£les iL hs
The following moves show some
of the problems in Black's position
11 ... 1£l xe5 12.dxe5 /£ld7 13. �c2 h6
(13 ...g6 14. /£lb3 j/_fs 15. ilxfs gxfs
1 6.l£ld4t,) 14./£lb3 /£lc5 15./£lxc5
j;,,xc5 16 . .B:ae1t, Black's bishop on g4
cannot be exchanged on g6. White
will exchange dark-squared bishops
with iLe3 and his rook can enter the
game via e3-g3.
12.�c2
Now /£le5 is no longer possible
anymore. White also has another
interesting move with similar ide­
as to the game. 12. iLg5!? the idea is
to prevent . . . /£le5! 12 ... 1£le8 13. i.xe7
1£l xe7 14. �c2 ilg6 15./£lxg6 hxg6
16./£lf3 1£l f6 n�e2 1£lc6 18 . .B:ae1
�c7 19./£le5 1£l xe5 20.dxe5 /£ld7
2i.h4-t, Aagaard,J (2535)-Dittmar,P
(2318) Arco 2007
12 iLg6 13./£lxg6
.••
Of course. The bishop on d3 is
a key minor piece in White's attack.
13 hxg6
..•
Black's position is solid and with­
out weaknesses, but he lacks any
kind of counterplay. The plan for
White is simple: move his pieces
24 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
closer to the kingside and attack
with g3-Wg2-h4-B'. h1-hs.
i4.�f3 �hs
Moving the bishop from an impor­
tant diagonal, with the idea of gain­
ing more space for his own pieces!
is. ll.e3 l!fc7 i6.g3
A standard move in these struc­
tures, covering the f4 square and
at the same time preparing action
against the Black king in the future
with cr!tg2-h4-B'.h1!
i6... B'.ac8 i7.l!fe2
Avoiding . . . �b4.
i7...a6 18. B'.ael!
a b c d e g
Usually the B'.a1 goes to ei. His
colleague from fr is needed for ac­
tion on the h-file.
is ... B'.fes 19 . .Jic1!
Bishops are best at long range!
Now, White has a dream position;
all his pieces are on their optimal
squares and ready for action.
i9 ... � f6 20.�gs
In this structure, the knight on gs
is very unpleasant for Black. There
are always sacrifices hanging in
the air! The sacrifice 20. il xg6 does
not offer much to White after 20 ...
fxg6 2i.l!fxe6+ Wh8 22.l!ff7 l!fd7
23.l!fxg6 �e4�
20 ... .Jid6 21.f4!
A break with . . . es cannot be
allowed, otherwise Black could
breathe more easily.
a b c d e g h
21 ...�d7?!
h The knight on f6 makes it difficult
to counter the plan with h4. Black
should search for other options.
22.�f3 �fs
Without any activity, Black can
only sit and wait.
 CHAPTE R O N E - CARO-KAN N POSI T I O N 25

23.�es �e7 24.\!?g2 f6

Creating a weakness but White
was already prepared to open the
h-file with h4-hs.

A pawn is not important. White

2s.�f3 B'.bs 26.h4!
Everything is ready for the attack.
White is going to open the h-file!
26 ...bs
The minority attack came too late!
keeps the b-file closed. Also, the
queen will be out of play.
33 ... �xa4 34.�h4
One more piece helps in the
attack.
34 gxhs 35. �xhs B'.ecs 36.fs!+-
..•

27.a3 �c6 28. �c2 �e7 29. �e2

The "Six time us Champion" was
often in time-trouble during his ca­
reer. Natural is 29. B'.h1 with hs next.

29 �c6 30. B'.h1 as 31.hs b4

.•.

Black is continuing to look for

some counterplay! 31 ... gxhs?! just
accelerates White's attack after
32.�es! fxes 33.fxes �xes (33... �C7
34. �xhs+-) 34.�xes � fs (34 ...g6
35. � h6+-) 35. B'. xhs �d7 36.�e2
� f6 37. B'.h3+- and next on the agen­ Opening the e-file and closing
da is g4. the escape route for Black's king.
26 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
36 ...ifh3 37.fxe6 �xe6D
White's threat was ifh8!- �g6-
� h8 with mating. 37. . . ifxd3?
3s.iff7+ Whs 39.�g6#
38. ifh7+ Wf7 39. ifhs+
Again White repeats because the
4oth move is not far off, after which
comes some new time for thinking.
39 ... Wfs
Now Black didn't want to repeat,
but anyway his position would be
lost. If Black repeats the position
after 39 ... WgS, then comes 40.� fs!
�c2+
(4 0 . . . ifxd3 4 1 . if h B +
42.�xd6+ Wg6 43.ifh7#)
a b c d e f g h
(41. ilxc2?? ifxc2+ 42. �e2 ifxfs
43. ifxfs �xfs 44. �xe6 Wf7
45. �ee1 �xg3+)
41. .. � xfs 42.ifh7+ Wf7 43.ifxfs
� fs 44. � h8+- and Black doesn't
have any defense against ifhs.
40.�g6+ Wes
Thanks to the open e-file, the
black king can't run far. 40 ... �xg6
41. ifxg6+-
41. � xe6 Wd7 42. � xe7+! � xe7
43.iffs+
Conclusion: Bearing in mind the
healthy pawn structure of Black,
White must play energetically!
One of the ways is to take advan­
tage of the two bishops! When you
achieve the advantage of two bish­
Wf7 ops by taking ( Nxg6) the plan is
an attack on the Black king with
g3-Wg2-h4- � h1-hs!
1-0
P. Piscopo (2405) - B. Macieja (2601)
ITA-chT, Sen igal lia (4). 01.os.2009
In this next game, compared with
the previous, Black played the ac­
curate 10 ... �hs! before castling. At
some point he started to play 'luke­
warm' moves, which White exploit­
ed by transferring his rook into at­
tack via the 3rd rank. Black comes
under heavy fire and only time­
trouble or his ELO saves the day.
White gave a perpetual in a win­
ning position!
 CHAPT E R O N E - CARO-KAN N POS I T I O N
1.e4
Again pay attention to our move
order! i.d4 ds 2 . .ll f4 cs 3.e3 cxd4
4.exd4 �c6 5.c3 � f6 6.�d2 .ll g4
7. l!fb3 l!fcs 8.�gf3 e6 9 . .ll d 3 1i.. e 7
10.0-0!
1... c6
Is this book about the Caro­
Kann? Please, be patient.
2.d4 ds 3.exds cxds 4. Ji.. d3 �c6
5.c3 � f6 6. li. f4 li.g4 7.l!fb3 l!fcs
8.�d2 e6 9.�gf3 .ll e7 10.0-0 .ll hs!
The right move. After an ex­
change of light-squared bishops, it
is much harder for White to organ­
ize a kingside attack.
a b c d e g
11. �ae1
Don't forget which rook comes to ei!
Jl"'\ d7.,,
11 "l..J
••• ..
Prophylactic, but very passive.
Black didn't want to allow �es,
but it was not a real threat. A bet­
ter place for the knight is f6, from
27
where he can harass White's Ji.. f4.
Logical is 11 .ll g6 12 . .ll xg6 hxg6
.•.
13.�es o-o?! Too early, after which
one not so well-known player react­
ed well and won a game with a typi­
cal attack on the kingside!
(Black should wait with castling
and correct was 13 ... �hs! 14. li.e3
l!fqoo)
14.�df3 �d7 15. �e3! The rook
is aiming for the h3 square! 15 ...
a6 16. � fe1 �cxes n� xes �xes
18. Ji.. xes bs 19. l!fd1! as 20.h4!
A typical pawn sacrifice with the
idea of opening the h-file! 20 ...
i. xh4 2i.l!fg4 i.e7 22. � h3 �a6
23. �ee3 l!fes 24. �eg3 the threat
is l!fhs with a mating attack!
24 .. .f6 25. l!fh4! <t!if7 26. l!fh7 �g8
27. �xg6! <t!ifs
(2'J..fxes 28. �f3+ li.j6 29.dxes+-)
2 8 . � hg3 l!f f7 29 . .ll f4 .ll d6
30. � xg7! � xg7 3i. � xg7 l!fxg7
32. li. h6 l!f xh6 33. l!f xh6+ <t!tes
34.l!fxf6 <t!id7 35.g4 �as 36.g5 .ll e 7
h 37. l!fh6 �g8 38.f4 b4 39. l!fh7 bxc3
40.bxc3 1-0 Fischer,E-Assmann,T
(2346) Bayern 1999. A nice game
by White which highlights the im­
portance of learning the opening
by understanding the ideas.
28 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

16. l!¥c2 o-o?!

a b c d e g h a b c d e g h

A nice move with the idea of dou­
bling rooks on the e-file and trans­
ferring to the g3 or h3 squares at
some point.
12 a6 13.a4
.••
Of course! Why give any possibil­
ities for a minority attack after . . . bs?
Too risky. Black's king would be
much safer after 16 ... Wf8!?
17.h4
A good idea but not the best
move. With nl£lgs! and a quick
transfer of the rook to h3, the attack
moves more quickly.

13 ... .Jlg6 17... 1£lc4 18.1£lxc4 1Wxc4 19. lWdt!

Better late than never! 13 ... 0-0?!
is risky because of 14.1£lgs and the
rook comes to h3 after 14 ... �g6
15. �xg6 hxg6 16. � h3.
14 .fi.xg6 hxg6 15. � fe1 1£las?!
• consequently overlooked White's
Giving White a tempo: the
queen had no function on b3. Best
for Black was to admit his mistake
and play 15 ... l£l f6 when his position
would be passive but tough.
A tricky move connected with
the idea hs!
19... �feS?
Black didn't feel the danger and
threat. More resilient was 19 ... l£l f6
20.1£les 1Wcs 21. �gs lWds 22. � h3±
and hs comes.
20.hs!
Now the attack progresses eas­
ily! The rook from e3 realises his
function!
 CHAPTE R O N E - CARO-KAN N POS I T I O N
20 gxhs 21.�d2+-
•••
And now the h-file comes into
White's hands!
21 !fa2 22.!fxhs g6
•••
A nice win comes after 22 ... � f6
23. °%!¥h1! the best place for Queen.
Here she does not bother the rook
(coming to h3). 23 ... g6 24. B'. h3
Wg7 25 . .Jl h6+ Wgs 26 . .Jl fs! � h5
(26... WxfB 27. .B'. hB+ Wg7 28. °%!¥h6#)
27. �xe7 B'.xe7 28.g4 '%!¥xb2 29.�f3+-
29
White has a decisive attack. This
kind of sacrifice must work in view
of the misplaced queen on a2!
24 fxg6 25. '%!¥xg6+ .Jlg7
•.•
Other moves leads to a quick loss!
For example: 25 ... Wf8 26. .Jld6+ .Jle7
(26... .B'.e7 2;7..B'.xe6+-) 27. B'.xe6 il.xd6
28.°%!¥f5+ Wgs 29. B'.g6+ Whs 30.°%!¥h5#;
25 ... Whs 26. B'.e3 .Jlg7 27. °%!¥f7!
� f6 28. B'. h3+ � h7 29. il.e5 B'.gs
30.°%!¥g6+-
26. B'.xe6 B'.xe6
Black is forced to play this. If he
tries moving the rook then B'.e7
comes.
27.°%!¥xe6+
Three pawns for the exchange
and still with a bad Black king is
more than enough for the win!
30 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
27... <i!lhs 28. �h3+
An important check placing the
Black king in the firing line of fu­
ture checks!
28... Wgs 29. �xd7 �xb2 30. �xds+
<i!lhs 31.�hs+ <i!lgs 32.�ds+ <i!lhs
33.�hs+
Time-trouble or respect for
a higher-rated opponent? An easy
win was 33.l;z:Je4! !! f8 34.g3 �ai+
35. Wg2 �xM 36 . .1l.d6 !!cs 37.�hs+
Wg8 38.�g6 �c6 39.�e6+ Wh8
40.ds �c4 41.lfJgs+- and mate is
here after �h3
33 ... <i!lgs 34. �ds+
Conclusion: How to use the e-file
properly? The half-open e-file re­
quires bringing the rook from ai to
ei! The other one aims for the h-file
after the further plan h4-hs! Never
forget idea !!e3, entering the rook
into the attack via the 3rd rank!
With doubled g-pawns, Black 's
king is not so safe - short castling
is always a questionable decision for
him.
1-0
V. Kramnik (2796) - S. Sjugirov (2646)
Qatar Masters Doha QAT (8.2),
28.12.2015
In this game Sanan Sjugirov devel­
oped his bishop on fs after which
Kramnik reacted with 9.l;z:Jh4 with
the idea to grab the advantage of
the bishop pair! Black reacted with
10 ... .ig6, immediately renounc­
ing the bishop. After that Kramnik
chose a new plan with long castling
entering into a very concrete and
complex position from which he
emerged as the winner! Only for one
moment did Black have a chance
thanks to White's inaccurate move
order - which still doesn't change
the general evaluation of this nice
and very complex game.
1.lfJ f3
1.d4 ds 2. � f4 is our preferred
move order. 2 ... c5 3.e3 cxd4 4.exd4
lfJc6 5.c3 lfJf6 6.lfJd2 �fs most pop­
ular at the top level lately 7. �b3
�c8 8.lfJgf3 e6
1 ... d5 2.d4 lfJ f6 3. �f4 cs 4.e3 lfJc6
5.lfJbd2 cxd4 6.exd4 .1l. fs 7.c3 e6
8. �b3 �CS 9.l;z:Jh4!
Without this move, White can
only dream of an advantage.
 CHAPTER O N E - CA RO-KA N N POS I T I O N
By taking the bishop, White wins
more squares for his pieces, espe­
cially for the White bishop which
takes up its best spot on d3. 9 ... �g6
Giving up the bishop pair with­
out any great justification! In the
next games in this chapter you can
see 9 ... �e4.
lo.�xg6 hxg6 11. �d3 �hs
Securing a post for the bishop at d6.
12. �e3 .ild6 13.0-0-0!?
a b c d e g h
31
A completely new idea - Vladimir
Kramnik decides to make the game
sharper! Usually White plays 13.g3
with short castling and the prepa­
ration of a kingside attack in mind.
As Black's plan includes the minor­
ity attack, it seems that White's king
is safer on gi. My opinion is that
White has a minimal advantage
even in that case, but Kramnik goes
his own way. 13 ... � f6 14.�d1 o-o
1s.f4;;!;; Kamsky,G (2741)-Macieja,B
(2614) Achaea 2012]
13 ... a6?!
A limp move that places Black in
problems. The correct approach is
13 ... 0-0 with quick counterplay by
way of . . . gbg and . . . bs. There is no
need for . . . a6 in a minority attack,
unless White already has played M·
14.�b1 gbg (Too optimistic is 14 ...
bs 15.�xbs gb8 16.�a6 �C7 l'J. �a1
gb6 18.�a4 g fbB 19. gbi and Black
does not have enough compensa­
tion for the sacrificed pawn.) 1s.h4
bs 16.g4 � f4 17- �fi! The bishop has
too much value in this type of po­
sition. Black's knight looks strong,
but that is only temporary. 17-..
as (17... b4 18.c4 �as 19. �c2 �xc4
20.�xc4 dxc4 21. .1i.xc4;;!;; ) 18. gc1!
Prophylaxis! White ensures a spot
for the queen at di. 18 ... a4 19.�d1
�as 20.hs gs 2i.� f3 �ds.
32 W I N N I N G WI T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
14. 'it>b1 bs
Black starts his counterplay but
with some prophylactic moves it
will soon be stopped!
1s.lic2 CiJas 16.CiJf3 CiJc4 17 .1l.. c 1
•
A nice place for the bishop, de­
fending against a potential . . . .1l.. a 3
17... lWc7 18.CiJgs!
White's pieces are ideally posted
and one can "smell sacrifices in the
air". The knight on gs is a real head­
ache for Black as the game progresses.
18 CiJ f4 19 .1l.. f1
••. • White king, while the Black king
Like I said, it's important to pre­
serve the bishop, while the knight
will be expelled after g3.
19 ...0-0-0?!
A dubious move, but what else?
There is no safe haven for the Black
king, so probably the safest was to
keep him in the center. If 19 ... 0-0?
20.h4! and next comes hs.
Moving the pressure to the
queenside, but on first sight it looks
risky for White also!
20 lib7 21.axbs axbs 22.b3?
•..
With this inaccurate move order
Black could have caused big prob­
lems to the White King. Better
was 22.g3! with the same idea: 22 ...
CiJ hs 23.b3 CiJas (and now the ideas
with 23 .. Wq don't work 24.CiJxf7
.
!!aB 25. bxC4 bxc4+ 26. il. b2 !! hbB
27.CiJxd6 'i!txd6 28 . .1l.. h3+ - Black
cannot increase the pressure on the
is also not safe after !! he1 next.)
24.lia2±
22 CiJas?
•••
Black didn't take his chance! 22 ...
CiJ a3+? 23 . .1l.. xa3 .1l.. x a3 24.g3 CiJ hs
25.lia2 .1l.. d6 26.lias .1l.. C 7 27.lixbs±
The point was in this move! 22 ...
f6!
 CHAPT E R O N E - CARO-KAN N POS I T I O N 33

11•• • •
·'·/ ;·�-/.3•
8 27. .ll d 2
7
• ��, · %••11�
White is in complete control. The
only job left is to activate the rooks.
6 � x �
••••• �
• .. . . ...

43 .�0%
5

11�'· •
J.%/ .11 ..
27 !!cs 28.<tlb2 !!c6 29. !!a1 !Ifs
•••

Releasing the queen from defense

of the f-pawn.
2 •'it'• n�n
111��·��-j,, -� 30. !!a2 !!a6
a b c d e f g h
Black needed to exchange one pair
A nice intermediate move with the of rooks, otherwise resignation is not
idea after 23.'£lf3 (or 23.bxc4 bxc4+ far off in view of his king's position!
24.�b2 fxgs 25.�xb7+ <tlxb7 26.g3
1£lhs 27. ilxgs !!a8 and the white
king is also not safe in the endgame!
23.g3fxgs 24.gxf4 <t/q! 25.bxc4 bxc4+
26. �b2 !!a8--+) of playing 23 ... <tiC7!
and White has huge problems with
his king! For example 24.bxc4 bxc4+
25. kb2 !!as! 26.g3 !!hbs-+

23.�a2!
Now the Black minor pieces slow­
ly go backwards!

23 '£lc6 24.g3 '£lhs 25. �d3

•••

White has created a weakness

in Black's position and he is play­
ing against it. There is no need
for the complications starting
with 25 . .ll xbs �xbs 26.'£lxf? <t/d7
27.'£lxh8 !!xh8�
25 ... <tibs 26. �e2 1£la7
An ugly, but necessary, move. 26...
b4 is almost losing by force! 27. �a6!
�a7 28.'£l :xf7± with the idea 28... �xf7
29. �bs+ <t/a7 30. �xc6 bxC3 31 . .lld3
�b7 32.�xb7+ <tlxb7 33. !!de1±
Black's b-pawn is doomed. Black
doesn't have a defence against the
coming !!as.
33...'£l f6
Preventing !!as with 33 ... i1..C 7 is
not possible because of 34.'£l xf7!
!!xf7 35. k xg6+-
34. !!as i1..c 7 35.i1.,f4!+-
The b-pawn goes and with him
the protection of Black's king.
34 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
35 ... ..ixf4 36.gxf4 W8c7
Black handed over a pawn so now
he is going to take something for him.
37. 1'.xb5 W8xf4 38.tL'lf3
Now the knight is coming to help!
38 tL'le4
•••
In case of 38 ... W8e4 White would
avoid exchanges and continue the
attack with 39.W8d1 �c8 40.tL'le5+­
with W8a1 next.
39.tL'le5 �hs 40.tL'lc6+
It was necessary to eliminate the
defensive knight, otherwise Black's
king is safe.
40 tL'lxc6 41 . ..ixc6 tL'lxc3!?
•.•
The best practical chance, but not
enough - especially against Kram­
nik. The black king cannot get far
away after 41. .. <J;;c 7 42. � a7+ rJi;d6
43 . ..ia4!+-
42. <J;;xc3 � h3+ 43. <J;;c 2 W8xd4
With a piece sacrifice, Black has
activated the rest of his pieces and
now White has to be a little bit care­
ful! Kramnik chose the safest way,
entering into the endgame!
44. W8b5+ <J;; c 7 45. W8b7+ rJi;d6
46. WKbs+
The simplest and the best! Also
winning was 46. � xd5+ exd5
47. W8d7+ <J;; e 5 48. W8xh3 W8xb4
49.W8g3+ rJi;e6 50.W8e3+ rJi;d6 51. �e8
W8c4+ 52. rJi;d1 W8g4+ 53. rJi;d2 W8b4+
54. <J;;e2 W8g4+ 55. <J;; fi W8f5 56. <J;;g 2+­
but White will still have to work
hard for a win.
46 <J;;e7D
•••
4 6 . . . <J;; xc 6 ? 47. � a6 + rJi;d7
48. �d6+ <J;;e 7 49. W8d8#
47.W8a7+!
Excellent assessment! The b­
pawn will be fast in the endgame!
47 W8xa7 48. �xa7+ rJi;d6 49. �a4
..•
� h4
Black is going to have to con­
trol the b-pawn somehow. In the
case of 49 ... �xh2 it is unstoppable!
50. �d7+ <J;; e 5 5i.b5 � xfa+ 52. rJi;b3
�fr 53. rJi;b4!+-
50. rJi;b3 �h3+ 51. rJi;b2 �h4 52. �d7+
<J;;e5 53. <J;; a3
In this elegant way checks are
avoided and the pawn is undis­
turbed in his running.
 C H A PTER O N E - CARO-KA N N POS I T I O N 35

53 ... Wd4 54. �xf7 �xh2 ss.bs Wes 6.tl:Jd2 il. fs 7. �b3 �cs s.tl:Jgf3 e6
56. �c7+ 9.ClJ h4
A lovely London game by an in­
spired former World Champion.
Conclusion: With the advantage of
the two bishops, long castling de­
serves serious attention because
White has good attacking re­
sources. White's king is safe on the
queenside!
1-0

F. Berkes - T. D. V. Nguyen
Zalakaros open, 28.05.2016

In this game, compared to the pre­

vious, Black chose after 9.ClJ h4 to
react with 9 ... .Ji.g4, avoiding giving
up the bishop immediately! With
this move Black forces White to
play h3-g4 if he wants to have the
bishop pair advantage. In pushing
his pawns on the kingside, there
appears a weak square in the white
position - f4 - which Black tries to
use! With precise moves White can
cover the f4 square while avoiding
the exchange of the dark-squared
bishop (with �e3 after Black's . . .
.Ji.d6) preserving the bishop pair.
White's advanced pawns on the
kingside will actually be very use­
ful for further action with h4-hs!
1.d4 ClJ f6
Our move order is i. .. ds 2. � f4
cs 3.e3 cxd4 4.exd4 ClJc6 5.c3 ClJ f6
This is also one of the possible re­
actions against the tl:J h4 plan! Now
if White wants the advantage of two
bishops he must continue with the
plan h3-g4 as in the game!
10.h3 it. hs 11.g4 it. g6 12.tl:J xg6
hxg6 13. il.e2;!;
The only logical move against
ClJg4!
13 ... il.e7?!
A passive move! Much better was
13 ... �d7 14.0-0-0 0-0-0 15.h4
i.d6 16. i.e3! ;!; White has to keep
the bishop, otherwise the f4 square
would be weak! The plan would be
similar as in the game - to play hs at
some point pressuring the g7 pawn,
or to prepare c4 after Wb1-�f3-�c1!
36 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
14.h4 �d7 15.0-0-0 o-o-o
Long castling is the most logical
option to secure both kings!
16.�b1?!
Very logical, but an imprecise
move which affords Black some
tactical opportunities. Better was
t6. !!dgt �d6 t7. �e3! ;;!; with the idea
of hs and putting pressure on the
g? pawn!
16 �d6?!
.••
Black missed his chance! Com­
pared with t3 ... �d7, here Black un­
necessarily lost one tempo with
�e7-�d6! According to the com­
puter, Black should play t6 ... e5! and
now White needs to play some
very precise and difficult moves
to not stand worse! n �g3! (17.
dxes?! l'i:Jxg4 18. �g3 l'i:Jxf2! 19. �xf2
'iefs+ 20. �c2 �xf2+) n .. l'i:Jxg4
t8. �at! with the idea of avoiding
. . . �fs checks t8 ... �d6! Black must
somehow kill the very dangerous
bishop on g3! (Opening the c-file
with 18... exd4? 19.cxd4 is very dan­
gerous for the black king! Next
will be !!et with many threats;
18 ... e4 19. !!c1!� idea is c4 and 19 ...
� d6? is not possible 20. �xd6
�xd6 21. �xg4++-) tg.�xds fi:Jf6
20.�c4 exd4 2i.l'i:Jb3 �xg3 22.fxg3
�ds 23 .fi:Jxd4 �xc4 24. � xc4
l'i:Jxd4 25. !! xd4 !! xd4 26.cxd4 =
17. �e3!
Taking on d6 with the weakened
f4 square would be a huge positional
mistake!
White pieces are optimally placed
and it's a good moment for opening
the c-file - and it's a position for the
white bishops!
19 ...dxc4 20.l'i:Jxc4 l'i:Jds 21.hs!
Another excellent move with idea
of pressuring the g? pawn and play­
ing on both flanks!
 C H A PTER O N E - CARO-KA N N POS I T I O N
21 ... gxhs 22.gxhs tlJas?!
This move loses time! Logical was
22 ... �f4! 23. � f3 <itias;!
23.CZJxas 'i!9xas 24. � hg1 �c8?!
Once more a limp move! Black
should play 24 ... CZJxe3 25.fxe3 'i!9fs+
26. �c2 �c8 27. � fi 'i!9xc2+ 28.'i!9xc2
�xc2 29.<itixc2 f6 30. �g1 � h7 hop­
ing to draw this very unpleasant
endgame!
25. �fl �XCI+ 26. �XCl±
37
The pawn g7 became a big
problem!
26 ... �cs
Black decides to play for all or
nothing! Passive defence with
26 ... � h7 leads to a fast end after
27.h6! g6 (27...gxh6? 28. �gB+ <itiq
29. 'i!9c2 + + -) 28. �gs! and White
wins the d-pawn!
27. �xg7 CZJc3+!?
Playing for a tactic is Black's only
hope.
28.<itiai
The safest move for a human!
Also winning was 28.bxc3 'i!9fs+
29.<itia1 'i!9xf3 30.h6 � xc3 3i.'i!9b1!
�c8 32.h7 �b4 33.'i!9xb4 � XCH
34. <itib2 �c8 35. 'i!9d2+- but this way
is easy only for engines!
The best technical move! White
now has to consolidate his pieces
38 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

and take care of the tst rank af­

ter which the h-pawn will be deci­
sive! 30. �e3? �xd4! and tst rank is
weak!

30 �xd4 31. �e4

.•.

Now the c2 square is covered!

31 ... �es 32.h6 fs 33. 1i.d3 �as

Black is tricky! The threat is . . .
!!et with . . . �b3!

34· \t>b1 �C7 35· �e3

Disturbing the knight with the 38 ... �bs!�
idea of �a4! The position is now no longer so
clear! Black is very active!
35 ... �d7 36. �fl
Now Black queen is on the pin! 39.a4
39. !!ht leads to a draw after 39 ...
36 ... !!ds �e2 40. �b3 �c3+! 4i. \t>atD (41.
Heading for a position with op­ bxc3 �d3+ 42. \t>b2 �e2+ +) 4i. ..
posite colour bishops wouldn't be �xb3 42.axb3 �dt 43. �ct � fa=
a good idea. 36 .. .f4 37. �xd4 1i.xd4 and now the h-pawn has no support
38.a3! White must make some air from bishops!
for the King! 38 ... �h7+ 39. �d3
�xd3+ 40. �xd3 � xfa 4t. !!g7 �d4
42. !!f7 1i.es 43.h7± and to hold this
position for Black looks like mission
impossible! Next move is �e4! And
after 43 ... !!c7 White will always
have 44. !!xf4! !!et+ 45.\t>a2±

37.f4 �f6 38. �g2?

Searching for the best diagonal
for the bishop, White forgets about
Black's counterplay! The most accu­
rate move was 38. !!g2! bringing the
rook on d2 and the game would be
finished quickly!
 CHAPTER O N E - CARO-KA N N POS I T I O N
I guess in time-trouble, Black
makes a mistake! After the logi­
cal 39 ... �b4! Black could draw but
after 40.h7 Black probably missed
40 ... tLJ f3! 4i.�xd8+ ii.. xd8 42.hS�
�e4+ 43.�a2 �XM+ 44.�b1 �e4;;!;
40. g h1 es?
Closing the diagonal, Black lacks
any chances to survive! 40 ... �hs still
keeps the game alive 4i. .1i.. fa �e8±
41.h7+- �g7
After 41 ... e4 White has a forced
win 42. � xd4 �xd4 (42 ... ii.xd4
43. hB � ii. xhB 44. �xd7 g xd7
45. gxhB+ �c7 46. �c2+-) 43.�xd4
�xd4 44. gd1 g hs 45. g xd4 g xh7
46. gd2 g h4 47. g fa e3 48. ge2
gxf4 49. g xe3 gXM 50. ges+ �c7
51. ge7+ �d6 52. g xb7+-
42. kds!
A nice move closing the d-file
and the connection between rook
and knight.
39
42 ... �g3
After 42 ... g xd5 comes 43.fxe5!
Important accuracy! White needs
to open the diagonal h2-b8 to
have a later k f4! (43.hB�+ �xhB
44. gxhB+ �xhB and the win is
not so clear for White.) 43 ... ll.xe5
44.hS �+ �xhs 45. g xhS+ ii.. xhs
46. � f4+ �as 47- �C7! taking away
the ds square for a rook, the Sth
rank is weak for Black! 47... it. f6
48.�h1 gd7 (48... gcs 49. �h6+-)
49.�h5+-
43.�g d
This move kills off all Black's
hopes! By exchanging queens, the
promotion of the h7 pawn is much
simpler!
43 �xgi+ 44. gxg1 gxds 45.fxes!
•••
gxes
The main point comes after 45 ...
ii.. xe5 46. � f4!+- and next is hs�
40 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
46. �xd4 �e7 47. �xf6 �xh7
The rest of the game was Black
hoping for a miracle!
48. �gs �hi+ 49.'i!fc2 �ft so. �g7
as s1 . .tds � fa+ s2.<i!fb3 � f3+
s3.<i!fa2
Conclusion: The Black plan with
9 ... �g4 - provoking pawn action
with h3-g4 - actually helps White.
With a space advantage, White has
more options than Black and the
possibility of playing on both flanks.
1-0
M. Carlsen (zsso) - R. Wojtaszek
(2748)
2oth European Teams,
Reykjavi k ISL (9.6), 22.11.2015
World Champion Magnus Carls­
en is well-known for his univer­
sal style and endgame technique.
In the opening phase of the game
his main strength lies in versatil­
ity and avoiding the home prepa­
ration of opponents. In the game
versus Wojtaszek, a highly-re­
nowned theoretician and Anand's
second, the London System comes
as a logical choice! Compared with
the game Berkes F.-Nguyen T, here
Wojtaszek reacted with 9 ... �e4 in­
stead of 9 ... kg6, which is a better
way to give up the bishop in that
the White knight remains on h4.
On the 14th move Wojtaszek chose
a new plan with long castling and
entered a position with heteroge­
neous castling. Carlsen was on top
and he foundm the brilliant idea of
transferring his knight to cs uti­
lising many prophylactic moves to
prevent Black's ideas.
1.d4 '2i f6 2 . .1t. f4 ds 3.e3 cs 4.c3
'2ic6 s.'2id2 cxd4 6.exd4 � fs
7. ifb3 ifcs s.'2igf3 e6 9.'2lh4! �e4
Surely the best and the most criti­
cal move here.
10.'2ixe4 '2ixe4
10 ... dxe4!? is covered in next
game.
11.'2if3
Carlsen decides to exchange bish­
ops after Black's next move. Seri­
ous attention must also be given to
11. �d3!? ..1t.d6 (11 ...gs 12. �xe4 gxf4
13. �d3 ifq 14.l2if3 0-0-0 15.0-0-
0;!;) 12 . .te3!? with the idea of keeping
the bishop pair 12 ... '2i f6?! (The main
question on this move is 12 .. f5!?
 C H A PTER O N E - CARO-KA N N POS I T I O N 41

when 13.0-0 f!fq 14.g3 o - o 15./fiJg2 side of the board. Well known is 14 ...
looks slightly better for White. The h6 15.0-0 o-o with good results for
idea is gae1-f3 and playing on the Black in contemporary praxis. The
e6-pawn.) 13.g3 o-o 14.0-0 fffC7 reason why Wojtaszek avoided this
15. �g5! Disturbing the knight and may be 16. f!fe2 gabs n. Wh1!?N
provoking a kingside weakening.
15 ... /fiJd7 16.f!ic2 h6 n �e3 g fc8
18.f!ie2 �e7 19. � f4 f!ids 20./fiJ f3
/fiJa5 21. gad1 a6 22.h4 /fiJc4 23.b3
/fiJa5 24.c4 /fiJf6 25.c5 lfiJc6 26.a3 /fiJd7
27.b4± Jovanic,O (2469)-Doric,N
(2308) Sibenik 2015. White had a big
advantage and won this game in the
end. A very convincing game by Jo­
vanic Ognjen!

u ... �d6 12. �xd6 lfiJ xd6 13. �d3 A nice move with the idea (17.
f!ic7 a4 g be8 18.lfiJes lfiJxes 1/2-1/2 (18)
Improving the queen and waiting S e d l a k , N (2538) - Prohaszka , P
with castling. (2573) Hungary 2012) 17. . .b 5 18.g4!
White has chances for an attack
14.f!fc2 o-o-o considering the weakness at h6.
Black doesn't have any pieces close
to his King to defend him and the
attack is real.

15.0-0 h6 16.a4 Wb8 17, g fe1

The beginning of the correct
plan. The main purpose of the rook
on el is to avert Black's freeing . . .
e6-e5.

17... gc8 18. f!id1

The threat was . . . /fiJb4.

A new plan in this position. I pre­ 18 .. , ghe8

fer White as it seems to me that Black gives up any ideas of an
White's attack is more real than attack on White's king. His new
Black's counter-chances on the other plan is centralization and the . . . e5
42 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYST EM

push. After 18 ... gs 19.1�:Jd2 hs 20.b4

g4 21.CZJb3 Begs 22.as CZJe7 avoid­
ing bs-b6 with tempo 23.CZJcs h4
24.bs White's attack seems more
dangerous.

21 ... CZJe4 22.b4 Cl:Jgs

Well, . . . es at any cost.

23.CZJet! es
It seems Black is ok, but White has
judged the chances better: the open­
a b c d e g h ing of the position is in his favor.

Very deep. Making a post on d3 24.b5

for the knight which will go via the
d3-CS route and join the attack. An­
other idea is to make the move es
difficult for Black to achieve, be­
cause ds will hang.
An important zwischenzug, re­
moving Black's knight from the center.
24 ... Cl:Jas 25. B xes B xes 26.dxes
�xes?

19 ... Be7 20. Bc1 Bds

Black goes for . . . es and the rook
will defend the ds pawn in that case.

21. Be2!
Another excellent move, leaving
the ei square empty for a knight and
at the same time creating the option
of Bc2 supporting a c4 break.
 CHAPTER O N E - CARO-KA N N POS I T I O N
The first serious mistake. After
this, no chances against Carlsen!
A very good option for Black was
26 ... �c4! 27. � xc4 (27f4 �e4�)
27... l!fxc4 28.� f3 �e6 with some
compensation.
27.c4!±
The main point. It is possible
that Black forgot his rook on dB is
unprotected.
27... �e6 28.�f3 l!ff4
The main idea is to prevent cs!
28 ... l!fe4 29.cs±
28 ... l!fd6 29.cxds l!fxds 30.l!fe1
b6 3i. E:c3! with E:d3! Next when the
black king become very weak and
the knight on as is far from events.
29.cxds
Here there was a little trick. 29.cs?
�b3!+
29... E:xds 30.l!fxds l!fxc1 31.g3!+-
43
The end of any counterplay for
Black. Giving air to the king and
covering the f4 square!
31 ... l!fcs 32. l!fd7
With the queen entering the 7th
rank attacking the pawns on king­
side, Black is forced into complete
passivity.
32 ... l!ffs
32 ... llfC? 33.l!fes+ �ds 34.l!ffs!+-
33.�es �cs 34. l!fds!
Again the strongest! Threatening
l!fcs.
34... �c7
34 .. .f6? 3s. l!fxcs!+-
3s.� xf7 � xa4 36. l!fes+ �b6
37.�d6 �CS 38.�e8!
There is no defence against
llfC? or l!fd6. A brilliant game by
Magnus!
1-0
Lessons to be learned:
i. In positions with heterogene­
ous castling, White's attack is
more dangerous.
2. It's necessary to prevent
Black's . . . es move!
3. Re-inforce the attack by
bringing the knight to cs via
ei-d3-cs
44 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
N. Sedlak (2548) - M. M. Ivanov
(2360)
24th Donau open,
Aschach AUT (S), 29.12.2015
In this game, compared with the
previous, my opponent chose a very
interesting plan in 10 ... de4!? chang­
ing the structure, with the idea of
playing against the CZJ h4. I was ready
for it because the whole idea with
CZJh4 depends on that position. The
critical moment in the game was
14 .. .fs? which looks really attractive
but is too optimistic because it cre­
ates weaknesses. After the opening
of the e-fi.le Black's plan fell apart.
1.d4 ds 2. �f4 cs 3.e3 CZJc6 4.c3 CZJf6
5.CZJd2 cxd4 6.exd4 �fs 7.CZJgf3 e6
s. l!fh3 l!fcs 9.CZJ h4 �e4 10.CZJ xe4
dxe4!?
Here is the difference between
this and the previous game. My
opponent expected the London and
played very quickly, and this is an
interesting move aimed at the dis­
located knight at h4.
11.g3
Making a place for the unstable
knight!
11 �e7 12.C2Jg2
•••
The only way to counter . . . CZJds.
Too ambitious. The main defect
is the pawn on e6, especially af­
ter f3.The right reaction was 14 ...
l!fd7 15.0-0 E:ac8 (15 ... es 16.CZJe3
CZJxe3 17fxe3 E:adB 18. E:f2 and the
f-fi.le combined with the bishops
guarantees a minimal advantage
to White.) 16. E:ae1 E:fd8 17.f3 exf3
18. �xf3 CZJas 19.l!fc2 CZJc4 20. �c1
bs 21.l!ffa � f8 22.CZJ f4;t and even
though Black's position is very sol­
id I believed more in the bishop pair
and open e and f files. My optimistic
 C H A PTER O N E - CARO-KA N N POS I T I O N
evaluation of this position can be
seen in the following line, for exam­
ple: 22 ... Cl:Jxf4 (22 ... b4 23.CZJxds exds
24. cxb4 ilxb4 25. !!e2;;!;; ) 23. ii. xf4
b4 24. �g5 f6 (24 ... !!eB 25. b3 CZJd6
26.c4±) 25. ii.g4 !!e8 26. ii.xf6! gxf6
27. 'f9xf6±;
14 ... !!ds 15.0-0 °f9d7 16.f3 Cl:J f6
17.fxe4 Cl:Jxe4 18. ii.e3 ilg5 19. ll.xg5
.'£l xg5 20. !!ad1 .'£le4 2i.CZJ f4 CZJ f6
22. �f3 °f9C7 23. �g2 !!d7 24 . .'£ld3;;!;;
Sedlak, N (2556)-Ragger,M (2670)
Achaea 2012]
15.0-0 �h8 16.{3!
After the opening of the e-file, the
weakness on e6 is obvious! Now it's
clear that Black's concept was wrong.
16 ... .'£l f6
If 16 ... exf3 17. ii. xf3 °f9d7 18. !!ae1
with easy play for White. After dou­
bling rooks on the e-file, sooner or
later the pawn e6 will fall!
45
On first sight the f4 square looks
like a place for a knight, but pre­
venting . . . e5 is a priority. The knight
will go to e3!
17... a6 18. !!ae1 bs
Black is trying to control White's
central pawns and to ensure some
strongholds for his knights!
19.fxe4 fxe4
Now it is only a matter of time
before Black will lose one of the
pawns. Also after 19 ... .'£l xe4 20. �f3
White wins a pawn.
Giving up the pair of bishops, but
taking the e6 pawn.
21 Cl:Jxg4 22.Cl:Jxg4 'ffids 23. 'ffic2
.••
The pawn e4 is doomed, and with
him also e6.
46 WI N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
23 � x a 2
. • . 2 4 . �xe 4 E: ac 8
25.�xe6+-
White's domination is obvious!
25 ... �xb2 26.ds
A pity. A nice win is 26.ll:J h6!
a b c d e f
Wonderful! Black is helpless. This
difficult move is what I missed in
my calculations. The idea is sim­
ply to protect the c pawn with E:efi
next after which Black doesn't have
a defense. Black is unable to play
32 ... E:xf3 because of 33.�g4+! and
White wins both rooks with checks.
26 ... �cs+ 27.$>h1 ll:Je7 28.ll:Jes?!
Unnecessary. I started to lose the
thread of the game. Simple and good
is 28.d6 ll:Jg6 29.d7 E:cd8 30. �c7+-
Time-trouble. I could win af­
ter 29.c4! closing the connec­
tion between Black's pieces 29 ...
bxc4 30. �gs �b7 3i. � xe7 �xe7
32. E: xf8+ E: xf8 33.ll:Jg6+! hxg6
3 4 . �h3+ $>g8 3 5 . E: xe7 � xe7
36.�e6+ E:f7 37.d6+-
29... E:xf7 30.�x.f7 �xds+ 31.�xds
ll:Jxds±
g h
It is not so simple anymore for
White after two imprecise moves.
32. �d2 ll:Jf6?
A weak move. Black takes his
knight to the wrong side. Much
better is 32 ... $>gs and the knight
should go to c4 via b6.
 C H A PTER O N E - CARO-KA N N POS I T I O N
33. ilgs! Bc6 34. Bd1
Finally the rook enters the 7th
rank.
34 ... <i!?gs 3s. �xf6
The main defender is killed.
3s ... gxf6 36. Bd7+- as 37. Bf4!
Another rook comes to help!
37... hs
Preventing Bg4 with Bgg7
47
The best practical chance. Black
is lost immediately after 38 ... b4
39. Bc4 Bb6 40. Bxb6 it.xb6 4i.cxb4
axb4 42. B xb4 ii.. c 7 43. B h4+-
39. Bxbs a3 40. Ba4
The a-pawn is well controlled and
now it's time to bring the king to
the center.
40 <i!?f7 41. <i!?g2 <i!?g6 42. <i!?f3 �d6
•.•
43.c4 a2
Otherwise, White's king comes
to support the c-pawn on the square
d5, with c5 next.
44. !! bas it.es 4S· B xa2 B xc4
46. B sa4 Bc3+
If 46 ... B xa4 exchanging rooks,
White wins with 47. B xa4 <i!?g5
48. Bas <i!?g6 49. <i!?e4 h4 50. Bg8+
<i!?h7 (or 50 . <i!i>f7 51 . Bg4 hxg3
. .
52.h4!+-) si. Bg4 hxg3 52.hxg3 <i!?h6
53. <i!?f5 <i!?h7 54. Bg6 ild4 55.g4 ilc3
56. B xf6+-
47. <i!?g2 Bc6 48. <i!?h3!
The best place for the king, avoid­
ing potential checks and preventing
any counterplay with h4. The win­
ning plan now is just to penetrate
with the rooks on the Sth rank com­
bined with taking the h5 pawn. In
this way the game is finished and
the rest of the game doesn't need to
be commented on.
48 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
48 !!cs 49. !!as !!c4 50. !!gs+ Wh7
•.•
51. !!aa8 !!b4 52. !!hs+ Wg6 53. !!a7
!!b2 s4. !!ah7 i.. d 4 ss. !! h6+ Wg7
56. !!xhs i.. g1 57. Wg4 Wg6 58.h4
1-0
Lessons to be learned:
i. Take a bishop pair at any cost;
the knight can re-enter the
game after g3- �g2- �e3
2. With f3, open the files for the
rooks and direct pressure at
the e6 pawn.
V. Kovacevic (2495) - A. Mikhal­
chishin (2490)
Pula, 1980
In this game between two great po­
sitional players, Black used the plan
with . . . g6. Like I said in the intro­
duction to this chapter, Black's big­
gest problem is his dark-squared
bishop on g7 and that is also shown
in this game. Before you start to
look at the game, take a look at the
introduction to C H A P T E R 1 where
our move order is explained!
1.d4 � f6
Our move order is t. .. ds 2. il f4
cs 3.e3 cxd4 4.exd4 �c6 s.c3 � f6
6.�d2 g6 7. i.. e 2 ilg7 8.h3 o-o
9.�gf3 .ifs 10.0-0]
2.�f3 g6 3. i.. f4 i.. g7 4.e3 cs 5. �e2
o-o 6.o-o cxd4 7.exd4 ds 8.c3
�c6 9.h3 it.fs 10.�hd2
Finally we come to our position
via a different move order!
A typical move for this kind of
position. Black is seeking a better
position for his knight, with the idea
being to open his dark-square bish­
op, after which the freeing move . . .
es becomes more realistic.
11. !!e1 h6
Black's idea is . . . gs, securing
a safe home for the problematic
bishop. However, this also weakens
his king. The logical 11 ... �b6 does
not equalize after 12.�b3 �xb3
13.axb3 � xd2 14.�xd2 es 1s.dxes
� xes 16. � xes it. xes 17. il g4 !
i.. xg4 18. !!xes ile6 19.� f3± when
the knight is dominates the bish­
op. Nikolenko,V (2221)-Safronov, S
(2234) Cheliabinsk 2009.
 CHAPTER O N E - CA RO-KA N N POS I T I O N
12. �f1 gs 13. �h2 e6 14.Cl:Jxe4;;!;
White swaps knights with the
idea of playing Cl:Jd2 with tempo.
After that White is able to play f4
in the future, at an opportune mo­
ment for him.
14 ... �xe4 15.ctJd2 �g6 16.ctJb3
Improving the knight to the out­
post on cs!
A good idea, but too early! Much
better was first 17- �d3! � xd3
18. �xd3;;!; with f4 next and Black
lacks any counterplay.
17... lt.e4!
It is quite possible that White
missed this one. Black finds a nice
place for the Bishop which can be
supported with . . .fs!
18.fxgs hxgs 19.Cl:Jcs �g6?!
A dubious move and Black is
again in trouble. The most logical is
49
19 ...fs with the active plan: . . . gads
and the . . . es push.
20.�hl
Avoiding the trap! 20. �d3 is
a mistake 20 ... Cl:J xd4! 2i. �xg6 (21.
cxd4 �xd4+ 22. �h1 �xcs 23. �xg6
fxg6+) 21 ... �xcs 22.cxd4 �xd4+
23 . �xd4 � xd4+ 24.�h1 fxg6
25. g xe6 k xb2 26. gb1 g f6 and
White is fighting for a draw in this
endgame!
20 ... b6 21.ctJd3 �f6?!
Again he misses 21... ke4! with fs
next: 22.Cl:J fa fs 23.�hs lt.f6�
22.Cl:Jes
White decided to change the
structure and to get the d4 square!
An interesting idea was 22.Cl:J fa!
with a double purpose; exchanging
white bishops with �d3; and send­
ing the knight into attack via g4.
so W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
22 ... tl:lxe5 23.dxe5 ii.g7 24 . .id3
With the exchange of bishops the
black king is less safe! The white
squares around Black's king will be
weak, especially hs.
A great manoeuvre, transferring
the bishop to the optimal place-d4.
25 ... �c6 26 . .id4
Black breathes again after
26 . .ixg6?! fxg6 27. .id4 � f4 with
counterplay.
26 ... .ixd3 27.�xd3 f5
Weakening his own king even
more, but the threat of � f1-f6
would force . . .fs sooner or later.
28.exf6 .ixf6 29. kxf6 �xf6
In the view of his king's position
and damaged pawn structure, the
defence for Black is really tough.
29 ... �xf6 loses faster after 30. �es
(30. �xds?? �fi + - +) 30 . . . �g7
3i.�bs �c8 32. �ae1 �g6 33.�d7+-
30. � f1 �g7 31. � xfS+ cr!?xfS
32. �fl+
More to the point is 32.�g3! cr!?gs
33. �ei+- and Black doesn't have
a good defence against �es!
Strong enough but missing
a quicker win after 34. �f4!+- with
the idea of �g4.
34 �ds 35. �e5 �gs 36.�e1
•..
A double attack! One pawn
falls - e6 or <ls!
36 �f6 37. �xd5 g4
.•.
Black is searching for some
counterplay!
38. �d3 gxh3 39. �xh3 �g6?!
The best practical chance was 39 ...
�h8! entering the queen endgame!
 CHAPTER O N E - CA RO-KA N N POS I T I O N 51

Probably time-trouble. 40. E: xh8 Lessons to be learned:

�xhS+ 41. �g1±
i. In a Carlsbad structure with
Black's plan of . . . g6, best is
to develop the white square
bishop on e2 -avoiding chang­
es after � fs!
2. Bishops are the biggest prob­
lem for Black. One from g7
aims at white small fortress
c3-d4 and another bishop
from fs shooting into open
space.
3. Always prevent Black's move
. . . es, otherwise the bishop
a b c d e g h from g? can become strong.
4. Play on the kingside and don't
A blunder on the last move of the worry about the minority at­
time control! After 40 ... �d6 the tack! Your dark square bishop
game still wouldn't be at an end. controls the b8 square.
4i.�f4+ �d7 42.�f3±

41. �xgs+ E:xgs 42. E: h7+

1-0
 C H A PT ER TWO
EARLY �b6-c4

idea to take: 5 ... !fxb3? 6.axb3 after

which White has comfortable play
on the queenside and the very un­
pleasant threat ctJa3!

6.!fc2!
Losing a tempo with the idea be­
ing to ruin Black center with b3
or e4! To go for the endgame after
6.'ilxb6? would be a big positional
mistake. 6 ... axb6 and now White
can't prevent plan bs-b4! With
7.ctJa3 Black has 7... e5! 8.ctJbs �as+.

The position in the diagram pre­ 6 ... �fs?!

sents at the first sight one of the
most aggressive responses against
the London System. Black plays
the quick 4 . . . 'ilb6 trying to grab
the initiative by attacking the b2
pawn, with idea of forcing White
into passive play. My opinion is that
the leaders of the Black pieces who
choosing this continuation are actu­
ally confusing two variations, which
will be explained later. Tournament
practice has shown that this plan of
Black's is dubious.
This is a big mistake and seen many
5.'ifb3 c4 times from good grandmasters! Ob­
Black is offering an endgame but viously many players are not realiz­
in a different way! It's not a good ing the difference in the position with
54 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
the inserted moves CZJf3- CZJf6. After
6...CZJf6 the important move is 7.CZJd2!
This is the famous position
which confuses a lot of players!
In our move orders we avoid this
position.)
The best way to undermine the
center. (8. b3 ?! �fs 9. VJ!!di VJ!!as!
10.bxc4 V/!fxc3 11.CZJe2 V/!fb2 12.a30
ii.d3+.) 8 ... Cl:Jxe4 (8... dxe4 9.CZJxc4
VJ!id8 10.CZJe3±; 8 . . . e6?! would
be a big weakening of the dark
squares) 9.CZJ xe4 dxe4 10. il xc4
�g7 11. ile3±;
b) 7... ilg4 8. ile2!;;!;. See Berkes
F.-Rustemov A. Bundesliga 2009.
8. i.gs
(I have also tried 8. ilg3!? CZJxg3
9. hxg3 with b3 or e4 next and
if Black continue actively in the
center with 9 ... e5? then comes
10.e4!± Sedlak N.-Vasilev M. Bla­
goevgrad 2013. The point is in the
next variation 10 ... exd4 11.exds d3
12. V/!fa4±)
a b c d e f g h
An important move gaining some
tempii! 10 ... CZJg7 11. ilg3 ilfs
(11 ... Cl:Jfs 12.e4 -see Kovacevic V.­
Pinter J. EU ch-T 1983.)
12.e4 -see Sedlak N. -Todorovic G.
Subotica 2008.
 CHAPTER TWO - EARLY °i!fb6-c4
7.�xfs!
The pawn ds is undefended! Here
is the most obvious plus of 2 . .1i.f4!
Move orders are very important in
this variation.
7... �xb2 8.�xds
See the games Miles A.-Mina­
sian Ohrid 2ooi. Sedlak N.-Mihok
0. Hun eh-team 2012.
A. J. Miles (2562) -A. Minasian (2478)
EU-eh, Ohrid (6), 06.06.2001
In this game Ara Minasian en­
tered a bad line, which he cannot
be blamed for because the idea
which Anthony Miles used with
the exchange sacrifice 7. �fs! was
almost new at that time: a time be­
fore strong engines and huge chess
databases. Black experienced a rap­
id breakdown after only 19 moves!
1.d4 ds 2 . .1i. f4 cs 3.e3 CZJc6 4.c3
�b6
55
One of the most aggressive an­
swers for Black. In my opinion, not
recommended!
5.�b3 c4
This is only good when Black can
force the exchange of queens. Oth­
erwise, his center will be under­
mined, sooner or later, with moves
such as b3 or e4. Not 5 ... �xb3?
6.axb3 with a terrible ending.
6.�C2
Avoiding a not-so-great endgame,
with the idea of ruining Black cent­
er with e4 or b3. Bad is 6.�xb6?!
axb6 7.CZJa3 es! 8. �xes (8.CZJbs Bas
9.CZJC7+ �dB 10.CZJxds Bxds 11. 1i.xc4
Bas+) 8 . . CZJxes 9.dxes �xa3 10.bxa3
.
Bxa3+
6 ... ii.fs?
a b c d e g h
This game was my inspiration for
adopting the London. Compared
with the position where knights are
on f3 and f6, here . . . ii.fs comes with
a question mark. The pawn on <ls is
56 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
not defended. After 6 ... /f:) f6 7./f:)d2!
comes and there is no more . . . �fs
threat.
7.�xfs!
Almost unimaginable for that
time! White sacrifices the exchange
in a position where he is still unde­
veloped - and it works well! In this
mess, it will turn out that White's
king is safer and Black will have
huge problems with his queen!
7... �xb2 8.�xds �ci+?!
Black is inserting checks hoping
that White's king position in the
center will prove to be bad, but An­
thony Miles was not so scared and
he went to f3! More resilient is 8 ...
�xa1 as in the next game.
9.<�e2 �b2+ 10. 'i!tf3!
Black is lacking in the develop­
ment area, so White's king is safe
at f3!
It seems that White is win­
ning after 10./f:)d2 but things are
messier. 10 ... �xa1 11.�bs o-o­
o 12.g3! with the idea .ll g 2. 12 ... e6
(12 ... �xc3 13 . .llg2 �xd4 14. ii.. x c6
�xd2+ 15. 'i!tft '8d7 16./£)/3 �d3+
17. 'i!tg2+-) 13. ii.. g 2 /f:)ge7 14./f:)gf3
�xa2 (14 . . . �xc3 15. '8 b1 '8 d7
16./£)xc4+- and if 16... /£)d5 l'J. �xc6+!
bxc6 18. '8b8#) 15. '8b1 �a6 16.�xa6
bxa6 17-/f:)gs /f:)d5 18. � xds '8 xds
19./f:)xf7 '8g8 20./f:)xc4 gs 21./f:)cd6+
.ll xd6 22./f:) xd6+ 'i!td8 23.c4 '8 xd4
24 . .ll xgs+ '8xgs 25.exd4+-
10 ... /f:) f6
Black needs good advice. In the
case ofio ... �xa1 11 . .ll xc4 e6 12. �bs
o-o-o 13./f:)e2 /f:) f6 14. '8c1+- next
on the agenda is /f:)d2.
11.�xc4 �xa1 12.�b3!
Black's queen is doomed. White
just has to develop his kingside and
pick up the queen!
 CHAPTER TWO - EA R LY 'i!fb6-c4 57

N. Sedlak (2589) - 0. Mihok (2445)

H ungarian league 2011/12 (10),
06.05.2012

When you play in the Hungarian

League, pairings are known only
a short time before the start. So, my
opponent came unprepared which
proved very expensive for him. He
entered the position from the pre­
vious game Miles A.-Minasian
12 0-0-0 13. il.bs
••• but provided better resistance. We
Development with attack. What can happily classify this line in the
more can one wish for? group "traps in the openings".

13 Cl:Jas 14. 'ifc2 a6 15 .1l.d3 es

••• • 1.d4 ds 2. � f4 cs 3.e3 CLJc6 4.c3
Minasian did not want to lose in 'i¥b6 5.'i¥b3 c4 6. 'ifc2 �fs? 7.'ifxfs!
15 moves. Who can blame him? 'ifxb2 s.'ifxds 'ifxa1

16. �xes CLJd7 17. �f4 il.e7 18.CLJ h3

gs 19.Cl:Jxgs
1-0

Lessons to be learned:

1. With precise move orders

in the opening keeping the
knight on gi :i.d4 d5 2. � f4! c5
3. e3 CLJc6 4.c3! 'i¥b6 5. 'ifb3 c4
6.'i¥c2 you are avoiding a bad
endgame and also 6 ... � f5
2. In case of the thematic 6 ... A little improvement compared
�f5? after 7.'iff5! the pawn on with the game Miles, A - Minasian,
d5 is undefended! and I was lucky twice in my chess
3. By giving up the rook on ai, career to reach this position. Czebe
Black's queen is misplaced for tried 8 ... CLJ f6? 9.'ifxc4 CLJe4 with at­
a long time! tacking ideas, but 10.'ifb5! 'ifxfa+
58 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYST EM

11. Wdi+- and I emerged a piece up. a) 11.1!fxa8 1!fxbi+ 12. We2 e5!
Sedlak,N (2512) -Czebe, A (2497) (12 ... 1!9d3+? 13. Wf3! 1!9xft 14. ii. q
Subotica 2005 f6 15. 1!9xd8+ Wf7 16.h3±) 13. 1i.. xe5
1!fd3;!;; ;
9.1!9hs o-o-o?! b) 11. 1!fb4? e5 12.1!fa4+ We7
13.1!fb4+ Wd7 14.1!fM+ CZJc6-+;
11 ... g5!?

a b c d e g h a b c d e f g h

At first sight this move looks like
the only one! The drawback is that
the queen will stay on ai for a long
time! Better practical chances were
offered by 9 ... a6!? 10.1!fxb7 CZJd8
11.1!fe4!
a b c d e f
The only move which guarantees
an advantage, but a big one in this
case.
Black wants to remove the bishop
from the h2-b8 diagonal and to ac­
tivate the rook from b8.
a) 11 ... 1!fb2 12. �xc4 CZJ f6 13.1!fd3
1!fci+ 14.1!fd1 1!fxdi+ 15.Wxd1± Two
pawns for an exchange, enough for
a big advantage in the endgame.
b) 11 ... CZJ f6 12.1!fc2 e5 13. ii. xe5
CZJd5 1 4 . � xc4 CZJ xc3 1 5 . 1!f xc3
1!fxbi+ 16.We2 i.b4 17.CZJ f3! 1!fxa2+
(17... 1!9xh1 18. 1!9xb4+- With too
many threats. 18.. f6 19.1!9a4+ We7
20.1!9a3+ WeB 21. 1i.. b3!fxe5 22.1!fa4+
We7 23. 1!9b4+ WeB 24.CZJxes+ -)
18. � xa2 1i.. xc3 19. � xg7 ggs
g h
20. �e5±;
1 2 . 1!fc2! (12. � es gives some
chances to Black 12 ... �g7! 13. il.xc4
il.xes 14.dxes g bB 15. 1i.. b3 1!9b2
1 6.CZJe2 CZJe6±; 12. �xgs? g bB+)
12 ... i.g7 13. �g3 h5 14. 1i.. xc4 h4
 CHAPTER TWO - EARLY �b6-c4
15. �e5 �xe5 16.dxe5 �c8 17-CLJe2!
�xc4 18.0-0+- with CLJd2 next after
which the queen dominates against
two rooks! The black rooks lack
co-ordination.
10.�fs+
Good enough; the idea is to re­
turn the queen to c2! But maybe
even simpler is 10. �xc4! e5 11.CLJe2!
a b c d e f g h
The target is the queen on ai.
(Not good is 11. �xes? CLJ b4! 12.cxb4
�xbi+ 13. We2 �c2+ 14. Wf3 �fs+
with a draw.) 1i. .. exf4 12.0-0 CLJ f6
13.CLJd2 �xfi+ 14.Wxfi fxe3 15.fxe3
�d6 16.e4± the central pawns
are extremely strong! Grachev, B
(2640)-Gelfand,B (2720) Moscow
2008.
10 ... e6 11. �c2 gs!?
With this active move Black tries
to disturb the white bishop! Black
can solve the problem of his queen
with 11 ... �a3 12.CLJ f3 �b2 13.CLJ xa3
�xa3 14. � xc4 CLJ f6 15.0-0 but
now there are new ones concerning
his king. The pair of bishops and
59
control of the b-line favors White.
Simplification with 15 ... CLJd5 after
16. � xd5 � xd5 (1 6... exds 17. �fs+
�d7 18.CLJes lLJxes 19. �xes+-) 17.c4
�d7 18.c5± leads nowhere. White's
plan is simple: CLJd2-c4!
12. �g3
A cold-blooded reaction. It was
not a good idea to fall for provoca­
tion of 12. �xg5? �d5! 13.CLJ f3 �b5
14.CLJ fd2 �xg5 15. �xc4 �a3-+
12 et:Jas!?
•••
An interesting idea to acti­
vate rook through a d5-b5 lift, but
again, not good enough. Harassing
White's bishop with 12 ... h5 leads
to 13.CLJ f3! h4 14. �e5 f6 15. �xc4!
fxe5 16. � xe6+ Wb8 17.0-0 exd4
18.exd4± and etJ bd2 is next.
Also, after 12 ... b5 13.CLJ f3 �b4!?
14.CLJ fd2! � xc3 15. �xc3 �xc3
16.CLJ xc3 b4 17-CLJce4 c3 18.CLJb3+-
60 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

13.l£i f3 .B'.ds 18. 'ifxa7 f6

Defending the gs pawn and The idea is to cover es and protect
threatens . . . .B'.bs! the gs pawn.

Black has saved his queen, but the
price is too high. He is underdevel­
oped with his king still in danger.
15 i£l f6
•..
15 ... °ifb2 16. °ifa4+- with �c4!
next!
15 ... .B'.b2 16.°ife4! 1£lc6 (16... .B'.xe2
17. °ifes Wd7 18. °ifc7+ We8 19.l£ies
i.,q 20. °if c8+ �dB 21. °ifd7+ Wf8
22.°ifxf7#) 17. �xc4 l£i f6 18.°ifd3+-
16.°ifa4!
The queen finally enters the
attack!
16 .•• .B'. xb1 17. 'ifxas 1£ids
Defending against mate on C7·
It is crucial to retain a bishop at
e2! From hs he becomes an attack­
ing monster. After 20. il xfi? the
position is not so clear 20 ... 1£l xc3
2i.°ifa8+ Wd7 22.°ifxb7+ We8 and
now White's king has some safety
issues.
20 ... 'ifxc3
Now a force win arises. Protect­
ing the b7 pawn with 20 ... °ifb2 also
leads to a loss after 2i. °ifb8+ Wd7
22. � hs! �g7 23. °ifd6++-
21. °ifbs+ Wd7 22. °if xb7+ Wds
23.°ifbs+ Wd7 24. il hs!
As I said before ...
 CHAPTER TWO - EARLY °i!fb6-c4 61

weak, a factor which was skilfully

punished by Vlatko Kovacevic!

a b c d e g h

24 ... e5
Closing one diagonal, but open­
ing another!

25. ii. g4 + �c6 2 6 . �a8+ �d6

27. �d8 + �c6 28. ii. d7+ �d6
29. �e8+ Compared with the previous two
with �d7 mating. Conclusions games in this position the moves
for this game are exactly the same Cl::l d 2- ClJ f6 are inserted! White pro­
as in the previous game Miles A.­ voked c4 with the idea of under­
Minasian A. Ohrid 2001. Black en­ mining Black's center with b3 or e4!
countered the same problems after Of the view that it's impossible to
6 ... .1t. fs? prevent this, Black decides to take
1-0 the bishop pair.

7 Cl::l hs
•••

V. Kovacevic (2555) - J. Pinter (2535) The move 7... g6 is mentioned in

EU-chT (Men), Plovdiv (1.4), 1983 the introduction to chapter 2.

In this game Black avoided the open­ 8. � gs

ing trap of the two previous games. Provoking a weakening.
In this game the moves ctJ f6- ctJd2
were inserted, after which Black 8 ... h6 9. � h4 gs
used a dubious plan of taking the Such aggressive play implies
bishop pair but weakening his king­ consequences.
side with h6-g5. The squares g4-hs
around Black king became very
62 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYST EM

Black takes the bishop pair after

losing a lot of time. Everything has
its price!

12.�gb �g7 13.e4 � xg3 14.hxg3

Both sides have fulfilled their ide­
as! White has conducted his main
idea e4 while Black gains the bishop
pair.

A very important intermediate

move with White grabbing a tem­
po! This motif is famous also from
other openings.

10 � g7
•••

With this move Black is avoiding

bad structures! 10 ... gxh4 11. ilxh5;;!;;
or 10 � f4 11.exf4 gxh4 12. il hs
..•

'.Bg8 13.g3;;!;;
White is using the light squares
on the kingside and aiming to put
a bishop on hs! An advantage also
comes from 15.g4!? ild7 16.e5;;!;; with
the maneuver � fi-g3-h5

15 il d7
•••

After 15 ... hs Black would have

other kinds of problems 16.� hf1 g4
17.�e3 �e7 18.0-0-0;;!;; and the hs
pawn is weak after doubling rooks
on the h file.
 CHAPTER TWO - EA R LY �b6-c4
16. � h5?!
This is a little bit careless, giving
Black some counterplay. White was
supposed to play first 16.CLJg4! not
allowing any counterplay 16 ... CLJe7
17.CLJe3 �c7 18. �hs�
/."'\ .,,
16 �e7
••• • .
Failing, but an interesting try
nonetheless! Black should search
for counterplay with 16 ... ll:J xd4!?
17.cxd4 �xd4 18.o-o-o c3 White
has to be careful now 19.CLJdf3 (19.
bxc3? �xc3 20. �xc3 E:c8 21. �xc8+
i.xc8+) 19 ... cxb2+ 20. �b1 !!c8
2i.�b3 �c3 22. �xb6 axb6�
White's chances are preferable, but
still, Black should have gone for it.
17.0-0 o-o 18.e5! ±
Now the weaknesses are felt more
acutely around the black king.
18 £5
.•.
Black was forced into this reac­
tion. What else against CLJg4-f4?
19.exf6 !! xf6 20.ll:Jg4 !! f5 21.ll:J f3
Black position is terrible! White
controls all the important squares!
21 �d6 22. !!fe1 �e8
•.•
Exchanging his bad bishop, but
the e6 pawn also becomes weaker.
23. �xe8 !! xe8 24. !!e2
White doubles his rooks on the
e-file after which all his pieces will
be focused on weaknesses in Black
position!
24 CLJc6 25. !!ae1 !!e7?
•••
Blundering a pawn in a really
difficult position. The only move to
save a pawn was 25 ... �d7± but still
Black has too many weaknesses.
White can continue by also taking
space on the queenside with 26.b4!
cxb3 27.axb3±
64 WI N N I N G WI T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

26. �xe6!+- 37.cxd4 c3 38.bxc3 b2 39. �d1 �e4

40.CZJd3
and a black pawn is caught.
1-0

Lessons to be learned:

i. Against Black action on the

The protection of the black rook
on fs is gone!
26 ... �xe6 27.�xfs � xei+ 28.CZJ xe1
CZJe7 29.�f3 �g6
With . . . �b1 next Black hopes to
make some counterplay!
30.'i!?fl!
Prophylactic moves are almost
always good in technical positions.
30 bs•••
30... �b1 3 1 . CZJ f6 +
32.�xf6+-
31.CZJe3 �e6 32.a3 as 33.g4
Fixing the pawns and creating
a stronghold on fs for the knight.
33 ... b4 34.axb4 axb4 35.CZJ 1c2
Now the <ls pawn falls after lZJ b4.
35 b3 36.CZJb4 ll.. xd4
•••
A last try!
kingside with h6-gs never
forget to insert the important
intermediate move �e2 tak­
ing a tempo by attacking the
knight on hs!
2. Use the wea k squares
in Black 's position, put­
ting the bishop on hs and
a knight on g4, with the plan
ll:J h2-ilhs- ll:Jg4!
3. After the typical push e4,
close the center with es tak­
ing space! Bishops are weak­
er than knights in closed
position!
N. Sedlak (2576) - G . M. Todorovic
(2479)
� x f6 SRB-chT Subotica (8), 09.09.2008
In this game, compared to the pre­
vious one, Black used another plan.
In the position after 11. it.g3 my op­
ponent tried 11 .. il fs, putting the
bishop on g6 after Whites move
e4 with the idea to sustain pres­
sure on the center. However, the
black knight on g7 is left awkward­
ly placed. Later, Black tried to bring
him into the game via hs, but he
 CHAPTER TWO - EA RLY 'i!fb6-c4 65

missed an exchange sacrifice after

which his center was broken apart.

1.d4 ds 2. � f4 cs 3.e3 ClJc6 4.c3

�b6 5.�b3 c4 6.�c2 ClJ f6 7.ll:Jd2
ll:Jhs 8. Slgs h6 9. Sl h4 gs 10 .1l.e2!
•

Gaining the tempo!

10 ll:Jg7
•••

Black doesn't have a better op­

tion! 10 ... gxh4 11. Slxh5;;!; a b c d e g h
10 ... ClJf4 11.exf4 gxh4 12. Sl h5 �g8
13.g3;;!; 13 ... gxh4 14. � xh4
Short castling was not occupying
my thoughts. It was more important
to add the rook into play, while the
white king will be safe on fi!

Actually only from here does

the game take a different track way
from the previous one! 11 ... ll:J fs Ko­
vacevic V.-Pinter J. EU chT 1983.
12.e4 Slg6 13.h4!
A good decision with the idea be­
ing to spoil Black's pawn structure
and enter the rook into the game!
Black overlooks an exchange sac­
rifice in his wish to have the dou­
ble threats . . . ll:Jg3 and . . . ClJ f6. With
a similar idea to bring knight to f6,
much better was 15 ... ClJe8! 16.b3 ClJf6
17.ll:Jes ll:Jxes 18. �xes �g8 19.bxc4
66 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

lt:Jxe4 20.!fb3 lt:J xd2 21.Wxd2 dxc4 22 ••• .i.g6?

22.!fxc4+ !fc6 23.!fxc6+ bxc6;;l;;

16. B'.xhs!+-
Deflecting the bishop from the
diagonal. Black's center crumbles
after this one!

16 ... il.xhs 17.exds B'. xds

17... �g6 doesn't save the day.
18.!fd1 lt:Jas (18... B'.xd5 19.etJxc4 ifdB
20.lt:Jfes lt:Jxes 21.lt:Jxes±) 19.lt:Jes
B'.xds 20.lt:JdxC4 lt:J xc4 2i. kxc4±

The last chance was 22 ... kxf3! en­

tering into complications 23 . .i.xf3
!fc4+ 24. !fe2 (24. Wg1 lt:Jxd4 25. !fe4
lt:Jxf3+ 26.!fxf3 !fg4 27-i¥Xf7 il.d6
28. B'.e1 .i.xg3 29fxg3 ifxg3 30. ifxe6+
WbB 31.!fes+ !fxes 32. B'.xes B'.g3±)
24 ... !fxc3 25. B'.d1 lt:J xd4 26.!fes
!fc4+ 27. Wg1 lt:J xf3+ 28.gxf3 B'.xg3+
29.fxg3 !fxb4 30. B'.ci+ Wd8 31.Wh1
Necessary. 3i. .. !fd6 32.!ff6+ .i.e7
33.ifC3 .i.fs 34.!fcs+ We7 35.!fxb7+
Wf6 36. !fb2+±

23.!fa4
19 ... e6 There is no defence against the
Black was forced to return the ex­ coming bs!
change. 19 ... B'.d7 20.ds B'. xds (20...
il.g6 21. !fa4 + -) 21.lt:J xds !fxds 23 ... ke4
22. B'.d1 !fe6 23.etJd4+- 23 ... a6 24.bs axbs 25.!fas+ Wd7
26.!fxb7++-
20.lt:J xds !fxds 21. Wfi B'.gs 22.b4?!
An incautious, nervous move. 24.bs lt:Jds 2s.!fxa7 B'. xg3
Better is to activate the rook with The only way to prolong the
22. B'.d1 and c4 comes next, and 22 ... surrender!
!fxa2 fails to 23.ds! kg6 24. !fc1 exds
25.!ff4 !fas 26. B'.xds !fb6 27.etJd4+-
 CHAPTER TWO - EARLY 'i!fb6-c4 67

26.�a8+ �d7 27.fxg3 .td6 28.g4

�e8?
Blundering a queen! Black could
continue to fight with 28 ... .t xf3
29. � xf3 (29.gxf3 hs) 29 ... �xbs+
30. �e2 �b2 3i.�a4+ �e7 32. �d1
�xc3 33. �f3+-

29.c4
Conclusion: In this game the
most important moment was 13.h4!
which presents the refutation of
a generally very dubious set-up for a b c d e g h
Black.
1-0 The most logical decision in or­
der to complete development as
soon as possible! Ruining the cent­
F. Berkes (2645) -A. Rustemov (2520) er with 8.b3 also makes a lot of
Germany (14.2), 28.03.2009 sense 8 ... cxb3 9.axb3 �c8 10. �b1
e6 11. �d3 .ie7 12.h3 .i hs 13.CZJgf3
In this game the main characteristic o-o 14.0-0;!; with a better structure
is how White regroups his pieces and for White. The plan is b4- CZJ b3- CZJcs
leads out the attack after the nicely
prepared - and typical push - e4 8 ... � xe2 9.CZJ xe2 e6 lO.o-o �e7
in the London System. In this game 11.CZJg3!
again with the inserted moves CZJd2
& . . . CZJf6, Black chose 7... 1l.g4 with
the idea of . . . e6 next, which allowes
White to push e4. White continued
the game excellently after which he
won in an attractive way.

l.d4 ds 2. �f4 CZJf6 3.e3 cs 4.c3 CZJc6

5.CZJd2 �b6 6. �b3 C4 7•�C2 it._g4
Pay attention! Here is the difference
in comparison to the previous two
games where we have seen 7... ctJ hs
68 WI N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

White has to first prepare e4!
11.e4?! CZJxe4 12.CZJxe4 dxe4 13.�xe4
o-o 14. � ab1 � ad8= and White
doesn't have nice co-ordination.
The rook on bl and knight on e2 are
awkwardly placed.
11 ... 0-0
With the annoying move 11 ... h5?!
Black gives up the g5 square to the
White bishop. For example: 12.h3 h4
13.CZJe2 �ds 14.b3 b5 15.M a6 16.axb5
axb5 17.bxc4 bxc4 18. ii.g5;;!;; and now
Black has to worry about his h4 pawn
and the position of his king.
�xg5 19. � h3, Black has big weak­
nesses around his king.
13.CZJgxe4 dxe4 14.CZJxe4;;!;;
A stable center and more space
gives good hopes of building an at­
tack on the kingside. Changing the
structure with 14.CZJ xc4?! looks to
be going in for unnecessary com­
plications 14 ... �a6 15.CZJe3 (15.CZJd6
ilxd6 16.ilxd6 CZJxd4 1'J,cxd4 �xd6
18.�xe4 �b6+.; 15 .CZJes gs 16.CZJxc6
�xc6 1'J. ii.g3 �adB�) 15 ... g5 16. il.g3
f5 17.d5 CZJds!�

12.e4
White has achieved what he
planned. He has full control of the
center!

12 CZJxe4
•.•

If Black doesn't react in the cent­

er, and continues instead with
12 ... �ds, then comes 13.e5 CZJd7
14. �ae1! (14 .b4?! with the idea to
prevent counterplay on the queen­
side doesn't work because Black has
the strong answer 14 ...bs 15 .a4 as!
16.axbs CZJxd4! 1'J,cxd4 axb4�) 14 ...
b5 15. �e3! All the pieces are enter-
ing into attack 15 ... �e8 (the adven-
turous move 15 ...gs takes a bish-
op but at a big cost! 16.llJe2! gxf4
17. � h3 fs 18.CZJx/4 �f7 1 9 .CZJxe6
�c8 20.CZJ/4±) 16.CZJ h5 g6 (16 ...CZJfB
17. �h3 CZJg6 18 . .1t.e3 b4 19f4 �d7
20.g4-+ ) n k h6 ! kg5 18. k xg5
The wrong plan which leads Black
into a passive position. A better de­
fensive plan was to add the rook
into play via the 5th rank. 14 ... � fds
15. � fe1 �d5 16. �e3 � f5! 17. kg3
�d8 18. �ae1 b5 and the position
looks stable. The rook on the 5th
rank causes difficulties for White's
attack.
 CHAPTER TWO - EARLY !i'b6-c4
15. E'. fe1 ifds 16. E'.e3
The rook lift, entering the attack
via the 3rd rank on g3 or h3!
16 bs 17. E'.ae1 E'.ae8
••.
Black is condemned to sit and
wait while White has a free hand to
play in the center and on the king­
side. The only active plan - with
n .. b4? - doesn't work because the
pawn on c4 becomes weak. 18. ife2
as 19. E'.g3 Wh8 20.CLid2±
18.ife2!
The queen is also needed to help
in attack.
18 as 19.a3 a4
.•.
Black closed the queenside be­
cause he couldn't face thinking
about White's a4 every move, but on
the other hand Black has now lost
all chances to play on the queenside.
20. iff3 E'.d8 21. ifh3 E'. fe8?
69
A blunder, probably in time trou­
ble! The safest move was 21. .. Wh8
22.CLid2! (22. E'.g3 ifJs!=) 22 ... .1i.d6
23 . .1i. xd6 ifxd6 24.ctJ f3± and it's
just matter of when Black will fall.
There are many concerns in his po­
sition, for example, how to react af­
ter the following series: CLies, CLigs,
E'.e4-E'. h4.
22. E'.g3+- f6?!
The fastest way to lose! 22 ... Wh8
23.ctJgs! �xgs 24. E'. xgs es 25. E'. hs!
h6 26. �xh6 Wg8 27. �gs f6 28. �xf6
gxf6 29. E'. h8+ Wf7 30. E'. h7+ Wg8
31.ifhs+-
22 ... iffs 23.ifh6 � f8 24. it.d6!
Wh8 25. it. xf8 gxh6 26 . .fi.g7+ Wg8
27.ctJ f6 + if xf6 28 . .1i. xf6 + Wf8
29. E'.g7+-
23. ifh6 k f8
This allows CLi f6 next but be­
tween two bad choices something
had to be picked! 23 ... g6 24. E'.xg6+
hxg6 25.ifxg6+ Wh8 26.ifh6+ Wg8
27. E'.e3+-
24.CLixf6+ Wf7 2s. ifh4!
White finishes the game in an el­
egant way!
25 ... ile7
25 ... gxf6 26.ifxh7++-
26. E'. xg7+ Wxg7 27. ifh6+ Wf7
28.ctJ xds
A nice game by GM Berkes!
1-0
70 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

Lessons to be learned:

1. Before pushing e4, always try

to evaluate the consequences
of that move. You must not be
unprepared!
2. After a well-prepared e4,
White gains the possibility to
build an attack on the black
king, but use all the pieces!
3. Black cannot make counter­
play on the queenside with . . .
b4, because c4 will be weak!
 C H A PTER T H R E E
CLASSICA L SET-U P WITHOUT e6
In this chapter we will show
a classical set-up for Black with the
idea of developing the light square
bishop "outside" the pawn chain be­
fore the . . . e6 move, so as not to lock
him in.
s ... !iL fs
In this position the biggest dilem­
ma is that White can exploit the ab­
sence of the light square bishop by
putting pressure on the queenside.
5 ... �b6 will be also be displayed
as a very important continuation
6. �b3 .t f5 (6...g6 7. �xb6 axb6
8. !ilq! See Sedlak N.-Miranovic R.
Osijek 2008. 6... c4 is a transposi­
tion to C H A P T E R 2.) 7.dxc5! �xb3
8.axb3;t See Delchev A.-Behling R.
Forni di Sopra 2014.
5 ... !iL g4 this move is very rare but
makes a lot of sense. My recom­
mendation for White is to continue
with 6.CZJgf3! Always pay attention
to the move orders in he London!
(The immediate 6. �b3 doesn't
bring too much 6... �d7 7.CL\gf3
c4!00) 6 ... e6 7. �b3 (7. �a4!?N with
the idea of pressuring the c6 point
with ii.b5- CZJe5-c4. This position re­
minds me of an improved version
72 W I N N I N G WITH TH E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
of the Cambridge Springs Varia­
tion in the Queens Gambit with re­
versed colours and a tempo more)
7... �b6?! - see Miles A.-Nogueiras
J. Capablanca mem. 2000.
6.ttJgf3!
Here we see a very important
move order! Our favorite 6. �b3
here does not achieve much 6 ...
�d7 7.ttJgf3 c4 8.�d1 e6 9. �e2
.ll d6 10 . .ll xd6 �xd6 11.0-0 (11.b3
bs 12.a4 b4!=) 11 ... 0-0 12.ttJ h4 bs
13.ttJxfs exfs and White lacks space
and cannot even dream about the
e4 push.
6 ... �b6
Pressurising the b2 pawn is al­
ways questionable: will it work well
or not? White always needs to have
a good answer to that! Also critical
is 6 ... e6 7. �b3 -see the games Kam­
sky G.-Holt C. Las Vegas 2015. and
Chernyshov K.-Seres L. Budapest
2004. (always deserving of attention
is 7. Ji.bs!? pressuring the c6 point
after �a4- /:tJe5.)
7.ttJh4!
This is objectively the only way
to fight for an advantage. It's im­
portant to remove bishop from the
diagonal and to get the c2 square for
the queen. See Sedlak N.-Svetuskin
D. Memorial Bora Kostic, Vrsac
2012.
An interesting try in this position
which hasn't been tested enough in
practice is 7.dxc5!? �xb2 8.ttJd4 and
White develops a particular initia­
tive, but it seems that the defensive
possibilities for Black are enough.
8 ... es 9. il.xes .ll g4 10. �b1 �a3 11.f3
l:t::l xes 12.fxg4 .i. xcs 13.l:t::l b s �xa2
14. �a1 �b2 15. �b1 �a2 16. �a1
�b2 17. � b1 1/2-1/2 (17) Prie,E
(2490) -Flear,G (2483) San Sebas­
tian 2011.
A. Delchev (2638) - R. Behling (2117)
sth Forni di Sopra open (1), 14.06.2014
This game is very instructive al­
though there is a huge difference in
knowledge and Elo between these
two players. In the classical set-up
with the moves . . . �b6- �b3 in­
serted Black continues with 6 ...
�fs, threatening ... c4 with the idea
of forcing an endgame, after which
White reacted with the best 7.dc!
forcing Black to take on b3 - after
 CHAPTER T H R E E - CLASSICAL SET- U P W I T H O U T e6
which White took the initiative in
the endgame.
1.d4 ds 2 . ..1i. f4 CZJ f6 3.e3 cs 4.c3
tl::lc 6 s.tl::l d 2 l!fb6 6.l!fb3 iHs?!
Black's idea is to play . . . c4 and
force l!fb6-ab6 which leads Black to
a pleasant endgame. Unfortunately
for him, White has a strong answer
after which Black must enter a very
unpleasant endgame!
7.dxcs!
7... l!fxb3 8.axb3!
An important move! Only in this
way can White keep an advantage!
With the further b4, and maybe at
some point bs, White will attack
Black's center. It would appear that
White will use the a-file in his ac­
tions. With 8.CZJ xb3?! White cannot
save the cs pawn after which Black
can achieve a comfortable posi­
tion. 8 ... es 9 . ..1i.g3 as! 10.ClJ f3 (10.a4
i.c2 11. CZJd2 ClJd7 12. ClJg/3 f6+) 10 ...
73
a4 11.CZJbd2 tl::l d7 12 . ..1i.bs f6 13.0-0
�xcs=
8 ... es 9. �g3 �xcs
On first sight Black's position
looks nice thanks to the center, but
that center is actually fragile and
White can undermine it.
The correct move order! Other­
wise Black equalizes easily, for ex­
ample 10.b4?! i.d6 11.tl::l gf3 tl::l hs!
12.bs CZJ xg3 13.hxg3 tl::l e 7=
10 ... CZJd7
The most logical move with the
idea to firm up the center after . . .f6!
If 10 ... e4 11.ClJd4 CZJ xd4 12.exd4 .i9Lb6
13. �e2 o-o 14.tl::l fi il.e6 1s.tl::l e 3;!;;
and White's pawns on the queen­
side are more mobile.
10 ... �d6 11. �bs tl::l d7 12.tl::l d 4!
exd4 13 . .i9L xd6 dxe3 14.fxe3± the
bishop on d6 is a nightmare for
Black.
74 WI N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
10 . . . d4 1 1 .b4 dxe3 1 2 . fxe3±
Kovacevic,S (2435)-Garcia,G (2520)
Mislata 1993 12 ... il xe3? 13.CZJc4+­
with no defence against CZJe3 or
CZJd6!
11.b4 ii.d6 12. ilbs
This move is very logical and in
the spirit of the position. 12.CZJd4!
also looks convincing
12 ... Cl:J xd4 (12 . . . exd4 13. il.xd6
dxe3 14fxe3f6 15. ile2 <J;;j7 16.0-0±)
13.exd4 f6 (13 ... 0-0 14. ilbs/6 15.0-0
ti:Jb6 16.ti:Jf3 a6 l'J. ile2 'B.feB 18.dxes
fxes 19. Jl d1 ilg6 2 0. 'B. e1 CZJ c4
21. ila4! bs 22. il. b3 e4 23.CZJd4±;
13 ... <J;;e 7 14.dxes li:Jxes 15.CZJb3t)
14. it.. e 2 <J;;e 7 15.dxes fxes 16.0-0±
Black's king is not safe, nor is the
center.
12 ...f6?!
Black strengthens the center and
decides to keep his king in the cent­
er. Sometimes even in endgames,
the king can be unsafe in the cent­
er, however, so better was 12 ... 0-0
13.0-0 a6 14. it.. M 'B. fes 15. it.. b 3 CZJ f6
(15... ti:Jb6?! 16.e4! dxe4 l'J.ti:Jgs ii.g6
18.CZJgxe4 'B.adB 19f3 ii.e7 20. 'B.fd1±
with the idea of CZJ fi- ti:Je3. White's
pieces are much better placed.)
16. il. h4 e4 17. ii. xf6 gxf6 18.CZJh4
ii.e6;\;
Without this move Black would
be fine, but very often you need just
one tempo stand well!
13 ... CZJxd4
13 ... exd4 14. it.. xd6 dxc3 (14 ... dxe3
1sfxe3 <J;;j7 1 6.0-0±) 15.bxc3 <J;; f7
16. il xc6 bxc6 17-ti:Jb3 it.d3 18.CZJd4
'B. hc8 19. <J;;d 2 il.C4 20. 'Bast
14.exd4 <J;;e7
Defends the bishop with the idea
of ed.
15.dxes it.. xes
15 ... Cl:Jxes 16.CZJb3 a6 17. it.. e 2;\;
Black would make just a short­
l i ved central demonstration
 CHAPTER T H R E E - C LASS ICAL SET- U P W I T H O U T e6
after 15 .. .fxe5 16./:lJ f3 'it>f6 (16... e4
17./:lJd4±) 17. i. xd7 i. xd7 18.0-0-
0 i.e6 19. g he1 e4 20. � xd6 exf3
21. gd3!+- with gf3! next.
16.0-0 a6 17. �xd7 'it>xd7 18. gas?!
a b c d e g
Giving unnecessary chances
to Black. A safer way to a big ad­
vantage was 18./:lJ f3! g he8 19. g fd1
'it>c6 20. ga5! b5 2i. ge1 i. xg3 (21 ...
i.e4 22.l:ZJxes+ fxes 23.f3 Ji.. d3
24. gxes±) 22. g xe8 g xe8 23.hxg3
�c8 24./:lJd4+ 'it>d6 25. ga1± Black
has two weaknesses - the pawns on
d5 and a6 - and it must be enough
for a win.
18 ... 'it>c6?
Black misses a golden oppor­
tunity to save the game: 18 ... b6!
19. g xd5+ 'it>e6 20.c4 (20. gxes+
fxes 21. ge1 g hcB 22. �xes 'it>j700 )
20 ... g hds 2i. ii.. xe5 fxe5 22. gc1
gxd5 23.cxd5+ 'it>xd5 24./:lJc4 gbs
25. /:lJe3+ 'it>e6 26. gC7;;!;;
75
19. gcs+ Wb6
19 ... 'it>d6 20.f4+-
20.f4!
Black resigned in view of gd5 or
it.fa!
1-0
Lessons to be learned:
i. Positions in classical set-ups
with the moves ifb6-ifb3
inserted are always tricky
and you always have to pay
attention to not enter into
a bad endgame! In this game,
White's reaction with 7.dc!
h was very important!
2. Always, after entering the
endgame when Black takes on
b3, White has to react with ab!
Massive pawns on the queen­
side and the a-file gives White
many good options!
N . Sedlak - R. Miranovic
Ch Croatia Osijek (8), 18.10.2008
In comparison with the previous
game, again in a classical set-up,
this time my opponent chose 6 ... g6!?
with the idea of playing . . . c4, and
after ifc2, winning a tempo with . . .
Ji.. f5! I decided to go into the end­
game after 7. ifb6 with i.C7 next,
hoping for better chances thanks
to my superior pawn structure.
76 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTE M
The critical moment in the opening
was 8 ... tl:Jd7?! which brought Black
a passive position! Instead of this,
Black had an interesting possibili­
ty of sacrificing the pawn and play­
ing for activity. These kinds of deci­
sions are always hard, especially if
you haven't checked it before.
a b c d e g h ii.g7 10.tl:Jgf3 � fs 11. � xb6 o-o
The idea of this move, as stated,
is to play . . . c4 and after '%!fc2 to take
a tempo with . . . il. fs!
7.'%!fxb6
What else? Otherwise Black is
fine! 7.tl:Jgf3 c4 8. '%!fxb6 (8. '%!:Vc2 il.fs
9.'%!:Vc1 tl:Jhs+) 8 ... axb6 9.a3 bs 10. :8.c1
il.g7=
or 7.dxcs '%!fxcs s.tl:Jgf3 �g7 9.h3
o-o 10. ii.e2 :8.e8=
7... axb6 8. �c7!
Only with this strong move can
White fight for an advantage.
8 ... tl:Jd7?!
This natural human move para­
lyzes his own pieces. Black could
play much more actively by prepar­
ing . . . es at all costs. 8 ... cxd4! 9.exd4
12. �c7 :8. fcs 13. � f4 tl:Jd7 14. ii.e2
(14. �bs es 15. i.. xc6 :8.xc6 16.tl:Jxes
(16. dxes tl:Jcs 17.0-0 tl:Jd3 18. i.. e3
tl:Jxb2 19.tl:Jd4 :8.xc3 20.tl:Jxfs gxfs
21. il.d4 :8.d3 22.tl:Jb3 tlJ C4�) 16 .. .
tl:J xes 17.dxes (17. .ii. xes �h6!) 17 .. .
:8.b6 18.b3 f6) 14 ... es! (14 . . . tl:J b6
15.a3 tl:Ja4 16. :8.a2;;!;;) 15.dxes tl:Jdxes
16.tl:Jxes tl:Jxes n it.. xes (1;w-o tl:Jd3
18. �xd3 �xd3 19. :8.fd1 d4) 17... it.. xes
18.tl:J f3 � f6 19.0-0 d4! 20.tl:J xd4
St. xd4 2i.cxd4 :8.c2 22. � f3 :8. xb2
with a drawish position.
 CHAPTER T H R E E - CLASS ICAL S ET-U P WI T HO UT e6
9. i.hs!±
The best place for the bishop! It
prevents . . . e5 and fixes the b6 pawn!
9 ... il.g710.tl:Jgf3 o-o 11.0-0 tl:Jcb8
The white bishop on c7 is very
unpleasant and black tries to elimi­
nate him with tl:Ja6. In praxis there
has also been another try from
Black 1i. .. e6 12.M il. f6 with the
idea of removing the white bish­
op from C?· 13 . .B'. fc1 it.dB 14. il.d6
il.e7 15. il.C? it.dB 16. i.g3 i. f6
17-tl:Jb3! c4 1B.tl:Jbd2 .B'.eB 19.b3! cxb3
20.tl:J xb3 tl:J fB 2i.c4 dxc4 22.tl:Jbd2!
c3 2 3 . tl:J c 4 ± Bogosavlj evic , B
(2550)-Rabrenovic,V (2393) Valjevo
2011
With the plan being to force
Black's reaction in the center!
12 cxd4
•••
This looks horrible, but oth­
er continuations don't promises
77
a bright future for Black either.
For example: 12 ... c4 13.tl:Jbd2 tl:Ja6
14. il.g3 tl:J f6 15.h3! it's very impor­
tant to keep the dark-squared bish­
op which causes troubles for black.
15 ... i.d7 16.a4±; 12 ... tl:Ja6 13. il.xd7
tl:JxC? (13 ... i.. xd7 14. i.. xb6 c4 15.tl:Jcs
tl:Jxcs 1 6. i.. xcs±) 14. � xcB .B'. fxcB
15.dxc5 bxc5 16.tl:Jxc5 tl:Jb5 17.tl:Jd3±
13.cxd4 tl:Ja6 14 .B'.fct!
•
It was not necessary to retreat
the bishop! Occupation of the c-file
and eventually bringing the rook to
c7 is more important than saving
a bishop.
14 ... tl:J xc7 15 .B'. xc7 .B'.ds 16 . .B'.ac1
•
tl:J fs?
Maybe this move was based on
a faulty calculation. Black could
play 16 ... i. f6 17-a3 tl:J fB with trans­
position to the game but without
giving up the e1 pawn.
78 WI N N I N G WI T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
A very safe and slow move. Bet­
ter was 17. g xe7! but it looked to be
taking an unnecessary risk. 17... �d7
(17... gxa2 18. !ti.eB! !ti.e6 19. gcq
gxb2 20.� bd2 gas 21.g3 il. h3
22. it.. xf7+ <itlhB 23. gci +-) 18. g xc8
gaxc8 19, gxd7 g xd7 20. k xd7 gc2
2i.�e1 gxb2 22.�c1 gb1 23.�cd3
ga1 24. kcs gxa2 25. !ti.xb7+-
17... !ti.f6 1S.�e5 �e6 19. g7c3
Black manages to expel the rook
from 7th rank and it looks like he
has some air.
19 ... <itlg7?
A move into space! The bishop on
f6 is not useful and it was the right
time to exchange him. 19 ... it.. xes!
20.dxes !ti.d7 21. ii.. xd7 gxd7 22.£4;!;
Control of the c-file and a better
structure guarantee a long term ad­
vantage to White, but the position
is playable for Black
30 gxcS 31. gxcS gd7 32.g4 hxg4
33.hxg4
his pieces!
Of course, White has to avoid
simplifications. The knight is much
better than the bishop!
20 !ti.d7 21. !ti.xd7 gxd7 22.f4
••.
Taking space is always good if
you don't have any better option.
22 hs 23. <itlfa Wh6 24. We2
•••
Avoiding a ny counterplay !
24.�d2? � xd4! 25.exd4 it.. xd4+
26.We2 it.. xc3 27. g xc3 f6�
24 ... gads 25.�d2
The knight deserves a better place
than b3!
25 gas 26.�b Wg7 27.g3
•••
This is always necessary before
h3! After 27.h3?! Black prevents
White's plan with 27... h4!
27 gd6 2S.h3 ga4 29.�b4 gas
.••
Black is forced to play passively
because his pieces are limited, while
White can slowly improve his posi­
tion by grabbing more space!
30, gcs
Entering the 8th rank is always
good idea.
•••
Black is slowly losing squares for
 CHAPTER T H R E E - CLASSICAL SET- U P W I T H O UT e6
33 gs 34.fs Cl:Jds 35.Cl:Jes!+­
•••
Everything is ready for the
denouement!
35 ... !!d6
35 ... � xe5 36.dxe5 d4 37.e4!+­
Black is almost in zugzwang and the
pawn on d4 will fall soon or later.
36. !!c7
Now the 7th rank is more
important!
36 ... e6 37.<it>f3 <it>gs 38.CLJhd3
The knight has finished one job
and now his help is necessary again!
38 ... <it>g7
38 ... il. xe5 39.CLJ xe5 exf5 40.gxf5
<it>g7 41. <it>g4 <it>f6 42.a4 zugzwang
42 ... <it>g7 43. <it>xg5+-
39.fxe6 !!xe6 40. !!d7
Finally one of the pawns falls!
79
40 CLJc6 41. !!xf7+
•..
Conclusion: In positions with
the inserted moves �b6-�b3, oc­
casionally it is possible to take on
b6, but only in some concrete sit­
uations. In this case the main rea­
son for entering the endgame was
because of White's move ii.C? caus­
ing a lack of co-ordination between
Black's pieces!
1-0
A. J. Miles (2579) - J. Nogueiras San­
tiago (2563)
35th Capablanca Memorial El ite
Varadero (11), 20.os.2000
Compared with previous games, in
this game Anthony Miles met a rare
reaction from Black in 5 ... $.g4.
With enterprising play, he showed
the big downside of the seemingly
active bishop on g4. For the ump­
teenth time, Anthony Miles showed
his great feel for the London System
and endgames which arises out of it.
1.d4 ds 2.Cl:Jf3
Our move order is 2. �f4 c5 3.e3
CLJc6 4.c3 CLJ f6 5.CLJd2 it.g4?! 6.CLJgf3
e6 7.�b3
2 CLJf6 3. i.f4 cs 4.e3 CLJc6 5.c3 �g4
..•
It would appear that this is not
a safe place for the bishop after
a further CLJe5.
80 WI N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
Actually, from this moment the
game starts to be of interest to us.
6 e6
•••
6 ... cxd4 transposes to the Carls­
bad structure which we covered
in C H A P T E R 1. 7.exd4 ifb6 (7... e6
8. ifb3 ifcs 9. il.d3 -transposition
to CHAPTER) 8. ifb3!
7.ifb3
The most common reaction in
the London System is pressuring
the b7 pawn! A very interesting al­
ternative is 7.ifa4!? with the idea
of treating the position in Cam­
bridge-Springs spirit by creating
pressure on the c6 square 7... '2ld7
8. iL bs ifb6 (8... 'f!.c8 ?! 9. iLxc6 'f!.xc6
10.ifxa7; 8... ifc8!? 9.0-0 with the
plan c4!) 9.'2les '2idxes 10.dxcs!
8 • • ··�� •
7 . ... . . ... ....
:4 ,
�!a!�·�
. . ,.% ��f·
.
·�·
� n n �
� �� . r:� -- 0n�n
b� m �b�
1 6 '8/, . ,'� � - ,-�,
a b c d e f g h
With this intermediate move,
White seizes the initiative, espe­
cially thanks to the uncertain bish­
op on g4! (Very slow is 10. iLxes?!
a6! 11. iLxc6+ ifxc6 12. ifxc6+
bxc6=) 10 ... '2ld3+! This is the only
good answer for Black. With oth­
er moves Black walks into tem­
po gains. (10... li.xcs? 11. iLxes iLfs
12.g4 il.g6 13. iLxg7 'f!.g8 14. il.d4±;
1 0 ... ifxcs? 11. iLxes iL hs 12.l2i b3
ifb6 13. li.d4 ifq 14.l2ias 'f!.c8 15.c4
a6 1 6. iLxc6+ bxc6 17. cxds exds
18. 'f!.ci+-) 11. il. xd3 if xb2 again
the only principled response! (11 ...
iLxcs?! 12.b4 iLe7 13.bs ifas 14. ifc2
'2i b8 15. e4) 12. '8b1 ifxc3 13. il.bs!
other attractive-looking moves
don't offer much for White! (13. iLa6
ifas!; 13.0-0! iLxcs 14. '8xb7 o-o!�)
13 ... '8c8D (13 ... ifxcs 14.0-0! 'f!.c8
15. Jles il.fs 16. iLxc6+ ifxc6 17. 'f!.fc1!
ifxa4 18. 'f!.xc8+ <t:id7 19. 'f!.q+ <tle8
20. '8 bxb7 if h4D 21. 'f!.c8+ ifd8
22. '8xd8+ <tlxd8 23. 'f!.xf7±) 14.0-
0� and White has strong attack!
It shows in the following varia­
tions. For example: 14 ... ifxd2 (14...
iLe7 15. l2i b3 o-o 1 6. iLxc6 bxc6
 CHAPTER T H R E E - CLASS I CA L SET- U P WI T H O UT e6
l'J.iLd6! i.. xd6 18.cxd6 iLfs 19. 'Bbc1±;
14 ... il.xcs 1s.l'i:Jb3 il.. e7 16. °VJ9xa7 o - o
1'J,°Vl9xb7±) 15. ii.. xc6+ bxc6 16. 'Bb8!
'Bxb8 17.°VJ6xc6+ �e7 18.°VJHC?+ �f6
19.°VJHes+ �e7 20.°VJ6xb8+-
7 °VJ6b6?!
•••
A natural reaction, seen many
times before, but in this specific
position it is not good! Black didn't
evaluate the endgame which will
occur very well! Another and better
option for Black was 7... °VJ6c8 8.ll:Jes!
ll:Jxes (8... iLe7 9. iLbs o - o 10. iLxc6
bxc6 11. °VJ9a4 cxd4 12. ll:Jxc6 °Vl9d7
13. CLJxe7+ °VJ9xe7 14. °VJ9xd4± 1/2-1/2
Abel, L-Boensch,U/Szekszard 1989/
(39)) 9. iLxe5 CLJd7 10.°VJHM!?;\;;
White didn't want to hurry with
the endgame! An advantage was
also promised by 8.°VJ6xb6!? axb6
9.ll:Jes ll:Jxes (9 ... '8c8 10.f3 iLfs 11.g4
i.. g6 12.h4 CLJ xes 13.dxe5 CLJd7 14.hs
81
iLc2 15. iLbs±) 10.dxes ll:Jd7 11. iLbs
iLe7 12.e4 o-o-o 13.0-0 ll:Jb8;\;;
s ... ll:Jxes
The typical 8 ... c4 ?! doesn't work
well here because White imple­
ments e4 easily. 9. °VJ9 xb6 axb6
10.ll:J xg4 ll:J xg4 11.e4! bs 12.exds
exds 13. it.e2 CLJ f6 14.0-0 Jle7
15. iLf3 o-o 16. 'B fe1 b4 17.CLJfl bxc3
18.bxc3 bs 19.CLJe3 'B fd8 20 . .ies! ±
9. .ixes °VJ6xb3
Black was more-or-less forced
into on this decision to head for
a slightly worse endgame! 9 ... c4
10.°VJ6a4+ CLJd7 11.b3 cxb3 12.axb3;\;;
10.axb3;\;;
The a-file and doubled b-pawns
promise a space advantage and ini­
tiative on the queenside for White!
10 CLJd7 11 .ig3 ii.. e7 12.dxcs!
••• •
Only with this active approach
can White use his pluses on the
82 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
queenside. Now the b-pawns be­
come mobile!
12 ... .txcs
Moving the same piece two
times in a row doesn't look great,
but Black doesn't have a better so­
lution. For example: 12 ... lZ:J xc5?! de­
velops White's pieces with tempo
13 . .tb5+ ezJd7 14.e4! a6 15.fa � h5
16.exd5 exd5 17.0-0 �d8 18. � fe1!
�f8 19 . .tfi lZ:Jc5 20.b4 ezJe6 2i.ezJb3±
13.b4 .i.e7
13 ... � b6 essentially does not
change much compared with the
game! 14.e4! o-o (14 ... d4 15.f3 .t h5
16. i.b5 a6 17.ezJc4±) 15. i.b5 � fd8
16.f3 .th5 nexd5 exd5 18.ezJb3 �e8+
19. �d2 .i.e3+ 20. �d1±
White continues his concrete
plan of pressuring the center!
14 ... 0-0
Black didnt have a better choice
than playing with an isolated pawn.
14 ... dxe4 15.ezJ xe4 o - o 16 . .id6!
.i.xd6 17.ezJxd6 b6 18 . .ib5± or 14...
d4 15.ezJc4 dxc3 16.bxc3 o-o 17. .id6!
.i.xd6 18.ezJxd6±
15.f3!
White makes space for the bishop
on fa and subsequent better control
of the d4 square!
15 ... .ih5 16.exd5 exds 17. i.bs±
In the endgame, the isolated
pawn is much weaker than with
queens on the board. Black will not
be able to free himself from the d­
pawn responsibilities with . . . d4 be­
cause White controls that square
very well!
White continues the logical idea
to prevent d4! It was possible to also
play 18.0-0 because 18 ... d4 was not
 CHAPTER T H R E E - CLASSICAL SET- U P W I T H O U T e6 83

a real threat (18 ... a6 19. ii.f2 axbs

20. ii.xb6 ii.g6 21.�b3±) 19 . .B'. fe1!
ii.gs 20.�e4 �e3+ 21. � fa � xfa+
22.<it>xfa dxc3 23.bxc3 .ilg6 24.�cs±

18 ... a6
With the seemingly more active
18 ... lt.gs Black isn't able to solve his
problems either after 19.�b3 �c4
20.0-0 �xb2 (20... a6 21. �xc4 dxc4
22.�cs±) 21. .B'. xa7 .B'. xa7 22 . .il xa7
.ig6 23. �d4± and White's pieces
are much better placed. The plan is
.B'.a1 or f4-fs.]
At the moment, White is not in­
terested in the d4 square. First he
provokes new weaknesses on the
queenside!

23 ...b5 24 .B'.ad1 .ilf7 25.f4!

•

Concrete play in the endgame in­

stead of thematic play is often more
effective. By putting the bishop to f3
White resolves the game.

White chose to continue the

game with the bishop pair. Interest­
ing was 19 . .ixb6 axbs 20. <it>fa± with
domination of the dark-squares!

19 ... �d7 20.0-0 .B'.fes 21 . .B'.fe1 f6

With this move Black secures
a place for the knight on es and for
the bishop on f7.
26 ... �d6 27. lt. f3 .B'.xei+ 28 . .B'.xe1±
84 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

�d6 29. i.cs �d7 30. i. xe7 �dxe7

3i. �xe7 �xe7 32. � xa6+

29. � xeS � xe8 30. � xa6 �d2

31. �as
The b2 pawn is indirectly pro­
tected. Black must take care with
his bishops!

31 ... Wf7 32. �e3 �d3

32 ... �xb2 33. �ds+ We7 34 . .Jlcs+

33.Wfa fs

Black has rid himself of the

weakness on ds, but a6 is still here!
26 . . . bxc4 27. � f3 � ads 28. � a 1
�d6 29. � xe7 � xe7 3 0 . �cs �ed7
3i. �xd6 �xd6 32.bs+-

27. i.f3+- �ads 28. �a1!

The pawn on a6 is doomed!

The winning plan is now clear: to

exchange rooks and dark-squared
bishops!

34. i.cs! �e7

34 ... �xcs+ 35.bxcs �d2+ 36. We3
�xb2 37.c6+-

3 5 . � a7 � d7 36. � xd7 .Jl xd7

28 ... �fs 37. �ds+ Wf6 38. i. xe7+ Wxe7
Somehow Black must give up 39. We3 Wd6 40. Wd4
the a6 pawn! 28 ... �d6 29. � xe8+ I guess, Black lost on time here,
i.xe8 30.g3 2;,.c7 3i. � xa6+-or 28 ... but in any event the endgame is
 CHAPTER T H R EE - CLASS ICAL SET-U P WI T H O UT e6
hopeless for him! 40. <i!?d4 h6 4i.h4
�e8 42.b3 cxb3 43. it.xb3 �c6 44.g3
�e8 45. �c2 �d7 46. �d3 g6 47.c4
bxc4 48. 1l.. xc4 �e8 49.bs+-
1-0
K. Chernyshov (2556) - L. Seres (2497)
Budapest, 04.05.2004
Here comes one of the critical vari­
ations. In the classical set-up with­
out �b3- �b6 inserted, Black first
develops his bishop on fs. The main
question: is it too slow? Can White
achieve anything with the �b3
move or with the plan l2igf3-�b5-
�M- l2ies, exploiting the absence of
Black's white-squared bishop?
The most natural and healthy
move!
85
6.l2igf3!
A very important move! Move
orders are of crucial importance
in the "London System". Typically
6.�b3 is not the best in this posi­
tion because this move allows 6 ...
�d7! without any negative effects
for Black! 7.l2igf3 c4 8.�d1 e6=
6 ... e6
Or 6 ... �b6 which we will see in
future games. After 6 ... cxd4 7.exd4
e6 8.�b3 �c8 9.l2i h4 - position is
transposing to the CHAPTER ONE.
7.�b3 �c8!
The only good choice for Black!
7... �d7?! - see the next game.
7... �b6 8.�xb6 axb6 9. �bs l2id7
10.l2ies! l2idxes 11. � xe5;!; Mitkov
N.-Pitirotjirahton Dresden ol 2008.
This game is interesting, show­
ing another way for White: chang­
ing the pawn structure in the center
86 WI N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYST EM

and opening the position. The facts Wf8 12.l:Z:J xe6+! fxe6 13. �d1 l:Z:J xd2
that support such a decision are 14. � xd2 ilxd2+ 15.Wxd2
the vulnerable position of Black's
queen on c8 and the absence of the
il f5 from the queenside. Anoth­
er logical continuation is 8.l:Z:Jh4!?
ile4 9.f3 (9. ilgs!? ilq 1 0.l:ZJxe4
l:ZJxe4 11. ilxe7 l:ZJxe7 12. ilbs+ WfB
13. 'VJ!/di�) 9 ... ilg6 10.l:Z:J xg6 hxg6
11.g4 ile7 12. ilg2 a6 13. ilg3 b5oo
Sapis,W (2401)-Korneev,O (2566)
Cappelle-la-Grande 2004

8... cxd4 9.l:Z:Jxd4 ilb4?! with more than enough compen­

Too ambitious. Trying to take sation for the exchange.
over the initiative, Black ruins his
own pawn structure. The correct 11.cxds .1l.. xd2+
reaction is 9 ... dxc4! 10 . .il xc4 (10. And not even now 11 ... l:Z:Je4 be­
'VJ!/xc4 l:ZJxd4 11. 'VJ!lxd4 'VJ!/c6 12. 'VJ!/c4 cause of 12.dxc6 with a clear advan­
l:ZJ ds! A strong initiative-seek­ tage to White. 12 ... .ilxd2+ 13. Wd1
ing move with the idea of . . . l:Z:Jb4! bxc6 14.f3 l:ZJ fa+ 15. Wxd2 'VJ!/d7+
13. 'VJ!/xc6+ bxc6 14. ilg3 l:ZJ b4 15. �c1 (15... l:ZJxh1 16. ilc4±) 16. Wc2 l:Z:J xh1
l:ZJxa2 16. �xc6 il b4 17. ilc4 �dB 17. il.c4 l:Z:Jfa 18. �g3 �d8 19. 'VJ!/c3±
1B.o-o �xd2 19. �cB+ �dB 20. �C7 and the knight is trapped!
o-o 21. ilxa2 =) 10 ... l:Z:J xd4 11.exd4
a6 12.0-0 ile7 13 . .ile2! l:Z:Jd5 14. ile5
o-o 15.l:Z:Jc4 b5 (15... 'VJ!/d7!? 16. ilg3 hs
17.l:ZJes 'VJ!/b7 1B. ilf300) 16.l:Z:Jd6 ilxd6
n ilxd6 �d8 18. ilc5 with the idea
of l:Z:Je5-it.. f3 and typical play for this
type of position. White has two
bishops and some prospects on the
queenside with an M push.
9 ... l:Z:Jxd4 10.exd4 dxc4 11.l:Z:Jxc4�

io.l:Z:Jxfs exfs
Attractive-looking is 10 ... l:Z:Je4 but
White has a strong answer 11.l:Z:Jxg7+ a b c d e g h
 CHAPTER TH R E E - CLASS ICAL S ET-U P WI T H O UT e6
This was a good idea, but on the
wrong square! The correct move
was 12 ... �d8! because it threatens
also �as! 13. l'!d1! �xds+ 14.�xds
ClJ xds 15. �g3;;!; and White is bet­
ter, owning two bishops in an open
position.
13.�e1!± �xds 14. �c4 �as+
Immediately losing is 14 ... �xg2
15. �xf7+ �fs 16. �d6+ ClJe7 17. �e6
ClJfds 18.�xds �xds 19. �xds l'!ds
20. �xe7++-
1s.�e2 o-o-o?
a b c d e g
A pseudo-active move or may­
be better to say a "suicidal move".
Black's king would be safer af­
ter 15 ... 0-0 but even that doesn't
help a lot! 16.�xb7 ClJes 17.b4! �M
18. �b3 �e8 19. l'!ac1 l'!bs 20.�C7
�bs+ 2i. �c4 ClJxc4 22.�xc4+- and
Black is forced to change Queens!
16. l'!hd1+­
Thepawnislostand�e6 isin theair.
87
16 ... ClJe4?
16 ... l'! xd1 n l'! xd1 l'!ds 18. �xf7
l'!xd1 19. �xdi+-
17. �e6+
Conclusion: If you have a position
with �b3-�c8 inserted, don't allow
Black to take a space advantage af­
ter c4! Try to open the center and
to use the bad position of the black
queen with the move c4!
1-0
G. Kamsky (2680) - C. Holt (ZSZZ)
M i l l ionaire Chess Op 2015 Las Vegas
USA (7.7), 11.10.2015
Kamsky is a well-known "London
player" these last few years, so it's
very unusual that somebody en­
tered this position against him un­
prepared. Compared with the pre­
vious game, the young us player
opted for 7... �d7? instead of 7... �c8!
and encountered serious problems.
h Black was left with his king in the
center which Kamsky targeted with
powerful initiative-gaining moves
and won this game in great style!
1.d4 ds 2. �f4 ClJ f6 3.e3 cs 4.c3 ClJc6
s.ClJd2 �fs 6.ClJgf3 e6 7. �h3 �d7?
This move is a serious mistake!
We can smell in the air that some­
thing is wrong with Black's position!
88 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
a b c d e g h a
8. �b5! ;!;
The best move which brings the
initiative to White! 8.tlJes seems
logical but after 8 ... ll:J xes 9.dxes c4!
Comes, which is the main point of
. . . �d7, e.g. 10.ll:Jxc4 dxc4 11. 1i.xc4
o-o-o! 12.exf6 �d2+ 13. \!?ft gxf6oo
with a total mess.
8 ... a6?!
Black neglects his develop ­
ment! It was necessary to play 8 ...
c4! 9.�a4 �d6 10. �xd6 (10.tlJe5?!
�xes 11 . .fi.xes tlJ e4�) 10 ... �xd6
11.b3 cxb3 12.axb3 o-o 13.0-o;t
White maintains the advantage be­
cause of his better structure.
9.tlJe5! �c8 10. 1i. xc 6 + bxc6
11.�a4± cxd4?!
With this move Black opens the
c-file and makes his position harder
to defend.
b c d e g h
The silicon monster goes for 11 ...
�b8 but White is still on top. The
reader can check the following anal­
ysis. 12.tlJb3! (12.tLJxc6 �xb2� and
White doesn't have a good knight
jump! 12.g4 tLJxg4 13.tlJxg4 �xb2
14.tlJes cxd4 15.cxd4 1i.b4 16.e4 �xe4
17. �g1 o - o 18.tlJxc6 �b7 19.tlJxb4
�xb4 20.�a3 �cB�) 12 ... �bs (12 ...
c4 13.tlJxC4! dxc4 14. ii.xbB cxb3
15. ll,.g3 bxa2 16. �xa2 ii.d3 17. \!td2!
ii.bs 18.c4 ii.b4+ 19. 'i!te2+-) 13.dxcs
tlJe4 (13 . . . ii.xcs 14.tlJ xcs �xcs
15. �a3 �bs 16.c4 �b6 17- �c1±) 14.c4
dxc4 15.tlJxc4 ll:Jxcs 16.tlJxcs .fi.xcs
17. 1i.d6 �b4 18. ii.xcs �xa4 19.tlJd6+
\!?d7 20.ll:Jxc8 �xc8 21.0-0±;
11 ... ll:J hs 12.g4! ll:J xf4 13.gxfs f6
14.exf4 fxes 15.fxes exfs 16.tlJb3±
12.cxd4 tlJd7 13. �et!
Black's position is already beyond
repair. 13.tlJxc6? tLJb6-+;
13.�xc6? �xc6 14.tlJ xc6 �c8+
 CHAPTER T H R EE - CLASSICAL SET- U P WITH OUT e6
13 CLixes 14. il.xes Wd7
•••
It's not great, but there is no other
way to defend the c6 pawn.
15.0-0 �b7 16.e4!
According to the demands of
the position - not giving Black any
time for consolidation.
16 il.xe4
••.
If 16 ... dxe4 nCLic4 E:c8 18. E:c3+­
and E:b3 cannot be stopped.
89
Good enough. The phrase 'Tal­
like' can be used after 18.d5! exds
19. E:fd1 �bs 20.�xe4 E:es 2i.�fs+
Wd8 22. it.. c 3 f6 23.a4! Deflection.
23 ... �xa4 24. E:xds+ cxds 25.�xds+
�d7 26. il.as+ We7 27. E:ei++-
A quiet move, inviting the last
piece to the party. Black would en­
joy a little break after 20. �xe4 �ds
20 �d6
.••
20 .. .fs 2i. E:e3! followed by E:b3!
21. il. xd6 Wxd6 22.�xe4 �ds
23.�g4
Every move has to be a threat if
White wants to retain the initiative!
23 ... E: hgS 24. E:cs! �xa2
Now the queen has wandered
far away which gives new motifs to
white!
90 WI N N I N G WI T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
25. �f3 �ac8 26. �c3!
Black's king is in permanent trou­
ble, and now he also must think
about his 'Lady'. White's threat is
�as.
26 ... �bs 27. �xc6+ �d7 28. �c7+
�d8 29.�cs
Gata greatly punished the inaccu­
racy of Black in the opening! Con­
clusion: It's very useful to memorise
the critical moment in the game af­
ter the inaccurate 7... �d7? On first
sight it seems like the strongest is
8.�es but it's not! Don't forget to
play first 8. Ji.. bs!
1-0
N. Sedlak (2572) - D. Svetushkin
(2589)
Kostic Memorial, Vrsac (3), 22.11.2012
This is one of my finest games in
the London! My opponent, a well­
known Moldavian player, chose one
of the most critical positions in the
'system'! Compared with the two
previous games, also in a classical
set-up, Dmitry chose 6 ... �b6 in­
stead of 6 ... e6! The idea of that move
is to force White to play 7. �b3 and
after 7... c4 to go into a pleasant end­
game! However, I was well prepared
with prior experience in this posi­
tion and I won the theoretical duel
in the opening!
i.d4 ds 2. � f4 cs 3.e3 �c6 4.c3
�f6 5.�d2 �fs 6.�gf3!
An important moment and move
order! The thematic move 6. �b3
doesn't promise an advantage in
this position. It allows 6 ... �d7!
7.�gf3 c4! 8.�d1 e6= and Black is
fine! A space advantage with nice
control of the e4 square guarantees
him a comfortable position!
7.� h4!
This is the point! If White wants
an opening advantage, this is the
only way. The idea is removal of
Black's bishop from b1-h7 diagonal
and creating a square for the queen
on c2! An interesting move, rare in
praxis, is the paradoxical 7.dxc5!?
�xb2 (After 7. . �xcs?! White
.
would have the opportunity to take
the initiative. 8. � b3 �b6 9.a4 a6
10.as �dB 11.h3 e6 12. � bd4 � xd4
13. exd4"t, The resulting position is
 CHAPTER T H R E E - C LASS I CA L SET-U P WI T H O UT e6
in White's favor as Black does not
have a minority attack. White can
use the cs and es squares.) 8.CZJd4
White has some initiative, but Black
can hold everything. An interest­
ing duel continued 8 ... es 9. il xes
it.g4 10 . .B:b1 �a3 11.f3 Cl:'l xes 12.fxg4
il xcs 13.CZJbs �xa2 14 . .B:a1 �b2
15 . .B:b1 �a2 16 . .B:a1 �b2 17. .B:b1 1/2-
1/2 (17) Prie,E (2490)-Flear,G (2483)
San Sebastian 2011;
7.�b3?! c4 8.�xb6 axb6 9.a3 bs
10 . .B:c1 h6 11. it.e2 e6=
Almost always we see the typical
move 7... ile4!? 8.�b3 c4 9.�xb6
axb6 10. iles! Very important, add­
ing some pressure on e4. 10 ... CLld7
(10... bs 11. ilxf6 gxf6 12.Cl:'lxe4 dxe4
13f3 exf3 14.CLlxf3t) 11. ilxc4! dxc4
12.Cl:'l xe4 Cl:'l cxes 13.dxes Cl:'l xes
14. We2t or 7... �g4 8.�b3 c4 9. �c2
e6 10.h3 it. hs 11.g4 it.g6 12.Cl:'l xg6
hxg6 13. it.g2t
91
8.�b3 c4
A typical reaction. Black doesn't
have many better options. An
equally decent alternative was 8 ...
h6 9.CZJ hf3! (9.�xb6 enters a slight­
ly worse endgame 9 ... axb6 10. it,q
cxd4 11. exd4 bs! 12. ilxbs Cl:'lxd4
13. ilxd7+ Wxd7 14. cxd4 Wxq+)
9 ... c4 10.�c2 Cl:'l hs (10...g6 11. e4!t)
11. ilest
9.�c2 Cl:'l hs!?
Black cannot stop the e4 or b3 le­
vers, but can, at least, achieve the
advantage of the pair of bishops. 9 ...
h6 10.Cl:'l hf3 g6 11.e4t
10. ilg3 g6
Playing aggressively with 10 ...
Cl:'l xg3 11.hxg3 and now 11 ... es has
drawbacks (11 ... e6 12.e4t) 12.dxes
Cl:'l xes 13.CZJdf3! CZJg4 14 . .B:d1 ile6
15. �e2t;
10 ... e6 doesn't change White's plan
11. ile2 Cl:'l xg3 12.hxg3 �c7 13.e4t
Elj anov, P (274 2) -Ponomariov, R
(2744) Moscow 2010
11.e4
You can always be satisfied get­
ting in the e4 push in this type of
the position.
11 ... e6
Black must hold the center!
12. ile2 Cl:'lxg3 13.hxg3 �c7
Preparing counterplay on the
queenside with . . . b5-b4
92 W I N N I N G WI T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
14.CZJ ft!
This is a typical method from
similar positions. Transferring the
knight to e3, adding some pressure
on ds and, of course, waiting for
the right moment to join the attack
from g4.
14 CZJe7 15.CZJe3 bs 16.CZJ f3 �g7
•..
17.es! :t
Closing time. Black has gained
control over ds, prepared . . . de4
with . . . kc6, so let's go for a position
where knights dominate bishops.
17... as 18.a3 !!bs 19.CZJg4
A bit early! Over the board is dif­
ferent. Now I see that a better way
was 19. �d2! with a later CZJg4!
19 ... �ds?
Trying to control the weak square
f6. Actually a better move in this po­
sition is 19 ...CZJgS! with the same idea
and after 20. �d2 hs when Black has
covered the dark squares well!
20.�d2 hs
Now 20 ... CZJgS is not so good,
because of 2i.�f4 hs 22.CZJgs �e7
23.CZJh2! with a strong outpost at gs.
21.CZJ f6+!?
An interesting decision, if I can
say so. Temporarily sacrificing
a pawn for the es outpost. A bonus
is the weak black squares around
Black's king. But White would have
an advantage even after 2i.�f4
hxg4 22. !! xhS+ � xh8 23. �h6
�xes 24.CZJ xe5 CZJc6 25.CZJ xg4±
 CHAPTER T H R E E - CLASS I CA L SET- U P WI T H O UT e6
21 i.xf6 22.exf6 CZJgS 23.g4! '%!¥xf6
•••
23 ... CZJ xf6 is strategically bad.
24.CZJes CZJe4 25. '%!¥e3 (25. '%!¥j4? '%!¥f6)
2s ... h4 26 . .tf3 '%!¥gs (26... CZJ/6 2?.gs+­
) 27. � xe4 '%!¥xe3+ 28.fxe3 dxe4
29.0-0 B'. h7 30.gs �e7 3i. B'.f4±
White is dominant in this posi­
tion. His plan is clear; to open the h­
file and use the weak black squares.
2s ... ct:Je7 26. "i!¥f4 B'.fs 27.g4! h4
The only move because Black
cannot allow White's knight to g4.
27... hxg4 28. B'. h8! CiJ fs 29. B'. xf8+
�xf8 30.CZJxd7++-
28. B'.xh4 CZJc6 29.�d2
The king is safe here! It's time for
another rook to enter into the game!
29 ... CZJxes 30. '%!¥xes �c6
After 30 ... b4 White's rook on
ai becomes very useful! 3i.axb4
93
axb4 32. �d1! B'.a8 33. B'.xa8 '%!¥xa8
34. i.c2± and f4-fs is coming soon!
31. B'.h7 �d7
Black tries to evacuate his king!
The only piece without an impor­
tant function was the bishop, now
going to the ideal c2-square.
32 ... '%!¥e7 33 .tc2 B'.gsD
•
Aimed against �g6
34. B'.ah1
What else?
34 ... b4 35.axb4 axb4 36. '%!¥£6!?+­
The safest way. In the endgame,
the weak pawn on f7 (and weak dark
squares, of course) are good enough.
94 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
Also prom1smg was 36. !!a1
and Black cannot parry with 36...
!!as 37. !! xa8 i. xa8 38.�f4! !! fs
39. i.xg6+-
36 bxc3+ 37.bxc3 �xf6 38.gxf6
.••
!!bf8 39. !!a1!
Black's rooks are busy defending
the f7 pawn so the queenside is now
"empty".
39 ... i.b7 40. gs 'i!td6 41.'i!te3 !!hs
Black is helpless. Giving up
a pawn, but after 41. .. 'i!tC? only
torture awaits 42. 'i!tf4 'i!td6 43. !!a7
'i!tC? 44. 'i!tes 'i!tb6 45. !!a1 i.c6
46. !!ah1 'i!tc7 47. !!g7+-
42. ilxg6! !!xh7
42 .. .fxg6 43. !!xb7+-
43. �xh7
And the rest of the game was just
routine!
43 ... !! hs 44.g6 fxg6 45.f7 !! fs
46. i.xg6 'i!te7 47.'i!ff4 'i!tf6 48. �hs
The winning plan is !!g1-g8.
48 ... !!xf7
Conclusion: In this game the
most important thing was the move
orders! Try not to forget 6.ll:Jgf3!
with the idea of removing the black
bishop from fs. White needs to
have c2 square for the queen after
Black's move . . . c4! After removing
the bishop from fs and diagonal bi­
h7, �b3 is possible!
1-0
 C H A PT ER FO UR

CLASSICA L S E T-U P WITH ... e6

In this chapter we come to the main,
and the most often played, position
at the highest level. This position
has characteristics of an improved
Slav Defense and Stonewall with re­
versed colours with a tempo more for
White. A big plus in White's position
is the 'solved problem' of the bishop
on f4, as I said in the preface. Also in
my chess praxis I often met this po­
sition which allows for very rich play.
I can offer them 6. �d3!? which
shows the flexibility of 2. �f4! The
idea of 6. �d3 is simply to make
a Stonewall position after 6 ... �d6
7. �xd6 '%!fxd6 8.f4 cxd4! 9.cxd4 o-o
10.a3 �e7 11.�gf3 °%!fb6?! This was
not the best moment to enter into
the endgame, especially not against
Kramnik! (11 ... �fs!? 12. '%!fe2 �g400)
12.°%!fb3 °%!fxb3 13.�xb3 b6 14. �c1;\;
Kramnik-Grandelius Norway 2016.

1.d4 ds 2. � f4 cs 3.e3 �c6 4.c3 6 �d6

.•.

�f6 5.�d2 e6 The most logical move! Other

moves promise nothing good for
Black! White must always count
on moves like 6 ... � hs?! 7. �gs �b6
(7... �e7 B. �xe7 �xe7 9.� es �f6
10f4;!;) 8.dxcs!

a .1 BJ.B•m •
7 . ... . . ... . ...
6 ri1•• • • •
5 • �,� , • m•
43 • • •'?[:;;;::;
�� • �2 '?[
$!!,

B �/� OttJB
2 � n rn n � n
1 �f y•®,�/;£
�:'� �./riiir�
�/,; '!;§' � � � .§
6.�gf3 a b c d e f g h
for the simple reason that it pro­
vides more opportunities. Forplay­ 8 ... � xcs (8 . . . �xb2 ? 9.� d4!±)
ers who don't like complications 9.b4 �e7 10.bs �b8 11. �xe7 rJ;;;xe7
96 WI N N I N G WI T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
12.c4± Dgebuadze A.-Savchenko S.
Ubeda open 1998;
6 ... ile7 is a little passive and
my suggestion is to continue with
7.CLle5! mainly against CL:l hs. (7.h3 is
not so good because Black can con­
tinue with 7... ii.d6! and White lacks
the possibility of the typical London
move ilg3 with a later CL:les; 7. ii.d3
CL:l hsf oo ) 7... 0-0 (7. . . CL:l xes B. dxes
CLld7 9.h4!
the idea is to prevent . . . gs and to
play 't!fg4 next. 9... il.xh4? 10. 't!Ng4 gs
11. 'fJ.xh4! gxh4 12. 't!Ng7 'fJ.fB 13. �gs+-)
8. i.d3;!;; and White has an easy plan
to organize an attack via 't!Nfa-'t!fh3.
Check Gorovets A.-Ynojosa F., USA,
2015.
7. �g3!
The best reaction! Controlling
the es square is very important!
Here Black has three different plans
which will be shown throughout the
games in this chapter.
7... 0-0
7... 't!fe7 8.CL:les i. xes (8 ... ClJ d7
9. ii.bs!? -see Prie E.-Gozzoli Y. Fra
eh 2012.) 9.dxes CLld7 10.f4 -see Prie
E.-Dgebuadze A. Condom open 2012.
7... i.xg3?! The idea is clear: to go
for . . . es after . . . 't!fe7 or . . . 't!Nd6! But
from the other side White gains new
possibilities with the open h-file, and
Black also has the problem of what
to do with his king. Short-castling al­
ways brings big headaches for Black.
8.hxg3 't!Nd6 9. �d3 -see Sedlak N.­
Bodiroga P. Vrnjacka Banja 2012.
8. i.d3
This is the main and most played
move! As always, interesting is
8. �bs!? with the idea of fighting
for the es square and preventing
the . . . b6 plan! The best answer for
Black is 8 ... a6! (Avoiding a position
with doubled pawns is not the best
idea 8 ... CLle7 9. i.d3! The bishop has
finished his job and goes back to its
best place: the knight has been re­
moved from control of the es square.
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASS I CA L SET-U P WITH e6 97

9 ... b6 (9 ... lLig6 1 0.lLies b6 11. h4i s b6

...

Kamsky G.-Li Ruifeng Washington This is the most logical plan.

open 201s.) 10.e4! dxe4 11.ll:J xe4 Black is finishing development with
ll:Jxe4 12. il.. xe4 ll:Jds 13.dxcs (13.c4 ? the idea of fighting for the e4 square
fs!i) 13... ll.xcs 14.0-0 .tb7 1s. !!e1� after i.b7- ClJe7- ClJe4. A very im­
White's pieces are better placed. portant line is 8 ... �e7 9.ll:Jes ll:Jd7
Black must always worry about c4 10.ll:J xd7! .t xd7? 11. iL xd6 �xd6
or b4.) 9. 1l. xc6 bxc6 10.ll:Jes (10. 12.dxcs �xcs 13. �xh7+!!
�a4 cxd4! 11. il.. xd6 (11. �xc6? ilxg3
12.�xaB dxe3-+) 11 ... �xd6 12.cxd4
as! (12 ... !!bB 13.ClJb3 lLie4 14. !! c1 �)
13.0-0 iLa6 14. !! fc1 iLbs 1s.�c2
a4= the White knight can't come
to the cs square) 10 ... �C7 11.ClJd3!?
here the idea is to play on the dark
squares! 1i...c4 12. il.. xd6 �xd6
13.ll:Jcs es! 14.b3 cxb3 1s.axb3 !!e8
16.0-0?! In this blitz game, White
missed the next move (Better is to
wait with castling and strengthen See Kamsky-Shankland Eastern
the knight with 16.b4!? after which Class 2014.
1 6... ClJg4 ?! doesn't work 17. h3 exd4
18.cxd4 !!xe3+? 19. <Jlft!

A nice defensive move! White

avoids check and now Black's pieces
hang: 19... �h6 20. <Jlg1!±) 16 ... ClJg4!� In this position three continu­
Carlsen M.-Karjakin S. Wch blitz ations are possible, all of which
Berlin 201s. give a very rich play and the most
98 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
common is 9.e4!? �e7! (9 ... dxe4 ?!
-see Sedlak N. -Prusikin M. Region­
alliga 2014.) 10.e5 -see Grischuk A.
-Nakamura H. EU cup 2015. The
latest idea is 9.Wfe2!? �b7 10. !!d1!
with e4 plan-see Kamsky-Goganov
Aeroflot 2016. My suggestion is to
mix all of them, thereby avoiding
preparation from your opponents.
Nowadays, modern chess require
such ability!
9.. �b7
. bility to castle long at some point.
9 ... WiC??! 10.f4 1£le7 11. �h4! ;l;;
See Sedlak N.-Sargissian G .
Valjevo 2012.
10.f4 1£le7!
With the plan of fighting for the
e4 square by . . . 1£le4, or with the
plan . . . l£i f5-�e7- l£id6! 10 ... !!cS?!
11. �h4 �e7 12. �xf6! ;l;; See Sedlak
N.-Brkic A. Reykjavik 2015.
11.Wfbt!
This is the critical move: White
covers the e4 and f5 squares.
See Izoria Z., Brattain, USA, 2015.
N. Sedlak - P. Bodiroga
Vrnjacka Banja, 28.04.2012
In the classical set-up with 5 ... e6
Black used plan with 7... �g3 aiming
to play a fast . . . e5! I chose the plan
with 9. �d3 which offers the possi­
My opponent didn't react well with
9 ... �d7?! after which he encoun­
tered serious problems, mainly due
to the position of his king, which
proved expensive at the end. This
game shows the negatives of 7... �g3
and how White has to use the h-file.
1.d4 ds 2. � f4 cs 3.e3 1£lc6 4.c3
1£lf6 5.1£ld2 e6 6.l£igf3 �d6 7. �g3
�xg3?!
A very common plan with the
idea of playing . . . Wfd6 or . . . Wfe7
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASS ICAL S ET- U P WI TH e6 99

with next e5. This plan has one big continue with 9 ... e5 after which
minus - White gets the open h-file! my idea was to enter the end­
Properly using the h-file and with game after 10.dxe5 1£l xe5 11.1£l xe5
a timely opening of the position in �xe5 12.�a4+! �d7 13.!;Vf4 �xf4
the center, Black's monarch may be (13 ... �e7 14. 0-0-0 o-o-o 15. e4�
at risk. Grachev,B (2684) -Potkin,V (2606)
Ulan Ude 2009) 14.gxf4� White
8.hxg3 �d6 9. �d3!? has a pleasant endgame and a clear
It's hard to say which move is plan of launching his pawns on the
better: 9. �d3!? or 9. �b5!? It's mat­ kingside, however Black doesn't
ter of the taste! My opinion is that have weaknesses! If readers doesn't
both give a small advantage. Anoth­ like this one, you can always choose
er plan which looks perhaps a little 9. �b5.
bit simpler has been played by Gata
Kamsky 9. � b5!? 10. �e2
Development and a multifunc­
8 .. . ... . . . . tional move! Waiting with castling
7 ".· '•!1:
, • · ·,•
r�, .,
- �.
and threatening e4!
6
••% - - � ..

5 ·�· · · • 10 ...h6

•n" 1"'n·�
• �f� • •
4 One more waiting move! Other
3�
•
%
. � ���
moves also shows a downside to
2�Wf�{ · ·. " ,' ·/p P, '9
·"
o � �'. � o M
Black's position. 10 ... 0-0-0 is too
1 ��f "•��� -1.i risky 11.dxc5 !:fxc5 12.0-0 with
a fast attacking on the queenside!
a b c d e f g h
After 10 . . . e5 the black cent­
in order to prevent . . . e5 and er is unstable 11.dxc5! � xc5 12.e4
achieve control over the dark dxe4 (12 ... d4 13.l£lb3 �e7 14. cxd4
squares 9 ... �d7 10 . .ll xc6 .ll xc6 exd4 15. 0 - 0 - 0±) 13.1£l xe4 1£l xe4
11.1£le5 1£ld7 12.f4 1£l xe5 13.fxe5 !:fe7 14. k xe4 o-o-o 15.0-0-0 f5!? (15.. .
14.�g4 f5 15.�h5+ �d7 16.a4 �c7 f6 1 6. 'fl.xh7 'fl.xh7 17. �xh7±; 15 .. .
17.dxc5! �xc5 18.�g5 �f8 19.'£lf3� h6 1 6. 'fl.d5 �e7 17.1£lxe5! 1-0 (17)
Kamsky G.-Potkin V. FIDE World Sedlak,N (2568) -Hobber,A (2299)
blitz 2013. Norway 2013) 16. lt.d5! An impor­
tant move with the idea being to
9 it.d7?!
••• force e4 and gain the d4 square for
This move was probably played the knight! (16. 'fl.xd7 unfortunately
to avoid White's queen maneuver don't bring any advantage after 16...
after 9 ... e5. However Black should �xd7 17. �xf5+ �C7 1B.l£lg5 1£ld4!�;
1 00 W I N N I N G WI T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYST EM

16. ii.xc6 kxc6 17. 'i!.xd8+ 'i!.xd8 l5.tlJe5! tlJxe5 16.dxe5 �C7 17. 'i!.d6±
'S llds ' l9. c4 '111
18. 'i!.xh7 'lll · 'S 11as 20. a3 e4
21.ttJd2 �es) 16 ... e4 17. ii.xc6 � � xc6 14.0-0-0!
18."Ll
/1"'\d 4�

11.e4!--+
The right moment for opening
t�e position in the center and grab­
bmg the initiative!

a b c d e f g h

u ... dxe4 12.ttJxe4 ttJ xe4 13. ii.xe4
cxd4
More-or-less forced! 13 . . . o - o
14 dxc5 �xc5 15.0-0-0 'i!.ad8 16.g4,
:
with g5 next or 13 ... 0-0-0 14.0-0-
o 'i!.hes
14 ... �cs?!
This turns out to be a mistake, be­
c�use the white rook enters the game
with tempo via h5. Better was 14
�c8 15. <i!?b1 �e7 16.ttJxd4 (16.cxd�
tlJ b4! 17. ii.xb7 'i!.b8 18. ke4 o-o)
16 ... ttJxd4 17- 'i!.xd4 �c6 18. ii. xc6+
'i!.xc6? Sedlak N -Rama L . C et"mJe· .
2016. (18... bxc6�) 19. 'i!.hd1 'i!.b6
8 • • • �-. :
� �• •.••
7 . , � ·" ' •
W.&%1 � . ,;
!

%%: 0/ . . � ..0W • . % ,3
/ , �""' "" ;,
6
-
� • •, / . .
� ... . .

5• •
J

4 .·�/. /5i�/··
�rg· "•
•
3-�
�. ., � . • n
2 /? D . R�D�,�
- ,. � �
, .�. M
a b c d e f g h

20. 'i!.d8+! �xd8 21. 'i!.xd8+ <i!?xd8

22. �e5 <i!?e7 23.�xg7 'i!.d8 24.�xh6±;
l4 ...o-o l5.tlJxd4 �e7 16. kc2!--+
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASS I CA L SET- U P WI TH e6 1 01

1s. lZ:J xd4 CZJ xd4 16. � xd4 il.c6 21. �xh6gxh6 22. �xh6+-) 21. �xh6+
17. �hs!± gxh6 22. � h4 <i!?gs 23 . �xh6 fs
24.�h8+ <i!?f7 25.�h7++-

18. l::! c 4
There is no respite for Black!

18 ... �d6 19. il.xc6+

One more weakness appears!

19 ...bxc6 20. l::! d 4 �cs 21.�e3!

Threatening �d8

21 ... �fs 22. �d6 �bs 23. �hi+-

The rook has finished his job!
This is what I am talking about; Black is left with huge holes in his
the h-file is very important. position, is without co-ordination
and also has a weak king!
17... gs
A further weakening! More 23 ... �bs 24.b3 as 2s. �d4 o-o
logical was n .. �b6 18. �b4 �c7 26.�f6
19.�e3! ± excellent initiative-gain­ There is no defence against �h6
ing moves which keep Black's king or �h6! Conclusion: After the ex­
in the center! Black is not able to change of the bishop by taking on
play 19 ... 0-0 (19 .. , ji_xe4 20. �xe4 g3 and opening the h-file, always try
�bB 21.g4�) 20. il.h7+!! to use the h-file! Don't think about
short castling, your best option is
s .1 • • • • • long castling and opening the posi­
1 rll•
6
i-; • • •�
% -� .t.r.---'.
,; tion in center! Black's king is unsafe!
1-0
5 • • • ·�
4 -�'p· · ·
3• MH
�,, ,
' ;,
�p � A. Gorovets (2515) - F. J. Ynojosa

2 lrJ /.'; �rJi• Aponte (2415)

1� p,i � � � USA tt ICC I NT (1), 25.08.2015

a b c d e f g h
In this game Black chose a slightly
Forcing the black king into fur­ passive set-up, developing the bish­
ther checks! 20 ... <i!?xh7 (20... <i!thB op on e7 instead of on d6. White
1 02 W I N N I N G WI T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
reacted timely with 7.1£les and be­
gan a typical action against Black's
king in the London System! In this
game, you can see a multitude of
motifs which are characteristic of
our opening.
l.d4 '£if6
Our move order is i. .. ds 2. �f4 cs
3.e3 1£lc6 4.c3 l£i f6 5.1£ld2 e6 6.'£igf3
ile7 7.1£les
2. i. f4 e6 3.e3 cs 4.1£1 {3 1£lc6
5.'£ibd2 ds 6.c3 .ile7?! 7.1£les!t
a b c d e g h a
A precise move in the spirit of
the position, and it was necesseary
to play it now to prevent 1£l hs! After
the thematic and careless 7. �d3?!
comes 7 ... '£i hs 8. �es f6! 9. ,ilg3
(9.1£lgs g6 10.'£i xh7 1£l xes 11.dxes
fs 12.g4 Exh7 13.gxhs E xhs+) 9 ...
g6oo with a further 1£l xg3. A luke­
warm move is 7.h3?! i.d6!= and now
White loses the possibility to play
his typical plan with �g3- 1£le5-f4!
7... 0-0
Black didn't want to hurry with
his reaction in the center because it
doesn't look safe! Forcing continua­
tions in the center hand White at­
tacking possibilities. For example: 7...
1£l xes 8.dxes 1£ld7 9.h4! continuing
the play on the kingside with �g4!
If Black tries to take the poisoned
pawn, than comes (9. �g4? gs 10. ilg3
hs-+) 9 ... i.xh4 10.�g4 gs 11. Exh4!
gxh4 12.�g7 Ef8 13. ilgs+-
b c d e g h
Simple and good! It very rarely
happens that the typical "London"
move 9. �hs doesn't work well but
here 9 .. .fs (9 ... g6? is a big weaken­
ing 10. �e2-+ and h4-hs comes) and
after the only consistent try 10.g4,
Black has a strong answer in 10 ...
1£1 f6 11. �h3 cxd4 12.exd4 1£1 xes
13.dxes 1£l xg4 14.£3 i. h4+ 1s. i.g3
1£l xes!-+
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASSICAL S ET- U P WITH e6 1 03

9 Cl:Jdxes?!
••• With this move, White supports
Black can't handle the tension in ideas with �h7 and Cl:Jgs. 11 ... Cl:Jxes
the center any longer and goes for
simplifications. After this move, (After 11 .. fxes? the typical sacri­
White gains bigger attacking pros­ fice on h7 works well 12. ilxh7+!
pects on the kingside! Safer was 9 ... <:J:Jxh7 13. Cl:Jgs+ <:J:igB 14. W!!hs �xgs
f6 10.Cl:J xc6 bxc6 11.0-0 c4 i2. �c2 15.hxgs '8xf4 1 6. ex/4 exf4 17.g6
fs making a hole on es, but prevent­ <:J:ifB 18. W!!hB+ <:J:Je7 19. W!!xg7+ <:J:id6
ing e4 which is more important. 20. '8h8 W!/gs 21. W!/jB++-)
i3.h3;!; and the White plan is to
open the position with b3 at a pref­ 12. �xes! Here the knight is more
erable moment. important than the bishop! 12 ...
fxes 13.CZJxes W!/es
10.dxes
Only in this way White keeps the
initiative and attacking chances!
The knight on f3 is important in at­
tack and there was no reason to ex­
change him for his colleague on c6.

10 ... fs
A logical decision! Black tries to
close down the diagonal and there­
by kill off the dangerous bishop on
d3! Too slow is io .. .f6 11.h4! This is (13 . . . ilf6 14. W!ihs g6 15.CLJxg6
very often one of the crucial moves hxg6 16.W!lxg6+ ilg7 17.W!/h7+ <:J:Jf7
for attacking in this type of position. 18. '8h3+-)

14. W!/b1! in these situations it is very

often important to keep the empty
c2-square for the bishop! 14 ... W!/hs
15.f4 �d6 16.g4 W!/h6 17. W!/d1�

11.h4! C4
Black gives up the d4 square but
tries to create counterplay on the
queenside. The break in the center
with 11 ... d4 just makes the e6 pawn
weaker 12. W!/e2±
1 04 W I N N I N G WI T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

(14.CLJd4 CLJxd4 15.cxd4 hs 16. it.g6

� fs�; 14.CLJh2 d4! 15. ke4 dxe3
16.�xd8 exfa+ 17- �xfa CLJ xd8
18. k xa8 � xf4+ 19. �g3 � fs
20.CLJ xg4 hs with a total mess!}

14 ... ii.. xgs 15.hxgs

(White hasn't enough power for

15. it. xh7+ �xh7 16.hxgs+ �g6
17.�xg4 �f7 18. � h7 �g8+)

15 ... g6 16.�xg4 � f7 17- � h6 �g7

and the Black position is still
Everything is ready for this typi­ difficult!
cal break, and White doesn't need
to waste time on �g1! 14.gxfs bxc3
In a tough position Black has
13 b4?+-
... nothing to lose! 14 ... exfs 15. ii.. a4
An understandable mistake! CLJas 16. �g1±
Black was afraid to open the diag­
onal bl-h7 and continues with his
primary plan which is too slow! The
only chance for Black was to accept
the challenge with 13 ... fxg4!

White chooses to finish the game in

attacking style instead of in position­
al fashion. 15.bxc3 exfs 16. ka4 CLJb8
17. �b1 ii.. e6 18.CLJd4 �c8 19. �gi+-
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASS ICAL SET-U P WI TH e6
15 gxf6?!
•••
And Black chooses the quickest
way to lose! Somewhat better was
15 ... cxb2 16. !!b1 �xf6 17.exf6 �xf6
18. !!g1 �c3+ 19. Wfi! when Black has
three pawns for a piece so the best
idea is to play for attack! (It wouldn't
be so easy after 19. �d2?! �xd2+
20. 'i!txd2 d4! 21. �e4 c3+ 22. 'i!tc2
�b7 23. il.xc6 Ji.xc6 24./!£Jxd4 il.e4+
25. Wxc3 Ji.xbi 26. !!xbi es! 27- �xes
!!xf2 28. !!xb2 !!cB+ 29. Wb3 !!xb2+
30. 'i!txb2t) 19 ... !!xf4! 20.exf4 l!iJ b4
2i./!£Jd4 /!£Jxc2 22./!£Jxc2 �f6 23. !!g3!
�a6 and Black has some compensa­
tion for the rook deficit!
16./!£Jd4!
The queen joins the attack and
the game is over!
16 ... cxb2
1 6 . . . /!iJ xe s 17. Ji.. xh7+ W h 8
18. �hs+- o r 1 6. . .1!£J xd4 n il.. xh7+
Wh8 18. �hs /!£J f3 + 19.We2+­
n ii.. xh7+! Wh8 18.�hs! bxa1�+
19. il.bi+
Conclusion: With the passive 6 ...
�e7 Black gives up the fight for the
es square and allows an easier at­
tack for White. One of the crucial
ideas and moves in this game was
10.dxes and 11.h4! which you need
to remember!
1-0
1 05
E. Prie -A. Dgebuadze
Condom open, 16.07.2012
In comparison with the previous
game, Black chose 7... �e7 instead
of 7... Ji.. g 3 with the idea . . . es! Af­
ter White's typical reaction 8.l!iJes,
he chose a dubious plan giving up
the dark-square bishop which was
the later cause of his weak dark
squares. In the game White had
only to choose the right moment to
ruin the center with c4, getting to
the weak square d6! After that the
game was soon finished.
1.d4 ds 2. Ji.. f4 cs 3.e3 /!£Jc6 4.c3
/!£Jf6 5./!£Jd2 e6 6./!£Jgf3 Ji.. d6 7. i.. g3
�e7
The idea is . . . es!
s.l!iJes
A typical way to prevent . . . es!
8. ii.bs!? is always interesting, with
the same idea. After 8 ... a6? comes
9. ii.xc6+ bxc6 10. �a4 �d7 11 . ..ixd6
�xd6 12.�a3! ±
s kxes?! t
.••
This decision is not fully justified.
After this move, the dark squares in
Black's position will become weak,
especially the d6 square at some
point!
1 06 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
Black has a better choice here,
one which we will see in the next
games!
s ... llJd7 9. �bs!
8 ... o-o! 9 . .1l.d3
9.dxes llJd7 10.f4 fs
This move has two ideas; block­
ading the center and preventing e4!
11.llJb
With 11.exf6 llJ xf6 12 . .1l.bs o-o
13.0-0 ii.d7;t Black gains a little 're­
lease'. It was too early for 11.c4 d4
(11 ... llJb6 12.cxds llJxds 13.llJc4 o - o
14.Vlid2;t) 12.exd4 cxd4 (12 ... llJxd4
13.llJf3 llJxf3+ 14. Vlixf3;t) 13.a3 as
14.llJ f3 llJcs�
11 ...h6
Directed against � h4- llJgs
12.llJ h4!
Forcing Black into passive play!
Still not working is 12.c4 llJb6 13.b3
gs�
12 ... llJ fs 13. il.e2 g6?!
Black shouldn't worry too much
about it. hs! Bigger hopes arise from
13 ... gs!? 14. � hs+ �ds 1s.llJ f3 �c7
16.0-0 b6;t but here also the black
king is not so safe after a subse­
quent b4!
Now is the right moment because
the llJ fs is far from the ds square!
15 ... Vlid7 16.0-0!
I suppose White didn't want to
hurry with 16.cxds because he didn't
want to give a spot for the knight
on e6, but in that case also White
would have a clear advantage! 16 ...
exd5 17.Vlid2 llJe6 18. �d1 llJe7 19.o­
o b6 20.b4±
16 ...b6
In case of 16 ... dxc4 White would
swoop into the point d6! 17-llJd2
llJas (l'J. .. bs 18.a4±) 18.llJ xc4 llJxc4
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASS I CA L SET- U P WITH e6
19. il. xc4 !fxd1 20. !! fxd1 �d7
21. !!d6±
17.a3 as?
Weakening the b6 pawn! More
resistant was 17... dxc4 18.ezJd2 ezJa5
19. !fc2 ii.. a6 (19 . . . il.. b7 20.lLixc4
lLixc4 21. 1lxc4 $t.e4 22. !fe2 o - o ­
o 23. !!fd1 !fe7 24. !!xdB+ !fxdB
25. !!d1 !fe7 26. !! d6±) 20. !! fd1
!¥C7 21.ll:Jxc4 ezJxc4 22. it.xc4 �xc4
23.!fxc4 !!d8 24.!fa4+ !!d7 25.b4±
18 ... !fc7
Black gives up a pawn to avoid
a complete strategic wreck! 18 ...
!!b8 19.cxds exds 20. !! fd1 c4 21.!fc3
it.a6 22. !fd2 ezJe7 23. it. h4+-
19.cxds a4
With this intermediate move
Black gets the b3 square, but he will
not find a lasting benefit from it.
1 07
20. !fd1 exds 21. !fxds �e6 22. !fd2
�b3 23.!fc3!
Making a route for the knight:
d2-c4-d6!
23 ... ezJe6 24.ezJd2 ezJa5 25.ezJxb3
The last piece which still kept the
positon together is now killed off.
25 ... axb3 26. !!ad1 !!ds 27. !!xds+
'itixd8 28. !!di+ 'itie7 29. �h4+!
With the idea to open up the
black king even more.
29 ... gs 30.fxgs hxgs 31. il.g3 c 4
32.h4! g4 33. !!ft ll:Jg7
33 ... !!f8 34.hs+- and next comes
$t.h4!
34.e4 !!fs 35.e6
1-0
Lessons to be learned:
i. Don't forget to play 8. ll:Jes af­
ter 7... !fe7, making a Stone­
wall position. Don't allow . . .
es after which Black solves his
problems.
2. The reaction 8 ... il.es?! Is a po­
sitional mistake and the dark
squares will be weak. Attack
the center with c4 at a suita­
ble moment, and by opening
the d-file you target the weak
square d6.
1 08 W I N N I N G WI T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

9. �b5!
Forcing Black into . . . � xes! The
E. Prie - Y. Gozzoli most-played move in this position
FRA-ch Accession, 24.08.2012 is 9.f4 o-o 10. �d3 (Just once was
there played 10. il.. b s!?
This game reminds one a lot of the
previous game, with the difference 8 . . ... . . . .
being 8 ... CZJd7 instead of giving up 7 • · • � • · •r
the dark-squared bishop with 8 ... 6 ·�· · · •
Ji.es?! White reacted in the strong­ 5•� �-· rn //. •
est way with 9. Ji. bs! forcing Black 4 . - ,n n �.
into . . . Ji. xes. Actually the differ­
ence is in White's bishop placed
3• �o'· - ·· ;0 3��-� �
A 'tff ";/ W'% 8 A W'�
2 ei !:l � W 8 ei H
on bs. The critical moment in the 1�%'.�{ "�,illxi
8 1§f %
� 0( 0W
!f/;;;/
-�%
game was 12 .. .fs? instead of 12 .. .f6! a b c d e f g h
This faulty decision left Black with­
out counterplay and White used
that with the typical plan of B'.g1-g4
building up an attack on the Black
king.

1.d4 ds 2. Ji. f4 cs 3.e3 CZJc6 4.c3

CZJf6 5.CZJd2 e6 6.CZJgf3 Ji.d6 7. Ji.g3
Vlfe7 s.CL:les CZJd7

a b c d e f g h

12.CZJg6! hxg6 13. il.. xg6 B'.f7 14. 'YWhs

'YWeB 15f5 es 16.e4!+- cxd4 17.exds
dxc3 18.CZJe4 cxb2 19. �xf7+ Ylfxf7
20. Vlfxf7+ �xf7 21.CZJxd6+ �fB
22 . .B'. bi+-) 12.CZJdf3 CZJd7 13. ll h4;;l;
Kosic D.-Kanep M. Dresden ol 2008.
White has achieved what he want­
The idea is to play . . . f6 after ed. The knight remains on es and
castling!
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASSICAL SET- U P W I T H e6
now White has the clear plan of
�g1-g4!) 10 .. .f6 11. k h4
(Now 11. kxh7+
is not so dangerous 11 ... �xh7
12. V/!Ihs+ �g8 13.liJg6 V/!Ie8oo with
next liJe7)
11 ... V/!Ies 12.liJ xc6 bxc6.
9.. �xes
.
By giving up the bishop pair,
Black doesn't waste time. For ex­
ample 9 ... liJdb8 10. �xc6+!?
10 . . . bxc6 (1 0 . . . liJ xc6 1 1 . liJ xc6
bxc6 12. V/!Ia4 �d7 13. ii.xd6 V/!Ixd6
14.V/!Ia3±) 11.V/!Ia4 �b7 12.liJd3;t and
the knight is coming to cs!
1 09
Or 9 ... liJdxe5 10.dxe5 �c7 11.V/!Ig4!
V/!Jfs (11 ... 0-0 12. �h4 liJxes 13. �xe7
liJxg4 14. �xcs! � dB 15. �e7+ -)
12. �xc6+ bxc6 13.V/!Ia4 ii.d7 14.c4±
with the well-known idea �c1- liJb3
and the cs pawn is doomed.
10.dxes o-o 11.f4 c4
Black gives up the d4 square,
seeking counterplay with . . . liJcs.
It's necessary to preserve the
bishop and use him in action on the
kingside!
12 f5?
..•
With this move Black has capitu­
lated! He had to search counterplay
with 12 .. .f6! 13.exf6 liJ xf6 14.0-0
ii.d7 15. ii. h4 ii.eS;t activating the
bishop.
13.l;Jf3
13.exf6 - transposes to 12 .. .f6
110 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

13... ctJc5 14. �h4 W9e8 15. �c2 �d7 18 ... WHhs
16. �gi! ± The toughest defence was 18 ...
ctJd3+!? 19. �xd3 cxd3 20.W9xg4 W9g6
2i.ctJ h3 �e8 22.ctJ fa W9xg4 23. � xg4
�g6 24. <i!fd2±; 18 . . . h6 19. W9xg4
hxgs 20. �xgs ctJd3+ 2i. �xd3 cxd3
22. �f6+-

19.W9xg4 W9xg4 20. �xg4

Although it can now be consid­
ered an endgame, White's attack
continues.

20 ... ctJd3+

Black can't prevent g4 next, after

which the diagonal and g-file opens
to his monarch.

16 ... <i!th8 17.g4 fxg4 18.llJgs!

An important move! White is
going to take the pawn with queen!
After 18. � xg4? things start to be­
come complicated: 18 ... WHhs and
now 19.ctJgs doesn't work because
of 19 ... ctJd3+ 20. �xd3 cxd3 2i. W9xd3
ctJxes!
Black was more-or-less forced
into this. 20 ... h6 2i.ctJ h7 �g8 (21 ...
�fs 22.ctJ/6+-) 22.ctJ f6! �gf8 23.<i!fd2!
gxf6 24. � xf6+ � xf6 25.exf6 es
26. �g6! e4 27. �ag1 <i!fh7 28. �g7+
<i!th8 29. � 1g6+- or 20 ... g6 2i. �g3!±
with �h3 next.

21. �xd3 cxd3 22. <i!fd2 h6

a b c d e f g h
Releasing the bishop from de­
fending the e6 pawn.
22.fxes �bs!+ A nice deflection!
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASSICAL SET- U P WI TH e6
23.lLlf3 �es 24. �ag1 .ths
Black was unable to defend the
pawn 24 . . . � f7 25. � xg7! � xg7
26. � f6+- or 24 ... gs 25.tLlxgs! hxgs
26. ii.xgs �g6 27. ii.f6+ �xf6 28.exf6
i.h7 29. �h4+- with �g7 next, and if
Black continues with 29 ... �g8 then
winning is 30. �xg8+ Wxg8 31.f7++-
The final punch! Black's king is
helpless!
2s... �xf3 26. �7g6 Wh7 27. �f6 �xf6
Avoiding a 'mill'! 27... �f7 28. �g?+
�xg7 29. � xg7+ Wh8 30. �g3+ Wh7
31. � xf3 �g8 32.Wxd3 �g2 33. �g3!
�xg3 34.hxg3 Wg6 35.e4 dxe4+
36.Wxe4+-
28. �xf6
There is little comfort for Black
in his minimal material advantage
in view of his coordination and king
position.
111
28 ... i.e4 29. �xe6
The central pawns are unstoppa­
ble now! Black's knight is cut off and
cannot help!
29 ... �ds 30. � f6 �d7 31.e6 �e7
32. �g3
More convincing was 32. � f7+!
Whs 33. !! fs+ Wh7 34.fs lLles 35.f6
tLlc4+ 36. Wei d2+ 37. We2+-
32 ... bs
32 ... lLlds 33.fs+-
33.b3?!
Perhaps the final move has been
wrongly entered into the database?
1-0
Lessons to be learned:
1. with 9. � bs! you are forcing . . .
�xes
2. after 11 ...c4 don't forget the bish­
op retreat lla4-llc2; you need
to keep the bishop for the attack!
112 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

3. if Black closes the position in

the center with . . .fs, you build
an attack with �g1-g4

G. Kamsky (2709) - S. L. Shankland

(2611)
23rd Eastern Class, Sturbridge (4),
16.03.2014

Here is another one of the most im­

portant lines! Black chooses a very
natural classical set-up with . . .
i.d6-. . . 'Y:!fe7-. . . o-o, with the fur­
ther idea . . . �d7-f6, removing the al­ 10.�xd7!
ways unpleasant knight from es! Af­ The best move after which the
ter 10.�d7 the critical moment came, critical position arises! After the typ­
where Black reacted badly with 10... ical 10.£4 Black can play 10 ...f6 with­
�d7? which leads almost to a loss af­ out negative consequences because
ter a "modified" thematic bishop sac­ 11. �xh7+ doesn't work for white 11 ...
rifice on h7. In view that this game is �xh7 12.Y:!fhs+ �g8 13.�g6 Y:!fes
relatively new, it's a little bit strange 14.fs i.xg3+ 15.hxg3 exfs 16.0-0-0
how the strong GM from USA was not �e7! 17.�xe7+ Y:!fxe7 18.'Y:!fxfs �b6
informed about this trap in the open­ 19.'Y:!fh7+ �f7 20. Y:!fhs+ g6 21. 'Y:!fh7+
ing. It shows that many strong play­ �e8 22.Y:!fxg6+ 'Y:!ff7+
ers still don't take the "London Sys­
tem" seriously. It's interesting to say,
but I have known this trap for almost
10 years and I had it in my notes. Un­
fortunately I still haven't had a chance
to use it in an official game. Try to
memorise this game to the end be­
cause you need to play very precisely!

1.d4 �f6 2. �f4 ds 3.e3 e6 4.�d2

cs 5.c3 �c6 6.�gf3 �d6 7. �g3
o-o s. i.d3 'Y:!fe7 9.�es
Never forget about this move,
needed to prevent es!
 CHAPTER FOU R - C LASSIC A L S ET-U P WITH e6 113

A bad move after which Black los­ 1 1 . . . 'i!f x d 6 1 2 . dxcs 'i!f xcs
es a pawn, but who can assume 13. Ji.xh7+!+-
that something is hidden here? The
only move is 10 ... 'i!fxd7! 11.0-0

(Polish G M Heberla continued

with 11.dxc5 but there followed
some unexpected counterplay
from Black 11 il.xcs 12./!iJ/3 'i!fe7
•••

13.e4 fs! 14. li.. h4 Heberla-Za­

jic Plovdiv 2015. and here Black
missed the nice tactic 14 ... ilxf2+!

a b c d e g h

This modified thematic sacrifice

works very nicely here! The knight
comes into the attack with tempo
via e4!

13 ... Wxh7 14. 'i!fhs+ Wg8 1s./!iJe4!

15. Wxf2 'i!fcs+ 1 6. Wei fxe4+;
11. 1Lxd6 'i!fxd6 12. dxcs 'i!fxcs
13. il.. xh7+ Wxh7 14. 'i!fhs+ WgB
15./!iJe4 g6 16. 'i!fgs 'i!fe7 17./!iJ/6+
Wg7 18.liJhs+ Wh7 19./!iJ/6+ Wg7=
in this line you can see the plus­
es of having the bishop on c8 in­
stead of on d7 as in the game.)
'i!fc4
Now after 15 ... g6 the bishop
is hanging on d7 16.liJ xcs gxhs
17./!iJxd7+- and another pawn on hs
will also fall!
16.liJgs �fds
After 16 ... 'i!fd3 White cuts off the
diagonal after 17.e4! � fdS 18.'i!fxf7+
'!ihs 19. �di+-

n ... b6 12. il.. xd6 'i!fxd6 13.f4;;!;; with 17.'i!fxf7+ Wh8 18.'i!fhs+!
a typical London position without An important check against . . .
the bad bishop. 'i!fh4!

11. ii.xd6
Now comes a couple of forced
moves.
114 WI N N I N G WI T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

18... �g8 19. �d1!

21 tZ::l e 7!?
•.•

A crucial move. With this move Black finds the only way to pro­
White doesn't allow . . . ¥!fd3. long the surrender. 2i. .. 1i.g4 does
not bring safety after 22.f3 ¥Wes
19 ... es 23.¥!fg6! ¥!fe3+ 24.�fi �g8 25.¥!fh7+
The idea is . . . ¥!fg4. 19 ... �e8 los­ �fB 26.¥!fh8+ �e7 27.¥!fxg7+ �d6
es by force 20. ¥!fh7+ �f8 21. ¥!fh8+ 28. �xds#
�e7 22.¥!fxg7+ �d6 23.b3! ¥!fh4
24.g3 ¥!fg4 (24 . . . ¥!f h5 25. fi::rn 4 #)
25.tZ::l f7+ .fi.xf7 26.¥!fxg4+-
Black can't cover the f7 square
because the rook enters the attack
19 . . tZ::l e s 20. �d4!+-
.

20.¥!ff7+
A precise move! 20. ¥!fh7+?! �f8
2i.¥!fh8+ �e7 22.¥!fxg7+ �d6 and
Black's king runs away.

20 ... �hs 21.e4!

White cuts off the 4th rank with
the main idea being to prevent . . .
¥!fh4! Although the white king doesn't
look safe, Black cannot endanger
him. 23 ... d4 24.¥!fxe5 dxc3 25.¥!fxc3
¥!fxc3 (25 . . . ¥!Vxa2 2 6. ¥!Vh3 + �gB
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASS I CA L S ET- U P WITH e6 115

27-�h7+ rttfB 28. �fs+ rttgB 29. �xhs
�hi + 3 0. rtt e2 � xd2 + 31. rtt xd2
�dB+ 32. r:Ji;e3 �xh1 33.�b3+ rtt h B
34.li:Jf7++-) 26.bxc3 �xd2 27.r:Ji;xd2
kingside, which I then used in the
thematic way with g4!
1.d4 ds 2 .ll f4 li:J f6 3.e3 e6 4.li:Jd2
•

�ds+ 28. rttc 1 �d3 29. rttc 2+- cs 5.c3 li:Jc6 6.li:Jgf3 �d6 7. ilg3
o-o s .id3 b6 9.li:Jes �c7?!
•

24.�f7!+-
and Black doesn't have a defence
against �hs with the further hunt­
ing of the Black king. The rest of the
game is very clear and without any
comments, because everything was
forced.

24 ... �ai+ 25. �d1 �xb2 26.�hs+

r:J;;;gs 27. �h7+ rtt fs 28. �hs+ rtte 7
29.�xg7+ r:Ji;d6 30. � xds+ rtt c 6
31.�f6+
Conclusion: Black walked into an
opening trap by taking 10 ... .ll d7?
after which he lost to very precise
moves! You have to memorise many
crucial moves in leading the attack.
1-0
N. Sedlak (2538) - G .Sargissian
(2693)
SRB-chT Valjevo (3.4), 19.09.2012
Not the best move. The main and
the best move nowadays is 9 ... it.b7
and after 10.f4 li:Je7! with the idea
to take the e4 square under control.
10.f4 li:Je7
Black had a similar idea but here
there is a big difference.
11 .ll h4!
•

Now Black doesn't have . . . li:Je4.

In the classical set-up with . . . e6 and
a further . . . o-o-. . . b6, my reputa­ 11 ...li:Jes
ble opponent made an inaccurate 11 ... li:J fs 12. it. xf6 gxf6 13.li:Jg4
move 9 ... �c7?! which allowed me r:J;;;g7 14.0-0 hs 15.e4
to introduce the typical plan for the
London System. By exchanging my
dark-squared bishop for a knight,
I obtained nice prospects on the
116 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYST EM
A logical decision, otherwise . . .
'2lfs or . . .f6 is corning. 12.Y!+'hs '2lfs
13.g4 g6-+
12 �xe7
.•.
If Black takes 12 ... !fxe7 White
has an attractive option in 13.h4!
A nice prophylactic move with
a hidden idea against . . .f6 (13. !+'hs is
not the best in this position because
Black can play 13 ...g600 with f6 next.)
13 ... f6 14. i. xh7+! �xh7 15.!fhs+
Wg8 16.'2lg6 !fd7 17.g4! cxd4 18.gs!
13.!fhs! fs
Closing down the d3 bishop but
allowing an opening of the g-file.
Also logical was 13 ... '2l f6 14.!fh3
i.b7 15.g4 '2le4 but after 16.gs�.
it's not clear how Black should con­
tinue. The knight is pinned because
of the mate threat on h7 and White
can simply build his attack with
!!g1- '2lg4 with many threats.
13 ... g6 weakening his own posi­
tion in front of the king 14. Y!+'e2 f6
15.'2lef3;\; and now White has new
targets in Black's position. The next
move could be h4.
14.g4! '2l f6 15. Y!+'h3 '2le4 16. gxfs
White has done a good job. The
knight on es is alive, the impor­
tant g-file is open and the <ls pawn
in Black's position has become very
weak.
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASSI CA L S ET- U P WI TH e6 117

16 exfs 17. ll.. b s!

••• Of course Black saw the trick af­
ter 17... ll.. e 6 18.etJxe4 dxe4 19.d5!

White opens the d-file for further

A move with a double idea. The blows! 19 ... � xds 20.0-0-0 ll.e6
first is to play ll.. c 6 and the second (20... �ad8 21. �xds �xds 22. �c4+-)
is to move the bishop from d3 to 21. �d7!
threaten also ClJe4 sometimes.

17... 'ifd6?!
In an unpleasant position Black
doesn't find the best defense. The
queen was well-placed on c7 from
which she defends her king well.
The best defence was 17... ll.. d6 and
then White can use a tactical pos­
sibility to achieve a small plus by
exchanging the inactive knight
from d2 18.etJdc4!? (18. ll.c6 ii. b7 2i... ll.. xd7 22. ii.c4+ \!Jh8 23.etJg6#
19. ll.d7 ll.c8=) 18 ... ll.. xes (18... dxC4
19. ll.xc4+ \!Jh8 20.etJg6#) 19.etJ xes 18. �g1 il.f6
cxd4 20.exd4 a6 21. �d3 �f6 22. �g1 Also in this position 18 ... �e6
ll.e6;;!;; although White's pieces stand doesn't work because of 19.etJ xe4
well, it's not easy to crush the black fxe4 (1 9 . . . dxe4 2 0. 'ii' h 6 ll.f6
position. For example: 23. �g2 \!Jh8 21. �d7!+-) 20.'ii' h6 �f6 21. �d7!
24.0-0-0 �h6 2s.'iff3 bs 26. �dg1
�g8 and somehow Black is still in
the game.
118 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

21. .. �bs 22.lLid7!

a b c d e f g h

This is the point! A lot of tacti­

cal possibilities are hidden in this
position.

(22. ..txds+ is not clear after 22 ...

�fB! 23. °Y!Hxh7 °Y!Hxds 24. °Y!HhB+
°Y!HgB 25. °Y!HxgB+ �xgB 2 6.lLic6
ile6�)

22 ... ..t h4+

(22 . . . � xd7 23 . il xd7 il. xd7

2 4 . � xg 7 + + - ; 2 2 . . . il. x d7
23. �xg7++-)

23 . °Y!Hxh4 il. xd7 2 4 . °Y!Hgs °Y!Hfs

20 �ds?
.•• 25 . ..txds++-
Losing by force. The rook leaves
the f6 point and now the bishop on 22.°Y!Hxd6 �xd6 23. ilxa8
f6 will hang. The only move was 20 ... White is the exchange up but the
°Y!Hc7 2i. il.c6 .ilb7 22 . ..t xb7 °Y!Hxb7 position must be played carefully.
23 .0-0-0 cxd4 24.cxd4 � ac8+
25.�b1± 23 ... ..tf6 24.dxcs!
White needs to get to the ds
21 ..tc6!+- ..txes
• pawn.
Now Black is forced to give up
some material!
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASSICAL SET- U P W I T H e6
In this way the problem of the
misplaced bishop is solved.
26 ... d4 27. kxe4 kxc4 28.b3 ka6
In case 28 ... i.e2 white has the
strong answer 29. �d2 d3 30. kxd3!
i.xd3 31. �gdi+-
29. i,d3
The only move, otherwise . . . e4
comes!
29 .txd3 30. �xd3 �e6 31. �e1
•••
�e4
Preventing e4!
32. Wd2 dxe3+ 33. �exe3
Black took one pawn but the rook
is entering on the 7th rank!
33 ... �xf4 34. �d7 .Ji.gs 35. We2
Against top players you always
need to be careful. 35. �e8+ ??
�f8+-+
11 9
35 ...h6 36. � f3 � h4 37.h3
The safest way of avoiding the
tricks is to keep the pieces on the
white squares!
37... as 38. �a7 �e4+ 39. Wf1 i.d2
40. �g3!
White wins a pawn or exchanges
rooks.
40 ... ll.. gs
40 ... g5 41. �d3 �d4 42. �xd4 cxd4
43.We2 ii.b4 44. �d7 ii.c3 45.Wd3+-
41. �xas c4 42. �a4!
The quickest way. Black is pinned
on the 4th rank. 42.bxc4 � xc4
43. �as+ Wh7 44.M �ci+ 45. We2+­
and White is winning but it can
take a lot of time.
42 ... k h4 43. �g1!
This looks passive, but the idea
is to support pushing the pawns on
the queenside in the future! 43. �g4
�ei+ 44. Wg2 cxb3 45.axb3 .Ji. f6
1 20 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
and Black has gained some minor
chances in the endgame! He will
control the b-pawn from behind.
43 ... g f4+ 44.�g2 gfa+ 45.�h1
.ilf6 46. gxc4!
I didn't want to have a passive
rook after 46.bxc4 gc2
46 ... gxa2 47. ghi!
Like in all rook endgames, the
rook should support the pawn from
behind. Finally Black's counterplay
is killed off!
47... �f7 48.b4 �e6 49.hs ga7
so. gc6+ �ds 51.h6 ga1 52. gcci
I must admit that this is one of
my favorite victories. Conclusion:
When White makes a Stonewall
set-up, with pawns c3-d4-e3-f4, the
most important thing is to control
the e4 square and to keep the knight
on es. To achieve that, you have to
know two things: the first is to ex­
change your dark-squared bishop
for the knight to prevent . . . /£)e4
sometimes, and the second is to
provoke weaknesses on the kingside
with the move �hs, after which the
move . . .f6 for Black usually doesn't
work!
1-0
N. Sedlak (2557) - A. Brkic (2599)
EU-cht, Reykjavik (7.4). 20.11.2015
This game is reminiscent a lot of
the previous! In the classical set-up
with . . . e6 and a further . . . o-o, . . .
b6, my opponent - this time Croa­
tian GM Ante Brkic - made a simi­
lar inaccuracy. Compared with pre­
vious game he continued 9 ... � b7
and after 10. f4 then . . . gc8?! This
limp move allowed me to advance
the identical plan to the previous
game! Somehow in my "London"
experience it happened very often
that I won games in the same way.
I can only explain this by the fact
that many players underestimate
this opening and don't take it seri­
ously enough in their preparations.
1.d4 /£) f6 2./£) f3 ds 3 . .il f4 cs 4.e3
/£)c6 5./£)bd2 e6 6.c3 �d6 7. �g3
o-o 8. ii.d3 h6 9./£)e5 �h7
In the previous game we saw 9 ...
�C7?!
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASS ICAL S ET- U P W I T H e6
10.f4 !!c8?!
a b c d e g h f6 i5.exf6 !fxf6 16.0-0! !fh6 (16...
This developing move looks very
strange to me. After this limp move,
the typical plan for white works eas­
ily. The right move is io ... CL:le7 as in
the next game.
A similar plan to the previous
game. It is almost always good to
exchange the bishop for a knight in
these types of positions.
1 21
12 ... 1i.xf6 13.CZJdf3
The standard idea 13. !fhs pro­
voking weaknesses is not so strong
here because Black has 13 . . . g6
14. !fe2 il. xes! is.fxes f6 i6.exf6
!fxf6�
13 ... il.e7
After another slow move the po­
sition starts to become a nightmare
for Black! The only move to stay in
the game was 13 ... 1i. xes! 14.fxes
!fe 7 17. il. bsi and the es square
is in White's hands.) 17. !fd2 The
queen is more useful on d2 than on
e2, because of the idea b4. 17... !!f6
iS. !! fa !!cfs 19. !!afii with a small
advantage due to the slightly better
bishop and control of the es square.
Plans for White could be Ji. bs or b4!
The key move! It not only starts
an attack, but the main idea is to
prevent f6!
1 22 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
14 .. .f6? is losing after 15.l:lJgs! fxgs
16.hxgs
(also wins 1 6. V/Bhs h6 17. V/Bg6
l:lJxes 1Bfxe5 'B.fs 19.V/Bxe6+ 'B.f7
20.V/Bg6 <!JjB 21.V/Bh7+-)
16 ... ClJ xes ndxes g6 18. 'B. xh7!
<tlxh7 19. V/Bhs++- with mate in
two!
is.l:lJxes
Again an important move after
which . . .f6 doesn't work! 15.fxes
achieves nothing for White after fs!
16.exf6 kxf6�
i5 f5
..•
Black is more-or-less forced to
play this move.
15 . . . f6 16. V/Bhs fsD 17.g4 V/Bes
18.V/Bxe8 'B.cxe8 19.gxfs exfs 20.hs±
or 15 ... kd6 and now comes our fa­
vourite 16. V/Bhs! fs
(16...g6?! 17. V/Bh6 'B.C7 18. hs V/Bf6
19.hxg6fxg6 20.ClJf3±; 16... h6 17-g4
.1Lxes 1Bfxe5 V/BeB 19.0-0-0±)
ng4 V/Be8 18.V/Bxe8 'B.cxe8 19.gxfs
exfs 20.hs± with a clear advantage
in the endgame!
The pawns fs and <ls are potentially
weak while White has a free hand
to combine play on both flanks!
Almost everything happens the
same compared with the previous
game!
16 cxd4 17.exd4 kxh4+
..•
Black risks taking the pawn on
h4 and opens the h-file to his king.
Other moves do not promise a good
position for him either. 17 ... .1Ld6
18.gxfs exfs 19.V/Bf3 "iJ.C? 20.0-0-
0± black is powerless against plan
'B.dg1-'B.gs-'B. hg1-hs.
18.<!Jd2 kf6
Forced! The threat was gs!
19.gxfs �xes 20.fxes V/Bgs+ 21. <!Jc2
exfs
During the game I was waiting
for 21 ... 'B.xfs after which comes the
sophisticated move 22. V/Be2! White
has no reason to hurry.
(22. kxfs?! gives some small
chances for Black to survive. 22 ...
V/Bxfs+ 23.V/Bd3 V/Bxd3+ 24. <tlxd3 'B.fB
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASS ICAL SET-U P WITH e6 1 23

25. c;!te3 ila6 26. E:ag1±) 22 ... E:cf8

23. ilxfs �xfs+ 24.c;!?b3+-
The fastest way to win is to keep
queens on the board and to play
against the black king.
After 21 ... �g2+ 22.c;!?b3 the king
is very safe here. 22 ... exfs 23. �hs
�g6 24.�h4+- with E:ag1 next.

Stronger and faster was:

26.e6! �g7 (26... �xe6 27. E:xh7+!
c;!txh7 28.�hs++-) 27.�g3+-

26 �xg6
•••

Black didn't have a better solution

than entering into this endgame!

27. � xg6 E: xf3 28. E: xh7+ c;!?gs

29. E:xb7
All the black pawns are hanging.
This looks a little bit risky be­
cause of the pin. 29 E:c6 30. iles E:fa+ 31.c;!?b3 E:h6
•.•

32. c;!?a3! E: hh2 33. ilc6

24 �f7 25. E:h5
••• Conclusion: For this game, the
Almost all of white pieces are conclusion is exactly the same as for
being targeted but Black can't use the previous game. White won both
this! Also possible was 25. E:gs and games in the same way: by imple­
between these 2 moves there is not menting the same plan after Black's
a big difference. inaccuracies in the opening.
1-0
25 c;!?hs 26. E:xg6?!
•••

When I saw this move, I stopped

searching for something more.
1 24 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
Z. lzoria (2573) - M. A. Brattain (2336)
ICC I NT, 20.10.2015
Finally in this game Black reacts
the best way in the opening! Com­
pared with the previous game, here
he played 10 ... tl:Je7! - the right
plan. The idea is to play . . . tlJ f5-
lt.e7- tl:Jd6- tl:J fe4! This maneuver
is characteristic in the Stonewall.
The "Georgian beast", a forgotten
big chess talent, reacted the best
way also with 11. �b1! opposing the
Black plan. However the huge dif­
ference between the two players is
obvious and at the critical moment,
in an unclear position, Black chose
the wrong plan which was roughly
punished by Izoria Zviad.
1.d4 ds 2 . .ll f4 tl:J f6 3.e3 e6 4.tl:Jd2
cs 5.c3 tl:Jc6 6.tl:Jgb it.d6 7. ilg3
o-o 8 .1i.d3 b6
• because White doesn't have the � f3
This is the best set-up for Black!
11.�bt!
The only move which gives chanc­
es to fight for an advantage. This is
a typical move in the Slav Defense,
with the idea of controlling the e4
square. In this position the f5 square
is also important. Black's main idea
is to play . . . tl:J f5 with next . . . .1i.e7, . . .
tl:Jd6. Other moves don't cause any
problems for Black. On the high­
est level White had no reason to be
happy after 11.�f3 tl:J f5 12. ilfa ile7!
13.g4 tl:Jd6 14.g5 tl:J fe4 15.0-0-0 C4
16. ilc2 b5�. and Black was much
faster on the queenside. Karjakin,S
(2769)-Adams,M (2744) Wijk aan
Zee 2016;
1i.�c2 c4 12. ile2 tl:J f5 13. il fa
ile7! oo with tl:Jd6 next Andreikin
D.-Karjakin S. FIDE World cup 2015.
11 ... g6
n ... tl:Jg6 also make sense 12.0-0
tl:J h5 13. ile1! (13 . .1i.f2 is not so good
plan.) 13 ... cxd4 14.cxd4 tl:J f6 15. �f3!?
is a little improvement bringing
the rook into the attack (15.a3 �c8
16. h3 �C7 17. kg3 �b8oo Kamsky
G.-Dreev A. FIDE World blitz 2013.)
15 ... �c8 16. � h3 and White has
good attacking chances. The idea
might be tl:Jdf3-tl:Jg5 or tl:Jg6-.i h4!
for example.
12. kfa
The idea is to prevent ... tl:J f5 with
tempo. 12 . .i h4 doesn't prevent
12 ... tl:J f5 as 13 . .1i.xf5 (13 . .1i.xf6 �xf6
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASS I CA L SET- U P WITH e6
14.fiJd7 Wlh4++) 13 ... exfs 14.fiJdf3
(14 . .11.. xf6 Wlxf6 15.fiJd7?Wle716.fiJxf8
Wlxe3+-+; 14.g4 fxg4 15.fiJxg4 .11.. e7
16.fiJes fiJ hs+) 14 ... .11.. e 7 15 . .11.. xf6
.11.. xf6 16.h4 hs (16... �g7? 17. hs f6
18.hxg6 fxes 19.gxh7+ cJ;;h s 2ofxe5
and White has more than enough
compensation. Black's king could be
weak and his bishops are unusable.)
17. Wfc2 .11.. g 7 1S. cJ;; fa Wies+ with . . .f6
next and Black has a clear plan of
pushing his pawns on the queen­
side! White lacks space and strong­
holds for his knights!
12 ... as?!
It is a positionally good idea to
exchange white-squared bishops,
but it takes time.
Black had a much better possibili­
ty in 12 ... cxd4 13.exd4 (Unfortunate­
ly 13.cxd4 Allows 13 ... .1i.b4!+) 13 ...
fiJ hs! 14.g3 f6 15.fiJef3 Wies 16.0-0
.11.. a6 17. �e1 fiJg7 Grischuk,A (2S10)­
Wang, H (2710) Beijing 2014
1 25
13.0-0 i.a6 14. i. h4 fiJd7?
An awkward place for the knight
in this position, which gives new
possibilities to white. The correct
move was 14 ... .11.. xd3 15.Wfxd3 fiJeS;!;
16 fs?
.••
A panicky move which loses ma­
terial. Black want to definite the
position in the center but unfortu­
nately for him it doesn't work. Other
moves also do not promise a great
position. 16 ... dxe4 nliJ xe4+- in
this line is clear why 14 ... fiJd7 was
mistake.
16 ... WIC? 17.Wfd3 � aaS 1S.fiJ xd7
Wfxd7 19.e5 fiJ fsD (19 ... �q 20.dxcs!
bxcs 21.fiJe4+-) 20. � f6 Ji.e7 2i.g4
fiJg7 (21 ... .11.. x/6 22.gxfs ild8 23f6±)
22 . .11.. xg7 cJ;; x g7 23.fs gxfs 24.gxfs
cJ;;hs 2s.f6 �gs+ 26.cJ;; h 1 .11.. fs 27. �f4
�g6 2S. � h4--+.
1 26 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
17.exds exds 18. !9d3
The simple 1S.lLJc6 also guar­
anteed a huge advantage 1S ... !Des
19 . .lixe7 �xe7 20. �e1 �f7 2i.l!!fd 3
bs the only move! (Too slow is
21 ... �aB 22. l!!fe2 cJ;;jB 23. l!!/e 6 lLJf6
24.lLJf3 lLJe4 25.lLJfes+-) 22.l!!f x bs
�b6 23. l!!fa 4 cxd4 24.cxd4 lLJ f6
(24 ... �xb2 2s.lLJf3 lLJf6 26.lLJgs �g7
27. �e6+-) 25. �e6 cJ;; g 7 26. � ae1
l!!/d 7 27. � xe7 l!!f x c6 2 S . !9xas
�xb2 29.l!!/a7 �b7 30.l!!fxb7 l!!fxb7
3i. �xb7 �xb7 32. �a1±
18 ... lLJb8
Black tries to defend the rook and
c6 square at the same time. 1S ...
�as 19.lLJc6 !Des 20 . .i xe7 .i xe7
2i. �ae1 � f7 22.l!!fe 2 cJ;; fs 23.l!!/e 6
lLJf6 24.lLJ f3+-;
1S...c4 1 9 . lLJ d x c 4 dxc4
20.l!!fxc4++-
19.lLJc6!+-
but here is the surprise. The rest
of the game was not so interesting:
White's technique was without any
mistakes.
19 lLJ bxc6 2 0 . l!!/ x a6 cxd4
• • •
21.lLJb3 dxc3 22.bxc3 l!!/c 7 23.g3
i.a3 24. �ad1 cJ;; f7 25. � fe1 �d8
26. l!!fb s �d7 27. cJ;;g2 lLJa7 28. l!!fe2
lLJ ac6 29. l!!fe 6+ cJ;; fs 30. l!!f f6+
cJ;;g8 31. l!!/e 6+ cJ;; fs 32. ii.gs �d6
33. i. h6 + cJ;; e s 34. l!!f g8 + cJ;; d 7
35.l!!fxh7
Conclusion: The critical moment
in the opening was 11. l!!/ b 1! which is
important to remember, preventing
. . . lLJe4 and the plan . . . lLJ fs-.ll e 7-
lLJd6! The position will be unclear
after 12 ... cd! , but it is far from being
a position where White cannot con­
tinue playing for a win - it is still
very rich in strategic possibilities!
1-0
N. Sedlak (2565) - M. Prusikin (2493)
Regionall iga SO 2013/14,
Bayern (6.1), 09.02.2014
In this game, again in the clas­
sical set-up with . . . o - o, . . . b6,
I chose another - at that time very
rare - plan 9.e4!? after which there
arises a completely new type of posi­
tion! Immediately on the next move,
probably surprised by my new idea,
my opponent didn't react well with
9 ... de4?! and I grabbed the initiative,
resulting in the end in a convincing
victory.
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASSICAL SET-U P W I T H e6 1 27

1.d4 ds 2. k f4 CZJ f6 3.e3 cs 4.c3

CZJc6 5.CZJd2 e6 6.CZJgf3 kd6 7. il.g3
o-o 8. �d3 b6 9.e4!?

This is a key move! White's

A relatively new approach and
treatment of this position. The main
idea is to take space with es, intro­
ducing an attacking position!
queen enters into play with tem­
po and frees the square dl for the
rook! There also appears motifs like
de with k h7 next, after which the
queen joins the attack with �h4.

9 ... dxe4?! 12 ... �cs

After this move White develops
an initiative. The best move is 9 ...
�e7! - and this was played in the
next game.
10.tLlxe4 CZJxe4
Black didn't have a better option
here. On 10 ... ke7 White domi­
The most logical move! 12 ...
�c7? loses because of 13.dxcs
bxcs (13 ... ilxg3 14.hxg3 fs 15. ilxc6
ilxc6 16. cxb6 axb6 17. �c4 �fe8
18.0-0 �b7 19. �fe1 ilds 20.�e2±)
14. ii.. xh7+!
8 ••
Wfd • ··�;
• . i

7 �ttJ . :. A
· · ·�
/

nates after 1i.dxc5 bxcs 12.CZJxf6+ x ;;; v 1

841• • • •
/.... . ....

k xf6 13.�c2 h6 (13 ...g6 14. h4!-+) 6

14.0-0-0 �b6 15. k h7+! a typical sB� m B p /. � �
� �Pk
check which forces Black's king to 4 'ti'B 8 8 8
a worse place; 15 ... Wh8 16. il.e4 kb7 3 B D, •
�
A �f�
BtZJ�
m
n �d7 �ac8 18. � hd1 it.as 19.�e2± - A A A
/ ....

2
o �---,� a �o�
and all White's pieces are well-posi­ ��
, �% •
�d
m:
�
. Flfl
-�
tioned. One idea could be il.c2-�d3 a b c d e f g h
or il.b1-�d3
1 28 WI N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
This typical sacrifice works but
not with 'human' moves and I will
show just one of the many wins ac­
cording to the computer.
(Also possible is to play saf­
er 14.0-0-0 1i.xg3 15. hxg3 h6
16. W!ib5!±)
14 ... Wxh7 15. W!ih4+ Wg8 16.l2:Jg5
�fe8 17.0-0-0 1i.. e 5D
(17... it.. xg3 18.hxg3 WfB 19.lLi h7+
WgB 20.lLi/6+ WfB 21.lLid7+ with
fast mating)
a b c d e f g h
The rook joins the attack via f3
18 ... �ad8 19.W!Jh7+ Wf8 20. � f3 f5
21. W!ih5! a silent move with the idea
�e1-�e5 21 ... Wg8 22. �d3!! Anoth­
er great move with the simple idea
of �d8! 22 .. .f4
(22 ... �xd3?? 23. W!fxeB#; 22 ... ii./4+
23. Whi+-)
23. � xd8 W!ixd8 24. W!Jf7+ Wh8
25. W!lg6 Wg8 26. �d1 l2:Jd4D 27.cxd4
cxd4 28. W!ih7+ Wf8 29.l2:J xe6+!
�xe6 30. W!ih8+ We7 3i. ii. h4+ it.. f6
32.W!ixg7+ Wd6 33.W!ixb7+-
13.dxcs it.. xcs
13 ... ii. xg3 looks active but in the
end Black's weaknesses remain,
e.g. 14.hxg3 (Here not so good is
14. it.. x h7+? Wxh7 15. hxg3 + WgB
1 6. W!ie4 f5 17. W!Jxe6+ �f7+) 14 .. .f5
15. Jt.. c 2 tLl a5 (15 ... bxc5 1 6. it.. b3±)
16. W!ih4! W!ixh4 17. � xh4 � xc5
18.0-0-0±
a b c d e g h
The biggest problem with this
move is the inability to play . . . � fd8
because of il.. h 4. Better chances were
given by 14 ... W!Je7 15.0-0 (15.b4 f5!
16. ii.d3 lLixb4 1'J,cxb4 it.. xb4+ 18. Wft
�c3�) 15 ... � fd8 (15.. f5 16. il.. d3 the
pawn e6 is very weak. 1 6... �cdB)
16.b4 ii.d6 nb5 tLl a5 18. il.. xb7
�c4 19. il.. xd6 � xd6 20.W!ia3 lLi xb7
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASSICAL SET- U P W I T H e6
2i. 'Y:!fxa7 'YWC? 22. � xd6 (22.ll:Jes
�xc3 23.ll:Jc6 �xd1 24. �xd1 g6=)
22 ... ll:l xd6 23.'Y:!fxC? � xc7 24. �d1
�xc3 25.h3 ll:les 26. �ds Wfs 27. �bs
and Black will suffer for a draw!
After 14 ... 'Y:!feS?? 15. �xh7+! works
again 15 . . . Wxh7 16. 'Y:!fh4+ WgS
17.ll:lg5+-
15.0-0± � fe8
15 ... a5 does not prevent 16.b4!
axb4 17.cxb4 i/.. e7 (17. . . it.. xb4
18. it.xc6+-) 1S. Ji.h4+-
16.b4
I missed taking the pawn after
16. �d7 �as 17. �c7! � xc7 1S. � XC7
e5 19. �xe5 'Y:!fh6 20. �ei+-
16 �fs 17.bs?!
•••
With this move I lost a big part
of my advantage. Much better
was nll:le5! ll:l xe5 1S. it. xb7 �eds
19.'Y:!fxa7± ll:lc4 but for some reason
I didn't like my queen on a7.
1 29
17... ll:las 18 ..1l.xb7 �c4!
•
An intermediate move which
I saw, but I thought after the fur­
ther ll:le5- �d7 that I would have
a big advantage.
19. 'Y:!fc2 ll:lxb7 20.ll:les �cc8 21. �d7
ll:ld6
Black could also play 2i. .. �e7!?
22. � fd1 (22. �xe7 'Y:!fxe7 23.ll:Jc6
'Y:!fa3�) 22 ... ll:lc5 23. � xe7 'Y:!fxe7
24.ll:lc6 'Y:!fb7 25.c4 a6 26.a4 axb5
27.axb5 'Y:!faS;;!;;
A blunder which leads to a loss!
Black could escape with very pre­
cise moves 22 ... �c5! 23. � xd6 it.xd6
24.'Y:!fxd6 �ds 25.ll:Jd7 'Y:!fg5 26.h4
'Y:!fd5 27. �d1 'Y:!fxd6 2S. � xd6 �d5
29. � xd5 exd5 30.ll:le5 d4 3i.cxd4
� xd4 32.ll:lc6 �a4 33. it.bs a6 (33...
� xa2 34. it.xa7 � b2 35. ll:J d4+-)
34.bxa6 �xa6 with very good chanc­
es for the draw.
1 30 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

23. E:xd6+- �xd6 24. �xd6 1.d4 ds 2.'£lf3

Two pieces are much stronger
than a rook thanks to their strong
coordination!
24 ... E:xc3 25. �d7 E:fs 26.1£lc6 �d3
26 ... E:d3 27.�e7 �xbs 28 . .ll d 6
E:as 29. �b7 E:es 30. �d7+- with
/£le7! Next.
27 .ll d6
•
Don't forget about our move or­
der 2. �f4!
2 ... '£lf6 3 . .Jit.f4 e6 4.e3 .Jit.d6 5. �g3
cs 6.1£lbd2 1£lc6 7.c3 o-o 8. �d3 b6
9.e4!? �e7! 10.es
Here we have a typical structure
in the French Defence with an 'unu­
sual' bishop on g3.

Conclusion: Against the aggres­

sive approach with 9.e4!?, the an­
swer 9 ... de4? is a mistake! It opens
the center at a moment when
White's pieces stand much better,
but White can exploit that only
with very precise moves! The criti­
cal point in Black's position is the
bishop on d6, which is evident es­
pecially after the key move 12.�M!
1-0 a b c d e g h

A. Grischuk (2774) - H. Nakamura 10 ... 1£\hs

(2816)
EU-Cup, Skopje (7.3). 24.10.2015
In comparing my previous game
with this one at the top level, us
star Nakamura was not surprised
much by 9.e4!? He reacted in the
best way with 9 ... �e7! moving from
the fork es! In the game there ap­
peared a structure typical of the
French Defence, but with an unu­
sually-placed bishop on g3! In this
very exciting game full of fire, both
players had their chances!
Almost the only move! The typi­
cal move 10 ... /£ld7 leads Black into
big problems after 11.h4! f6 12.1£\gs!
fxgs 13. � xh7+ Wxh7 14.hxgs+
Wgs 15. E: hs+! Wxhs 16.�hs+ Wgs
17.g6+-
11.a3
A very interesting and aggres­
sive alternative in this position is
11.1£\gs!?N
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASS ICAL SET-U P WI T H e6 1 31

a W% L%9A •••
.I � �,
�Im "'.... %
12 ... '!J.a7!?
7• • •,., A clever move with several ideas.
6 -�· · · • Defending the 7th rank after a fur­
5 •" ;,• in �;qrni ther . . .f6 or . . .f5 and the idea is fast ac­

4 • n • • tion on the queenside with . . . c4-b5-

3 . 8�• �
b4 after which the rook is defended.
In one rapid game on the highest
2 3 f1 rn n t!:i n
a···0·��t "e�
level, Black reacted badly with 12 .. .
, c4? 13 . .ll c 2 b5 14.1£\g5! ii. xg5 (14 .. .
a b c d e f g h
g6 15.1£\xh7!+-) 15.f!ixh5 g6 16.f!ie2
11 ... ilxg5 (11 ... 1£\xg3?? 12. ilxh7+ f5 17.exf6 f!ixf6 18.h4 ii.f4 19. kxf4
c:J;; h B 13.1£\xj7+! 'B.xf7 14.hxg3 ii.g5 f!ixf4 20.g3 f!if6 21.f4 'B.a7 22.1£\f3 h6
15. Ji.g6+ c:J;;gB 16. f!ih5 ilxd2+ l'J. c:J;;xd2 23.1£\e5 1£\xe5 24.dxe5 f!ig7 25.f!ig4±
'!J.xf2+ 18. c:J;;di+-; 11 ...g6 12.1£\xh7! '!J.eB Kramnik,V (2777)-Zhigalko,S (2656)
13. f!ig4 c:J;;g7 14.1£\j3 cxd4 15.1£\hg5±) Berlin 2015.]
12.f!ixh5 g6 13.f!ie2 cxd4 14.h4! dxc3
15.bxc3 ii.xd2+ (15 ... llh6 16.h5 ilg7 13.0-0?!
(16...g5 l'J.1£\f3 with the very unpleas­
ant 1£l h2- 1£\g4) 17.c:J;;fi ! with the idea
'B.e1-f!ig4-f!ih3) 16.f!ixd2 d4 17. it.e4
ii.b7 18.cxd4 f!id7 19. '!J.d1 (19. h5?
1£\xd4 20. llxb7 '!J.adB!+ defending
the knight with the threat 1£\f3) 19 ...
1£\e7 20.f3 h5
After 11.0-0?! White doesn't
have any attacking chances 11 ...
ii.d7 12. 'B.e1 'B.c8 13.a3 1£\xg3 14.hxg3
f5+ Kamsky,G (2683)-Nakamura,H
(2798) Saint Louis 2015.

11 as 12. f!ie2
•••
Here the same idea with 12.1£\g5?!
doesn't work after llxg5 13.f!ixh5
g6 14.f!ie2 cxd4 15.h4 dxc3 16.bxc3
it. xd2+ nffixd2 it.a6! with a3-a5
the difference is big 18. ii.xa6 '!J.xa6
19.h5 '!J.a7+ and Black's king is safe.
This looks slow and loses attacking
chances. White had a chance to im­
prove his "bad" knight with 13.1£\ fi!?
c4 (13 .. f5 14.exf6 ii.xf6 15. '!J.d1! 'B.af7
16.1£\e3 g6 17. .$_ b5! a typical method
of fighting for the e5 square l'J. .. ii.d7
18.1£\g4 ilg7 19. ii.xc6 it.xc6 20.1£\ge5
'!J.q 21.1£\xc6 'B.xc6 22.0-ot) 14. il.c2
b5 15.1£\g5 .lixg5 16.f!ixh5 g6 nf!ie2
1 32 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
fs! 18.exf6 1l.xf6 19.CZJe3 es! Other­
wise there comes CZJg4- CZJe5 20.dxes
CZ:Jxes 21. !!d1 !!d7 22.0-0 !!es�
13 ... c4!
Usually this reaction of closing
the center is not good but now it's
matter of concrete play!
14. il.c2 bs 15.h4
The idea is to save the bishop af­
ter which the knight on hs can be­
come problematic.
15 ... g6?
Black misses a chance for a big ad­
vantage. Very logical was 15 ... CZ:Jxg3!
16.fxg3 b4 17-axb4 axb4 18.CZJ xc4
and probably in his calculations
Black missed 18 ... b3! (18 ... dxc4 ?
19. VJ9e4±) 19. !! xa7 CZJ xa7 20 . .ll xb3
dxc4 21. il.xc4 il.b7+
Now the knight on hs is in danger.
16 ... ii.xh4
Black must accept the challenge!
17.g4 CZJg7 18.CZJxh4?!
Unnecessary and again Black can
breathe. The bishop on h4 is a bad
piece. White could have continued
the attack with 18. VJfie3 il.e7 19. �g2
fs 20.exf6 il.xf6 21. !!h1 CZJe8 22. 1l.g3
with an open h-file compensating
for the pawn!
18 ... VJfixh4 19.�g2 fs!
Black must do something active,
otherwise he will find himself with
new problems.
20.exf6 V19xf6 21. ii.d6
An attractive move. Also possi­
ble was 21.CZJ f3 es! 22.CZ:J xes CZ:J xes
23. ii. xes VJfigs 24.f3 !!af7 25. !!ae1
CZJe6 26.VJfie3 CZJ f4+ 27. ii. xf4 !! xf4
28. ii.d1=
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASSICAL SET- U P W I T H e6 1 33

21 � ff7 22.f4?
•••

Here White didn't feel the dan­

ger. Much safer was 22.f3 to protect
the g4 pawn

22 ... e5!

25.e6 (25. ilxfs gxf5 26. li:Jj3 wexg4+

27. Wf2 �g1 28. �g1 W9f4 29. Wfe3
W9xe3+ 30. Wxe3 �g4 31.ctJh2 �xg1
32. �xgi+ �g7 33. �xg7+ Wxg7+;
25.gxf5 gxf5-+ and Black's attack is
unstoppable.) 25 ... �g7! 26. � xfsD
gxfs 27. il xfs hs 28.ctJ f3 � xg4+
29. �xg4 Wfxg4+ 3 0 Wfa �g7 31. �g1
.

Wfxe6 32.Wfxe6+ 1l xe6 33. �xg7+

A nice break in the center after Wxg7 34. We3+
which all Black's pieces become ac­
tive and White's king weak. The 2s. � h1 Wfds
pawn g4 is also a target. 25 ... Wfgs is too risky after 26.ctJ f3
Wfxg4+ 27.Wfa
23.dxes
23.fxes Wfh4+;
23. il.xes CLi xes 24.dxes Wfh4+

23 ... Wfh4 24.f5!

The only move!

24 gxfs?
•••

In a very complicated position,

and probably in time-trouble, mis­
takes are common even at the top
level of chess. Black had very nice
and strong move 24 ... ctJ xfs! after
which White's position collapses.
1 34 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
In this position there is no time
for slow moves. Black opens the
diagonal and threatens the White
king.
a b c d e f g h
The only move to hold the po­
sition. 29.�xd4 CZJe6 30.�e3 (30.
�xa7? �xds+-+) 30 ... �xds+�
28. E:h6?
A very slow move which brings
Black back to life. This move doesn't
really have a big threat! 28. 1l.. c 5!
!!aC? 29.CZJ f3±
28 ... !!g7 29. E:g1 �ad7?
Both sides miss chances! Very
logical was 29 . . . E: xg4+ 30. Wfi
E:xgi+ 31.�xgi+ !!g7 32.�e3 CZJe7
33. 1J.. xe7 �xe7+ 34.ds? f4! next
is �gs! And the black king looks
much safer now.
30.ds?
The engine is very cold-blooded
in this position and finds 30. Wfi! ±
with a continuing attack, and now
30 ... CZJxd6 doesn't work because of
3i.exd6 E:xd6 32. E:xd6 �xd6 when
White has 33.�e8+ �f8 34.�xc6+-
30 ...CZJe7 31. 1i.. xe7 E:dxe7 32. �d4
1i.. b7?
This was the last of many mis­
takes in this game. Much better was
32 ... E: xg4+ 33. Wfr E:eg7 34. E: xg4
E: xg4+
33.Wfa �xds 34.�xds+ 1L xds
35. �xfs E:xes
Both players, tired of calculat­
ing, enter an about equal endgame.
Black is a pawn up but the position
has reduced and the white king is
closer to the main events.
36. E:e1 E: xe1 37.Wxe1 b4 38.axb4
axb4 39. 1le6+ 1Lxe6 40. E:xe6 CZJc7
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASSICAL S ET-U P WITH e6
Conclusion: After the best reaction
of Black with 9... i.e7 the position be­
comes very sharp which reminds us
a lot of positions from the French De­
fence! White's biggest problems are
the lL!d2 (which can remain fairly
useless for a long time) and the i.g3
which disturbs the white attack! For
these reasons 11.ClJg5!? deserves seri­
ous attention! Another way to solve
the problems with the minor pieces
is the plan lL!fi before castling, fol­
lowed by ClJe3 or, h4 with the idea
i.h2 playing against the knight on
h5. However, the position is very in­
teresting and I expect that it will be
tested more in the future.
1/2
G. Kamsky (2673) - A. Goganov
(2575)
1sth Moscow Aeroflot op-A (8),
08.03.2016
Here comes the third possible way
of playing against the classical set-up
with . . . e6 and the further . . . o-o, . . .
b6. Gata Kamsky, a big "London" ex­
pert, chose 9. lie2!? which has rarely
been played before. The move makes
a lot of sense, with the aim of better
preparing e4 and bringing the rook
to dl! The current game greatly re­
minds us of the game Grischuk A.­
Nakamura H. EU cup 2015. In gener­
al, the position is unclear, but Black
has to be very accurate! In this game
Aleksey Goganov made the wrong
1 35
decision in 13 ... c4? closing the cent­
er at the worst moment after which
his counterplay was very slow on
the queenside. Kamsky was given
a free hand on the kingside and he
crowned his play with a pretty and
effective finish.
1.d4 ds 2. �f4 ClJf6 3.e3 cs 4.ClJf3
Our move order is 4.c3 ClJc6
5.ClJd2 e6 6.ClJgf3 �d6 7. i.g3 o-o
8. i.d3 b6 9. lie2!?
4 ...ClJc6 5.lL!bd2 e6 6.c3 �d6 7. �g3
o-o 8. �d3 b6 9. lie2!?
This move has rarely been played
in recent history! The main idea is
to prepare e4!
9 ... �b7
Several times Black has tried 9 . . .
lic7 but after 10.e4! it seems as though
Black has serious problems! 10... dxe4
11.lL!xe4 lL! xe4 12 . .li.xe4 f5 13 . .li.xd6
lixd6 14.dxc5 lixc5 15. it.c2± the e6
pawn is weak, and if Black tries 15 ...
1 36 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

� . . �
� If��
es? then after 16. .1i.. b3+ <i!?hs nl£lgs�
his king is in great danger! ���,�;%�
io. !!d1 ,5 "•"•=
, X•��·
'•;•'" '•"•
,Y
One more useful move that place
4 • o • •
the black queen at gunpoint!
3 a D�Ull1�
2 � n ���n
io .. !!eS?!
.

1� ,,,,Y� �,'!0 ,,,, , r;�%�

A dubious move which allows
White to develop the initiative!
10 ... 'YJ!/e7 was tested once: 11.e4! 11 ...
dxe4 12.l£l xe4 l£l xe4 13 . .1i.. xe4 !!ads
14.dxcs lt.xcs 15.0-0 h6?! Sergeev
V.-Van den Doel E. Delft Prinsen­
stad op 2014.
(15... !!xd1 16. !!xd1 !!dB 17.b4 .1i.. d6
18 . .1i.. h 4!
(18. 1lxh7+ <i!fxh7 19. 'YJ!/d3+ <i!fgB
20. 1lxd6 'YJ!/j6�)
18 .. .f6 19. �c2;;t;: Black's position is
sensitive, especially the e6 pawn
and the diagonal bl-h7)
16 . .1i.. c 2! ± with the idea after 16 ...
!!xd1 17. !! xd1 !!ds of 18.b4 .1i.. d 6
19. 'YJ!/d3+-;
10 ... cxd4?! 11.exd4 is a super ver­
sion of the Carlsbad structure for
White. The bishop on b7 has no
perspective. The plan is the usual
l£le5-f4-.1i.. h 4!
0�
a b c d e f g h
with the idea of opposing the e4
move. u. il. xd6
(11.e4?! 1lxg3! 12.hxg3 cxd4 Now
we can see the essence of 10 ... h6:
White doesn't have the interme­
diate move es, as the pawn has
moved from h7! 13. cxd4 l£l b4!
14.e5 l£lxd3+ 15. 'YJ!Ixd3 l£le4+)
u ... 'YJ!/xd6 12.e4 es! A very good
move. Black should try to exploit
the position of White's king in the
center! 13.exds
(13. dxcs 'YJ!/xcs 14. 0-0 !!ad8oo )
13 ... lfJ xds!
(13 ... exd4? doesn't work, e.g.
14.dxc6! !!ae8 15.cxb7 !! xe2+
16. �xe2 d3
(16... !!eB 17.cxd4 cxd4 18.0-
0! !!xe2 19. !!c1 l£ld7 20. .!! c B+
<i!fh7 21. !!dB+-)

However, Black had a very good 17.l£lc4! 'YJ!/e6 18. !! xd3 'YJ!/xc4
option in 10 ... h6! 19.bS'YJ!i! !! xb8 20. !!ds+ !! xd8
21. iLxc4+-)
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASSICAL S ET- U P W I T H e6 1 37

a) 16.Wi/fs? tl:J xes! 17.tl:J xes 'i!.fe8

18.tl:Jdc4 (18f4 ? i.. c B-+) 18 ...
bs! 19.0-0 bxc4 20.tl:J xc4 �c8!
21.Wi/f3 �g4-+;

b) 16.exf6? 'i!. fe8 no-o 'i!. xe4

18.tl:Jxe4 g6+;

16 ... tl:Jds nWi/g3 (17.Wi/e4 tl:Jf6=)

17... 'i!.ae8 18.0-0 tl:J xes 19.tl:J xes
Wi/xes 20. Wi/xes 'i!. xes 2i.tl:Jc4
'i!.e6 22. 'i!. fe1 'i!. xei+ 23. 'i!. xe1
tLJ f4 24 . .1d1 tl:Je6 25. 'i!.d1 'i!.d8
26. 'i!.xd8+ tl:J xd8=

A nice defensive move which

leads to a much better rook
endgame! 22 ... cxd3 23. Wilxf6 gxf6
24. 'i!.xd3 'i!.eB 25. 'i!.xg2+ i.. xg2+
26. �xg2 'i!.e2 27. 'i!. dB+ �g7
28. 'i!.bB±)

15.Wi/e4 tl:Jf6! An important move

which holds Black's position!

11.e4! i.e7
Black was not prepared to react
in the center and it highlights the
shortcomings of 10 ... 'i!.e8?! After
the logical 1i. .. dxe4, with a series of
forced moves White achieves a clear
advantage 12.tl:Jxe4 tl:J xe4 13. i.xe4
cxd4 14.tl:J xd4 tl:J xd4 15. 'i!.xd4 i.ds
16.0-0 i. xg3 (16... ii.cs l'J. 'i!.d3 Wilgs
18.h4 Wilj6 19. i.. xds exds 20.W!ld1±)
17.hxg3 Wi/g5 18. i. xd5 exd5 19.W!/d2±;
1 38 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

The reaction in the center with 11 ... move. With a stable center, the at­
es is not so good because Black is still tack is much easier for White.
not ready for it. 12.dxcs! �xcs 13.0-
0 d4 Black is forced on this in view
of exd! (13 ... dxe4? 14.CiJxe4 CiJxe4
15. 'V/lixe4 g6 16. �C4 'V/liq 17- li.ds±)
14.cxd4 CiJxd4 15.CiJxd4 exd4 (15...
�xd4 16.CiJb3±) 16.a3 as 17. !!fe1± The
pawn d4 is well-blocked and is actu­
ally weak. White's plan is to play es
at a favorable moment!

12.es CiJhs
Now we have a similar position a b c d e g h
as in the game Grischuk A.-Naka­
mura H., European Club Cup 2015. Black should seek counterplay
with !!d1-'V/lie2 and !!e8-1i.. b 7 insert­ with 13 ... as! 14.CiJ f1 (14.h4 cxd4
ed. It seems like a better version for 15.cxd4 CiJxg3 16fxg3 fs!�) 14 ... 'V/lics
White. idea is 1i.. a6 15.h4 ila6 16. ilh2 ilxd3
17. 'V/lixd3 fs.

14. �b1 g6
Defending the knight against the
CiJgs idea.

15.CiJft!
A famous move with the idea
CiJe3- CiJg4 Here the idea from the
game Grischuk A.-Nakamura H.
also works: 15.h4!? CiJ xg3 16.fxg3�

15 ... bs 16.CiJe3 as 17.CiJg4 b4

13.a3 The counterplay on the queenside
White needed to play this to pre­ is too slow and White doesn't need
vent the idea cd- CiJ b4! to worry about it.

13 ... c4?± 18. 'V/lie3!

Very rarely can this be good and Another nice move with the idea
I am not a big fan of this kind of of ii.. f4!
 CHAPTER FOU R - CLASSICAL SET-U P WITH e6
18 ...bxc3 19.bxc3 !!bs
Dealing with the unimportant
pawn leads to a quick loss. 19 ...
il.. x a3 20.ezJ h6+ �g7 2i. il.. h4 il.. e 7
22. �xe7 �xe7 23.g4+-
a b c d e g
The forgotten bishop comes into
the game with a mission to ex­
change himself for his colleague,
further weakening the dark squares
around the black king.
20 ... il.. c s 21. il.. gs !!b3 22.h4!
The attractive 22.ezJ h6+ gives
hope to Black 22 ... �g7 23.g4?! f6�
22 ... �b6 23. il.. c 2 !!xa3?
Black should keep his bishop with
23 ... il.. fs±
24. il.. xe7+- ezJxe7 25.�h6
Now the position is complete­
ly lost! There is no defense against
ez:Jgs or ezJ f6!
1 39
25 ez:J fs 26. � xfs exfs 27.lZ:Jgs
..•
ezJf6D
A good try but it doesn't help!
28.ezJe3
28.ezJxf6+?! �xf6 29.�xh7+ �f8±
h
29 ... �ds 30.0-0
An elegant finish to the game
and well played by Gata! Conclu­
sion: The rarely played 9. �e2!? is
very interesting and looks like an
improved version of the 9.e4-il.. e7
continuation. It seems like White
has more useful moves than Black,
before he starts to play the further
e4! Black must always be on top of
things to keep the balance! In the
game after the push e4-es, the key
move was 15.ezJ fi! White shouldn't
castle short so quickly, because the
rook on hi is necessary for action
with h4, and also after Black's . . .
ezJg3!
1-0
 C H A PT ER FIV E
EARLY
In this chapter the variations are
similar to positions from the previ­
ous chapter with certain differenc­
es. Those differences could be in de­
laying Black with the move cs or in
developing the knight from b8. In
general it doesn't change the plans
for White too much because the
structures are the same. In the Lon­
don System you have to play mostly
by understanding the ideas.
1.d4 ds 2. il. f4 e6
a b c d e g h N.-Ascic P. Bosnjaci 2006.
3.e3 il.d6
Another option is 3 ... CZJ f6 4.CZJd2
cs 5.c3 il.e7 which is the old and
passive treatment that was pun­
ished by Vlatko Kovacevic (5 ... CZJc6
6.CZJg/3 - CHAPTER 4) 6.CZJgf3 0-0
... e6
7. il.d3 CZJbd7 8.h4! See Kovacevic V.­
Ree H., Maribor 1980.
4. �g3!
Again the best reaction against
the . . . il.d6 idea! Also tested was
4. il.xd6 cxd6! (4... 'VJ!ixd6?! 5.'VJ!lg4!t.)
5.'VJ!ig4 and now the point is 5 ... CZJf6!
after which Black achieves good
compensation for the pawn! 6. 'VJ!!xg7
gg8 7. VJ!ih6 gg6 8. 'VJ!if4 'VJ!ib6 9.b3
VJ!iC?! 10.CZJ f3 (10. il.d3 es 11.'VJ!ih4 e4
12. il. bs+ ii.d7 13. �xd7+ lZJ bxd7i;
10. c3 es 11. 'VJ!ih4 il.fsi) 10 ... VJ!lxc2
11.CZJ bd2 <i!fe7! 12.g3 gg4 13. VJ!ih6
gg6 14. 'VJ!ih4 gg4=
4 CZJ f6
•••
Very solid is 4 ... � xg3 5.hxg3
CZJ f6 6.CZJd2 'VJ!le7 7.CZJgf3 CZJbd7 8.c3
es 9.dxes ll:J xes 10.ll:Jxes VJ!lxes and
now the best chance for an advan­
tage is the endgame after 11.'VJ!IM+
c6 12.'VJ!if4! VJ!ixf4 13.gxf4 -see Sedlak
4 ... 'VJ!le7 5.c3 CZJ h6!? 6.CZJd2 -see
Sedlak N.-Abramovic B. Vrnjacka
Banja 2012.
5.CZJd2 0-0 6. kd3!
The move order is very important
here as always in the "London".
1 42 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYST EM
6 cs
.••
For Black it is almost always pos­
sible to play the plan with 6 ... b6!?
7.lfJgf3 (Preventing . . . �a6 brings
another type of problem. ;i; '%!Ve2 i.b7
8.lfJgfe l£Je4! and Black wins the bat­
tle for the e4 square!) 7... � b7 (;i; .. iLa6
8. iLxa6 lfJxa6 9.c3 Black ex changed
important white bishop, but now he
has to lose time to return the knight
into play. 9 ... c5 10.'%!Ve2 l£Jb8 11.�!with
some pressure) 8.l£Jes l£Je4 (8... l£Jbd7
9. '%!Vf3! with play on the kingside. Cov­
ering the e4 square is always impor­
tant!) 9.'%!fhs!? fs 10.l£Jxe4 fxe4 11. �bs
c6 12. iLe2 cs 13. �g4 '%!Ve8 14. '%!Vh3i
Heberla B.-Pinkas K. Katowice 2015.
7.c3 b6
Here Black tries to exchange the
white-squared bishops but it is not
possible after White's next move! 7...
l£Jc6 s.l£Jgf3 - is a transposition to
CHAPTER 4.
a b c d e g h under his control.
Again the position is very similar
to positions from C H A P T E R 4. but
without lfJ f3- lfJc6! which is a bet­
ter version for White - see Grachev
B. - Timofeev A. RUS eh rapid 2015.
V. Kovacevic - H . Ree
Maribor, 1980
In the first game of this chap­
ter Black chose a very passive set­
up with an early . . . e6 putting the
bishop on e7, which provoked our
"London maestro" to show his at­
tacking skills. With the very aggres­
sive approach 8.h4! Vlatko Kovace­
vic showed how you have to punish
passive play!
1.d4 lfJf6
Our move order would be: 1 ... d5
2. � f4 lfJ f6 3.e3 e6 4.l£Jd2 cs 5.c3
il.e7 6.lfJgf3 o-o 7. iLd3 lfJbd7
2.l£J f3 ds 3. i.f4 e6 4.l£Jbd2 cs 5.e3
�e7?!
This is the most passive plan for
Black and not to be recommend­
ed! Black gives up the fight for the
center and the es square. The natu­
ral move is 5 ... i.d6.
6.c3 o-o 7. i.d3 lfJbd7
By putting the knight on d7,
Black's main idea is to play . . . b6-. . .
iLb7-. . . lfJe4 taking the e 4 square
 CHAPTER FIVE - EARLY e6
a b c d e g h a
A very good and aggressive ap­
proach which is based on an attack
on the black king. After this move,
the Black's whole concept comes
into a question!
After the typical 8.'2ies '2i xes
9.dxes '2ld7 and Black has in his ar­
senal moves such as . . .f6 or . . .fs in
facing the threats on his king.
8 ... b6 9.'2les '2ixes?
It's hard to believe, but this loses
by force mostly thanks to 8.h4!
Natural was 9 ... ilb7 10.'�'£3 !
protecting the e 4 square i s always
very important! 10 ... B'.cs (10... '2ixe5
11.dxes '2id7 12. 'V/!!g4 fs 13.exf6 B'.xf6
14.l2if3� ) 1i. B'. h3�. White has
a clear plan of attacking the black
king, while it's not easy to find ap­
propriate counterplay for Black.
1 43
10.dxes '2ld7 11. ilxh7+!!
b c d e g h
The knight is far from the gs square,
but this typical sacrifice works here
anyway! White has enough time to
add the knight to the attack.
11 ... <i!?xh7 12.'V/!!hs+ Wg8 13.'2l f3 f6
The following lines show White's
attacking resources!
13 ... il a6 14. B'.d1! Prophylaxis!
preventing . . . ild3 and continuing
the attack as in the game!
13 . . . g6 1 4 . 'V/!! h 6 B'.es 15.'2lgs
'2i fs 16.hs+-; 13 ... B'.es 14.'2lgs '2i fs
1s.'V/!!xf7+ <i!?hs 16. B'. h3!
1 44 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
16 ... �d7 17.�hs+ Wg8 18.lt:J f7
�d8 19. �h8+! Wxf7 20. E:f3+-
The attack goes like a song
14 ... fxgs 15.hxgs E: fs!
Making space for a king escape!
15 ... E: xf4? 16.�h8+ Wf7 17.g6+
Wxg6 18. �hs#;
15 ... �xgs 16. �xgs �c7 (16.. �eB .
1'j. �h7+ Wf7 1B. E: h4+-) 17.f4+-
16.�h7+ Wf7
16 ... Wf8 17.�g6! Wg8 18. E: h7 � f8
19.�hs+-
17.g6+ Wes 18. �xg7
Two pieces are powerless in rela­
tion to the g-pawn!
18 ... �fs
18 ... E: f8 19. E: h8 �f7# 19 ... lt:J xes
20.�xes! � f6 2i.g7! �xg7 22.�xg7
E:xh8 23.�xh8+ Wd7 24.�es+-;
18 ... lt:J f8 19.�h8 Wd7 20.g7 ll:Jg6
2i.�xd8++- g8�
19.�h8! E:gsD
There is no other way to prevent
g?!
20.�gS!
A nice move with a double threat,
but the main one is �f7 mate!
20 lt:Jxes
•••
Black was forced into this to avoid
mate! 20 ... �e7 2i. E: h7+-
21. �xes Wd7 22. E: hs!
Clearly the best! 22. E: h7+?! is still
not a win 22 ... �e7 23.�g7 Wc6±
22 il,.b7
•••
22 ... E: xes 23.g7+-;
22 ... �e7 23. �h7+-
23.�h7+
GM Vlatko Kovacevic led the at­
tack with surgical precision. Con­
clusion: If you think that it is pos­
sible to play passively against the
"London", you are wrong! Passive
play is something this opening
does not tolerate as this game clear­
ly showed. With an early 8.h4! in
the opening, connected with � h7
and E: h3 ideas, doubts are cast on
Black's limp plan in the opening.
1-0
 CHAPTER FIVE - EARLY e6
N. Sedlak (2512) - P. Ascic (2348)
i2th Bosnjaci op-A (2), 04.01.2006
Compared to the previous game,
my opponent chose a plan with an
early 3 ... �d6 aiming to play a quick
. . . es! Against this set-up it is hard
to prevent . . . es, but White has the
possibility to seek an advantage
with the queen maneuver 'ilfM-'ilff4
offering an endgame! My opponent
accepted the endgame, which was
the most logical decision, and after
a long fight, I finally won with the
help of my opponent's impatience.
1.d4 ds 2. ii.f4 e6 3.e3 il.d6 4. il.g3
ii.xg3
Like I said before, I am not a big
fan of this kind of moves!
5.hxg3 ltJ f6 6.ltJd2 'i!fe7 7.ltJgf3
In the game I chose to play a sol­
id and, for me, known position. This
1 45
was one of my first games in the
"London" so at that time I was not
so brave about using my 'feel' a lot.
I was not sure of the typical 7.f4!? be­
cause of my doubled pawns on the g­
file! I was a little bit afraid of moves
like 7... h5 which I couldn't evaluate.
a b c d e f g h
Now, after many years of experi­
ence, I don't believe so much in ,J4.
For example: 8. �e2 forcing Black
into the unusual move 8 ... 'i!ff8 and
after 9.c3 ltJc6! with the idea . . .
ltJe7- ltJ fs 10. il. f3 ii.d7 11.e4 (11. �e2
o - o - o 12.e4 dxe4 13.ltJxe4 ltJxe4
14. il.xe4 'i!Ud6= Black has too many
options, moves such as . . . h4 or . . .f6-
ltJe7-�c6) 11 ... dxe4 12.ltJxe4 ltJxe4
13. il. xe4 o-o-o 14.ltJ f3 (14. 'E.xhs
is risky 14 ... 'E.xhs 15. 'i!fxhs ltJxd4!
16.cxd4 �b4+ 17-�ft �bs+ 18.ltJe2
g6 19. 'i!Uf3 'i!Uxd4� with the very
unpleasant threat of . . . 'E. h8!) 14 ...
f6 and I don't believe White has an
advantage!
7... ltJbd7
It's clear that Black is playing for
. . . es!
1 46 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
8.c3
Against . . . es there is always the
interesting 8.CZJes but here it doesn't
work very well after 8 ... CZJ xes 9.dxes
CZJd7 10.£4 ifcs! 11. 'i!?fa d4 12.CZJc4
dxe3+ 13.CZJ xe3 CZJb6 and this looks
OK for Black.
8 ... es! 9.dxes l:Z::l xes 10.l:Z::l xes ifxes
u.ifa4+!
Searching for the queen's best
position with tempo, transferring
her to the f4 square and offering an
endgame!
u ... c6
11 ... !l;,. d7 is similar to the game
12.iff4 ifxf4 13.gxf4;!;;
Black enters a slightly passive end­
game, but one with no weaknesses.
He could also play 13 ... ife7 to
keep the queens on the board!
14.CZJ f3 ! white can firstly improve
his knight's position (14.0- 0 - 0
� e 6 15.f3 o - o - o 16.g4 (1 6. 'i!tbi
gs! 17. ifa4 'i!tb8 18.g4 il.c8 19. 'B. he1
hs 20.gxhs 'B.xhs=) 16 ... d4! nexd4
l:Z:Jds 18.ifes l:Z::l xc3 ! 19.bxc3 ifa3+
20. 'i!?c2 ifxa2;!;; ) 14 ... �d7 15.CZJd4;!;;
and it's not clear what Black can
do with his king! Always risky is
15 ... 0-0 (It's not possible to play
15 ... 0-0-0? 1 6.CZJfs �xfs 17. !l;,. xfs+
CZJd7 18. !fd4±) 16.0-0-0 with con­
stant calculations around 'B. h6 and
g4-gs!
 CHAPTER FIVE - EARLY e6 1 47

14.gxf4;;!;: 18 .B'.xd7 19. �fa as

••.

White's better structure promis­ Black takes a space on the other

es a long-term advantage by taking flan k .
space on the kingside.
20 .B'.ae1 .B'.es 21.g4
•

14 ... ii.d7 Slowly, threats appear.

Before the move f3 it's neces­
sary first to improve the knight's 21 .B'.de7
.••

position. Preventing e4 and making space

for the knight on d7.
1s � f3 o-o-o 16.�es .B'.hfs 17.f3
.

I was very happy with my posi­ 22 .B'.e2 �b6

•

tion here. The massive pawns on the Black plays 'into space' and
kingside offer a lot of possibilities. doesn't use his chance to improve
For example to play for g4-gs, or to the position of the knight with 22 ...
play for e4. �d7 and next comes . . . �cs

17... �c7 18.�xd7!? 23 . .B'.he1 .B'.ds 24. ll.c2 �cs 2s . .B'.d1

This was the hardest decision in
the game. The knight was nice on es,
but after . . . ii.c8-. . . �e8 and a later
. . .f6 I didn't see any good prospects
There is no need to hurry: the
threat is stronger than the execution.
2s .B'.de8 26 .B'.d4 �b6 27. il.fs g6?!
•.• •

for the knight. In the future I had an Black loses patience. 27... �C7;;!;:
idea to open the position with e4 af­ would continue the waiting strategy.
ter which the bishop could become
dominant over the knight. 28. ii.c2 hs?

8 - - - -
�.r��-r:::
7 � � .. -�� �t&:�,,/� �
.. � �
6 %,, , , /_ ,,_% ,/-f, , , /�/�
s m - ·· -
4 m m o m
3 m D�D � a
2 � �/� - - � -
, ��/ / m
� �
� a
.� :a
a b c d e g h a b c d e g h
1 48 WI N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

This extra weakening will prove

fatal to Black. Much better was to
play 28 ... gs 29. !!e1 cs 30. !!dd1 gxf4
31.exf4 !!xe1 32. !!xe1 !!xe1 33. Wxe1
Wc6 34. Wfa bs 35.gs hxgs 36.fxgs
ll:Jd7 37,f4;!; and Black has chances
for a draw - but he needs to fight
hard for it!

Here I could win quicker with

35.c4 d4 36.exd4 cxd4 (3 6. . .
!!xd4 37. !!e2 l2Jc6 38. !!xe7 l2Jxe7
39. !!xf7+-) 37.c5+! Wxcs 38.f4+-

35 ll:Jg4+
. ••

35 ... !!ed7 doesn't save Black,

e.g. 36. !! xes dxe4 37. !! xd6+ !! xd6
38. !!xe4 !!d2+ 39. Wg3 !!xa2 40. !! f4
!!b2 4i. !!xf7+-
Also losing is 35 ... Wc6 36. !! xds
Now Black 's pawn structure !!xds 37.c4 ll:Jd3+ 38. Wfi
starts to be ruined.
36.We2?!
30 gxfs 31. !!f4 ll:Jes 32.b3!
••• I really don't know why I was not
The pawn on fs can't run away! happy with 36.fxg4 !! xe4 37.gxhs
!!h4 38.h6+-
32 cs?!
•••

Black starts his active play too 36 h4

••.

late, now simply creating new Now Black gains some small
weaknesses. hopes with his h-pawn!

33. !!d2 !!ds 3 4 . !! xfs+ - !!d6 37. !!fxds !!xds 38. !!xds h3 39. !!d1
35. �e4 c4!
Strong enough! Black doesn't have to lose any-
thing and plays in the most active
 CHAPTER FIVE - EARLY e6
way, hoping to make draw in the
rook endgame.
40.bxc4 Wes 41. gh1 h2 42.fxg4
From the nice structure, now just
doubled pawns are left, but I have
the bigger number of them!
Passive play in rook endgames
doesn't bring success. Black could
search for better chances with 43 ...
gxc4! 44. gxh2 Wd6! ±
1 49
44. g xh2 Wxc4 4s. g h7 g fs
46. Wf4 Wxc3 47.e4?!
Losing time and very slack play
in a winning position. 47.Wf5! b5
48.Wf6 b4 49. g xf7 g xf7+ 50.Wxf7
a4 5i.g6 b3 52.axb3 axb3 53.g7
b2 54.gs� bi� 55. �hs+ Wd2
56.�d4++-
47 bs
..•
Now follow the calculations!
48. Wfs b4 49. Wf6 a4 so. gxf7 gbs
Black couldn't save the game in
the queen endgame after 50 ... gxf7+
51. Wxf7 b3 52.axb3 axb3 53.g6 b2
54.g7 bi� 55.gS� �xe4 56. �c8++-
s1. gh7
Unnecessary again. Black's b­
pawn can't run away. 5i.g6! b3
52.axb3 axb3 53. gc7+ Wd2 54. g h7
b2 55. g h1 bi� 56. g xb1 g xb1 57.g7
gb6+ 58.Wf7 gb7+ 59.Wg6 gb6+
60. Wh7 gb7 6i. <i!f hs+-
s1 ... Wd4
White is much faster after 5i. .. b3
52.axb3 axb3 53.e5 b2 54. g h1 bi�
55. g xb1 g xb1 56.g6 g fi+ 57.Wg5+-
s2. ga7
Now all the Black counterplay
has disappeared and the rest of the
game was just delaying a handshake.
1 50 WI N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
52 ... a3 53.g6 <i!?c3 54. g h7 <i!?d4
55.g7 b3 56.axb3 <i!?xe4 57. g h1
Conclusion: The plan which
Black used in this game is very sol­
id! In general you don't have a bet­
ter option than forcing an endgame
with the maneuver lia4-lif4 and
to play it with great patience! For
players who prefers endgames with
a clear plan and a small space ad­
vantage, this will be a huge pleasure
for them!
1-0
N. Sedlak (2593) - B. Abramovic
(2460)
SRB-ch Vrnjacka Banja (4), 26.04.2012
Compared with the previous game,
Black changed his plan here with 4 ...
lie7 and � h6!? To follow, bringing
the knight to fs. However, it doesn't
change much about White's con­
cept in reply. At some point, Black
wandered from his plan and later
he missed a chance to castle short,
after which he didn't get another
chance! His King was left in the
center, unsafe, and the black rooks
were left without co-ordination! Af­
ter 19.e4 and the opening of the e­
file, Black's king couldn't find a safe
home and in the end the price was
very high!
1.d4 d5 2. iL.f4 e6 3.e3 iL.d6 4. il.g3!
lie7 5.c3
a b c d e g h
You have to be careful with move
orders: 5.� f3? .ilxg3 6.hxg3 lib4+
7-� bd2 lixb2+
5 �h6!?
.••
An original idea from the old
'classical' player, entering the knight
into play on fs!
6.�d2
6. iL.d3 allows easy equality after
6 ... �c6! (6... �fs 7- .ilxfs exfs B. li.xd6
Yixd6 9. lif3 o - o 10.�e2 iL.e6
11.�d2 �d7 12.�f4't. with a typi­
cal Trompowsky position) 7.� f3 es
8.dxes �xes 9.� xes li. xes 10. �xes
lixes=
6 �d7
.••
It seems like Black has wandered
from his plan, mixing . . . � fs and . . .
es ideas. Very logical was to contin­
ue firstly with the idea 6 ... � fs af­
ter which changing the structure
 CHAPTER FIVE - EA R LY e6
with 7.e4!? always deserves seri­
ous attention! 7... dxe4 8.CLJ xe4 this
structure reminds us a lot of the
French Defence-Rubinstein Vari­
ation, with an unusual placement
of the minor pieces. It's very im­
portant that moves like 8 ... es don't
work well after 9.dxes Cl:J xg3 (9 ...
il.xe5 10. il.xe5 'V/Jfxe5 11. il.d3t, with
CLJ f3 next) 10.Cl:J xd6+ cxd6 11.hxg3
dxes 12.'V/Jfc2 h6 13.CLJ f3 CLJc6 (13 ... e4
14.CLJd4 o-o 15.0-0-0 CLJc6 16. iLC4t,
and Black will have problems with
his e4 pawn.) 14. il.bs o-o 15.0-o't,
with the simple plan of � fe1-l�fadi.
7.CLJgf3 es
Black decides to delay . . . Cl:J fs as
going for the bishop pair doesn't
solve his problems! 7... Cl:J fs 8.e4!
(8. .11. xd6 CLJxd6 9 . .11. d3 e5 10. dxe5
Cl:Jxe5 11.CLJxe5 'V/Jfxe5=; 8. il.d3 Cl:Jxg3
9. hxg3 e5 10. dxe5 CLJxe5 11.CLJxe5
il.xe5 12.CLJ/3 ii.f6=) 8 ... dxe4 (8 ...
Cl:J xg3 9. hxg3 e5 10. 'V/Jfc2 dxe4
11.CLJxe4 exd4 12.o-o-o dxc3 13. �e1
cxb2+ 14. �bi-+) 9.CLJxe4 b6 10. ii.d3
i.b7 11.'V/Jfe2 CLJxg3 12.hxg3 h6 13.o­
o-o o-o-o 14. il.a6't,
s.dxes Cl:Jxes 9.CLJxes �xe5 10.CLJf3
ilxg3 11.hxg3
Once again the h-file is opened!
11 c6 12. 'V/Jfd4! t,
•••
And once again the queen comes
to f4, this time via d4!
1 51
12 ... ez:J fs?!
This human move is dubious. The
computer, without any fear, propos­
es 12 ... 0-0!? which seems suicid­
al!i3. �d3 (A positional exchange
sacrifice does not bring the desired
result 13. �xh6?! gxh6 14. il.d3 c5!
15. 'V/Jfxd5 �d8 16. 'V/Jfe4 'V/Jfxe4 1'J. il.xe4
�e6+; 13.0-0-0 CLJg4! 14. ii.d3 h6=)
13 ... k fs 14. i. xfs (14. �xh6 ii.xd3
15. � h4 il. e4+; 14. 0 - 0 - 0 il.xd3
15. 'V/Jfxd3 f500 ) 14 ... Cl:J xfs 15.'V/Jfg4 g6
(15... CLJd6? 16. �xh7! �xh7 l'J. 'V/Jfh5+
�g8 18.CLJg5+-; 15... 'V/Jff6 16. 'V/Jff4 'V/Jfg6
17.g4 CLJ d6 18.0-0-o't,) 16.0-0-0
and while the computer defends the
black position, I believe in White's
attacking potential - especially in
a game between two humans!
13. 'V/Jff4 f6?
Black should worry more about
his king: 13 ... CLJd6 14. i.d3 il.e6 15.g4
0-0-0 16.g5't,
1 52 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

17. �c2 CZJd6 18. '8de1 Wf8

Black is trying to castle artifi­
cially. 18 ... CZJe4 19.CZJd4 �d7 20.g4!
o-o-o 21.f3 CZJd6 22.a4! a6 23.b4±
combining play on both flanks.
18 .. .fs 19.CZJd4+-

19.e4!±
The correct moment to open the
e-file and use the lack of co-ordina­
tion between the black rooks.

Now Black must go on an adven­

ture with his pawns, because the h7
pawn hangs after . . . CZJd6.

15.�a4
There is no preferable place for
the queen.

15 ...h6 a b c d e g h
A strange move but anyway
this position is not good for Black.
15 ... CZJd6 16.0-0-0 � fs n � xfs 19 ... dxe4 20. �xe4 CZJxe4 21. '8xe4
CZJxfs 18.g4 (18. e4 is an unneces­ �f7
sary complicating of the position 21. .. � fs lead to a lost endgame
18 ... dxe4 19. 'i!!. he1 CZJ d6 20. 'i!!. xd6 after 22. '8 xe7 �xc2 23. '8 he1 �g6
�xd6 21. �xe4+ WfBD 22. �fs 'i!!. eB 24. 'i!!. C ?+-
23. 'i!!. x eB+ Wxe8 24. �cB+ �dB
25.�xb7 'i!!.fB 26.�xc6+ Wf7 2'J.CZJd4 22.CZJd4 il.d7 23. '8he1 '8h7
WgB�) 18 ... CZJd6 19.CZJd4± Covering the square e?! Black
would barely be able to move after
16.0-0-0 b5 23 ... '8e8 24. '8 xe8+ .t xe8 25.CZJe6+
Maybe this was too much, but Wgs 26. �e4+-
the idea was to remove the white
queen far from the d4 square. 16 ...
CZJd6 17.CZJd2 fs 18.�d4! ±
 CHAPTER FIVE - EA R LY e6
Also another and more positional
plan was fine 24. E'. 4e3!? Wg8 25.ll:J fs
�xfs 26.l!fxfs+- with E'.e6 next.
24 ... Wgs 25.f4 gxf4
Black did not want to be fixed af­
ter fs from White.
26.gxf4 fs 27. E'.es ii.xe6 28. E'.xe6
E'.g7 29. E'.xh6
With this move I force a rook
endgame.
1 53
29 ... l!fxa2 30. l!fxfs l!¥ai+ 31. l!fb1
l!fxbi+ 32.Wxb1 E'.xg2 33. E'.xc6+-
With a pawn advantage and my
king closer to the pawns on the
queenside, it is more than enough
for the win!
33 ... E'.ds
Also of no help was 33 ... E'. fs
3 4 . E'.e7! as (34 . . . E'. xf4 35. E'.xa7
E'.gs 36. E'.c8+ E'.fB 37. E'.xfB+ WxfB
38. Wa2+-) 35. E'.b6 b4 36.cxb4 axb4
37. E'. xb4+-
34. E'.e7 as 35. E'.b7
One more pawn falls and the rest
of the game was not very interesting.
35 b4 36.cxb4 a4
•••
36 ... axb4 37. E'.xb4 E'. fa 38. E'.cs E'.fs
39. E'.gs+ Wh7 40. E'.b3 E'. f6 4i. E'.g4+-
37. Wa2 E'. fa 38. E'.c4 a3 39. Wxa3
E'.as+ 40.Wb3 E'. b+ 41. E'.c3 E'.xf4
42.bs Wfs 43. E'. h3 Wgs 44. E'.c3
Wfs 45.b6 Wes 46. E'.h7
1 54 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYST EM

Conclusion: Our opening starts Using a typical method against

with 2. i.. f4, so it's very logical that
Black can always devise something
new early in the opening with some
unusual moves, but the pawn struc­
ture does not change! Here we see
this with 5 ... ctJ h6!? The most impor­
tant thing is to not be surprised by
this kind of move: you simply have
to continue playing in the spirit of
the "London"!
1-0
the French Defence - playing on
the dark squares (especially es) and
against the pawn islands - White
won the game in fine positional
style!
1.d4 ds 2. �f4 e6 3.e3 ctJ f6 4.CLld2
�d6 5. �g3 o-o! 6. �d3!

B. Grachev (2666) -A. Timofeev

(2534)
RUS-chT rapid Sochi (2.7), 08.05.2015

In this game between two strong

Russian grandmasters the position
with an early . . . e6-. . . �d6-. . . CLl f6
with . . . o-o-. . . cs was played again,
which remind us of some positions
from CHAPTER 4 - the classical set­
up with . . . e6, the difference being
that Black keeps a knight on b8 aim­
ing to play . . . b6-. . . �a6!
With the precise move order,
which Boris Grachev used, White
can prevent that plan by pushing e4,
The move order is very important
here! After the imprecise 6.ctJgf3
Black can equalize easily with 6 ...
cs 7.c3 b6 8. �d3 �a6= and without
his white-squared bishop, White
has hopes of an attack.
6 cs 7.c3 b6 8.e4!
.••

transposing to a position typical of This position is very similar to the

the French Defence, again with an
unusual bishop on g3.
In the position reached in this
game, Black didn't have the reply
. . . CL:l hs after the move e4, which is
a worse version for Black compared
with the positions from CHAPTER 4.
position from chapter four. The dif­
ference is in the knights on gt and b8
instead of on f3 and c6. Compare this
position with the game Grischuk A.­
Nakamura H. EU cup 2015.
 CHAPTER FIVE - EARLY e6
s ... 1le7 9.es �fd7
The knight must go to d7 instead
of hs.The difference is big!
lo• • •
fs
After 10 ... g6 White has achieved
a great French-type position, e.g.
11.iVe2 �c6 12.�gf3 cxd4 13.cxd4
�b4 14.0-0 as 15. !! fc 1 � xd3
16.iVxd3 .ll a6 17.iVe3 !!es 18.h4 hs
1 55
19. ,ll f4 !!cs 20. ilgs ilxgs 21.�xgs±
Grachev,B (2673)-Malakhov,V (2696)
Moscow 2014;
With 10 ... h6 Black weakens the g6
square, after which ideas with . . .f6
or . . .fs will never work! 11.�e2 1la6
12. 1lxa6 �xa6 13.0-0! �
11.exf6 � xf6 1 2 . iVe2 cxd4
13.cxd4�
This structure is typical of the
French Tarrasch position in the3.
�d2 � f6 line. Here White has full
control of the es square!
13 ... �c6 14.�gf3 �b4 15.0-0
White doesn't care about the
bishop pair, he is interested mostly
in the es square. Almost all kinds of
exchanges are good for White!
15 ... �xd3 16.iVxd3 �hs
Black decides to take the other
bishop also!
1 56 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

In my repertoire with Black I have

the French Defense and I am always
trying to avoid this kind of position
with pawn islands, especially with­
out knights to control the weak
points. And to make serious coun­
terplay is very difficult for Black.

18 ... �d7 19.Cl:Jes �es 20.f4!

Sometimes this can be weaken­
ing, but here White has a clear plan
to use the h file!
25.CZJg4 V/Bc4?!
Losing a pawn. It was very hard
to play 25 ... h5 and create another
weakness, but it preserves the pawn
26.CZJxf6+ gxf6±

26. V/Be3 �d7

2 6 . . . V/Bc 6 27. V/Bxe 6 + V/Bxe6
28. gxe6 �d7 29.CZJxf6+±

20 ... gcs 21.Cl:Jdf3 V/Bc7 22. ge2!
A prophylactic move with the
idea of avoiding the endgame after
Black's . . . V/Bc2!
27.Cl:Jges
White decides to take a pawn, en­
tering into the endgame. Very pain­
ful for Black would be 27.CZJ xf6+
gxf6 28.CZJe5±

22 as 23.'it>fa! � f6 24. g h1 h6?! ±

.••

After this logical-looking move

Black finds himself in serious trou­
ble. With the active 24 ... g5 he could
stay in the game. 25. V/Be3 gxf4
26.gxf4 �xe5 27.dxe5 �g6 28.CZJd4
V/Bf7 29. g h4;t; White is strategically
better but the white-squared bishop
has come to life again.
 CHAPTER FIVE - EARLY e6
with a White dream in the French
Defense.
27... �bs 28.�xd7 �xd7 29. �xe6+
�xe6 30. !! xe6+- !!c2+ 31. !!e2
!!fcs 32. !!he1 hs
Black's position looks active but it
is without serious compensation for
the pawn. The strong grandmaster
Boris Grachev is impeccable in such
technical positions.
White is released from the dou­
bled pawns.
37... hxg4
37... �xes leads to a lost pawn end­
game after 38.dxes hxg4 39.e6 �g8
40.e7 !!cs 4i.�d4 �f7 42.eS�+
!!xe8 43. !!xe8 �xe8 44. �xds+-
38.� xg4 kds 39.�es kb6
Black activates his bishop, but it
is not enough for a draw!
1 57
40.g4 !!d1 41.� f3 !!c1 42.fs g6
43.f6 gs
44. !!h2+!
White uses a tactic to finish the
game!
44 ... �gs
44 ... �g6 45.�es+ �xf6 46. !!h6+
�g7 47. !!xb6+-
45.�xgs !!ei+ 46. �fa !!c1 47.f7+
Conclusion: Always pay atten­
tion to Black's move-orders also, as
well as his ideas! In this game with
6. il.d3! and 8.e4! White prevented
Black's plan of . . . b6-. . . ka6, trans­
posing instead to a nice version of
a French set-up for White. This is
actually a refutation of this dubious
idea and move order from Black.
The "London" is a system you have
to learn and play by understanding
the ideas - there is no room here
for theory nerds!
1-0
 C H A PTER S I X
SLAV SET-U P - 2 c6 A N D SYM M ETRY 2
... ... �fs

In this chapter we will discuss

the set-up from Slav Defense! The
structures are not the same as in
previous chapters, because White
plays c4 instead of c3. This set-up
allows White to create quick play
on the queenside by attacking the
b7 pawn, after which Black usual­
ly reacts with . . . �b6 entering pas­ a b c d e f g h
sive endgames! The symmetrical
2 ... �fs with 3 ... e6 is a better option An important move! White
for Black, one which gives him the doesn't have to be afraid of moves
possibility to finish his development like 4 ... �xb1!? (4 ... c6 -is a transpo­
faster. sition to 2 ... c6) 5. �xb1 lt. b4+ 6. Wd1
-see Georgiev K - Godena M. Pa­
dova open 2014.

After the symmetrical 2 ... i. fs

3.e3 e6 4.c4! This line reminds me of a posi­
tion from the Queens Pawn Game
1 60 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

i.d4 ds 2. kgs h6 3. k h4 c6 4. e3
�b6, but in our position the bish­
op on f4 is better-placed than on
gs. From f4 it better controls the es
square and Black can only dream of
implementing the freeing move . . .
es! 4.b3. See: Winants L - Georgiev
V. Turin ol 2006.

4.c4 e6
A 'violent' approach does not
bring the desired result 4 ... �xb1
s.�xb1 es? See: Berkes F. -Lupules­
cu C. Dresden ol 2008.
10 ... 0-0 u. �d6! �d8 i2.�a3!
kxd6 13.CZJ xd6 ke4 14.l!iJ xb7 �b6
is.Cl:Jcs l!iJ xcs 16. � xcs � fb8 17-b3
�xf3 18.gxf3 as 19. �d3 M 20.bxa4
CZJd7 2i. �c1 �as+ 22.�c3 �xa4
23. �xc6 �xc6 24. � xc6 � xa2
2s.o-o±

Before the move �b3 it is very

important to insert this move!
6. �b3 is not a precise move-order
6 ... �b6 7.cs �xb3 8.axb3 es! �

6 Cl:Jgf6 7. �b3 �b6

•••

In case of the passive 7... �c8,

White's reaction is 8.cxds! exds (8... Maybe this evaluation looks
l!iJxds 9. kg3 ke7 10. ke2 o-o 11.0- ill-advised, but praxis shows that
ot) 9. �c1 ke7 (9... a6 10.Cl:Jes CZJxes Black does not have sufficient
 CHAPTER SIX - S LAV SET-U P - 2 . . . c6 A N D SYMM ETRY 2 ii.fs
counterplay-see games Kharlov A.­
Dokutchaev A. Kazan 1995. Prie E.
-Varga P. FRA eh team 2009.
K. Georgiev (2628) - M . Godena
(2495)
17th Padova open (4), 16.12.2014
In the first game of CHAPTER 6 we
will see what happens when Black
tries to play symmetrically with 2 ...
.tfs!? 3.e3 e6. The famous GM from
Bulgaria reacted forcibly with 4.c4!
without fear leaving his king in the
center, after which he outplayed his
opponent, for many years the ist
board of the Italian team!
I prefer this move, although Black
has the possibility to spoil White
castling. With 4.c4 the idea is to
play a quick ¥!¥b3.
... 1 61
4 .txb1!? 5. ¥!¥xb1
•••
Another typical reaction is
5.¥!¥a4+ but it seems to be a bet­
ter version for Black compared to
the game. 5 ... l£Jc6 (s ... bs? 6.¥!¥xbs+
/fJd7 (6... c6 7. ¥!¥b7!+-) 7. B: xb1 B:bs
s.¥!¥c6±) 6. B: xb1 kb4+ 7.Wd1 dxc4
8 . .txc4 a6 9.a3 .td6=
5 ••• .tb4+ 6.Wd1
Black didn't hurt White's king, he
is just trying to speed up his devel­
opment. The white monarch is safe
on di.
6 ... dxc4
Black has to do something against
the cs threat. To me it looks better to
play 6 ... .td6 7. .t xd6 (or 7. .tg3 l£Jj6
8.l£Jf3 o-o 9.cxds exds 1 0• .td3 00 )
7... ¥!¥xd6 s./fJ f3 1£J f6 9.cxds exds
10. �d3 o-o 11.We2 l£Jbd7 i2. B:c1
c6 13.b4 with a standard Carlsbad
position.
1 62 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
7 .ilxc4 it.d6 8. ii.g3
• 12.�c2 cxd4 13./£lxd4
Of course. Why go into a sym­
metrical position? 8. it. xd6 cxd6
9./£l f3 /£l f6 10. We2 o-o 1i. !!c1
1£lc6=
8 cs!?
..•
Black also doesn't care about
castling and he tries instead to cre­
ate pressure in the center. 8 ... /£l f6
9.We2 o-o 10./£l f3 /£lbd7 1i.�c2;;!;;
9. kbs+ WfS 10.'£l f3 it.xg3 11.hxg3
/£lf6
Black missed an interesting con­
tinuation after which the position
would be balanced: 11 ... cxd4 12. �d3
a6 13./£lxd4! ;;!;; with the idea 1£ld6;
u ... a6! 12. �a4 cxd4 13. �d3 bs
14. �b3 /£lc6 1s.exd4 (15. !! c1 ? dxeJ+)
1s ... /£l f6 16. !!c1 �d6 17.We2 in this
non-standard position with isolated
pawns, I prefer White thanks to his
slightly better development and the
cs square.
Also advantageous is 13. �cs+
'i!tg8 14.�xd4;;!;;
13 ... g6
Black solves the problem of his
.
k mg.I 13 ... es?. 14. \llXr
§CS+±
14. We2 Wg7 15. !! ac1;;!;;
White is first to take a file!
After this weakening, Black posi­
tion begins to be difficult. The only
route leading to a playable posi­
tion for Black was 16 ... 1£lbd7 17.�c7
!!cs! 18.�xb7 !!bs 19.�xa6 !!xb2+
20. !!c2 !!xc2+ 21 . .ilxc2 �c7 22. !!c1
!!cs 23. Wfi;;!;;
17. .ilb3 �e7 18.�cs?! ;;!;;
Very logical. White bases his play
on the queenside.
 CHAPTER S I X - SLAV S ET-U P - 2 c6 A N D SYM M ET RY z.. ilfs
... 1 63

22 ... WfS 23.a3 /£Jbd7 24./£Jc6

The knight heads closer to the ex­
posed black pawns on the queenside!

24 'f!.cs 25.f3
•••

White starts to limit Black's

knights.

25 'f!.bc7 26.e4 /£Jes 27.e5

.••

Taking space and playing against

the knight on e8!

But with this computer move,

White could finish his game much
faster: 18.g4! es (18... h6 19.gs! hxgs
2 0. 'f!. xhB Wxh8 21. VlHcB+ Wg7
22. 'f!. q+-) 19./£J fs+! gxfs 20.Wxfs
'£Jbd7 21.Wgs+ Wfs 22.Wh6+ Wgs
(22 ... WeB 23.gs /£Jg4 24. Whs 1£ixf2
25. Wxf2+-) 23.gs /£Jg4 24.Whs /£Jxfa
25 .Wxfa+-

18 ... 'f!.a7 19.Wxe7

Kiril wasn't dreaming of mate.
He has a clear plan to use the open
file and better-placed pieces in the
endgame.
19 'f!.xe7 20. 'f!.hd1
•••
Now White controls both open
files and the position is playing on
one goal.
20 'f!.heS 21. 'f!.c2 'f!.b7 22. 'f!.dc1
•..
The plan changes! From the cl-file
White couldn't derive any benefit!
Black's knight stood well on d7
and pressured es. In this kind of
structure it is always good to fix the
g3 pawn with 27... hs! creating a po­
tential square on fs for the knight.
28.'£Jas
In my opinion it was perhaps
a little bit early to go in for simpli­
fication. Black doesn't have an ac­
tive plan and White could improve
his position some more. Generally
speaking Kiril is one of the best in
1 64 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

this type of position, so he knows 33 ... r:!; f7 34. �b3

why he chose this way. A useful White pressures the e6 pawn and
move was 28.g4 but maybe Kiril at the same time prevents . . . /f:J c4.
was afraid of 28 ... /f:J c4 29. it.. xc4
� xc6 30. i.d3 � XC2+ 3 1 . � XC2 34 ... /f:J c7 35. c:!id3
�xc2+ 32. i. xc2± but here White Slowly the king enters the
has a typical endgame where his queenside!
bishop dominates the knight. 32 ...
c:!ie7 33. c:!ie3 c:!id7 34. c:!id4 c:!ic6 35.b4
c:!ib6 36.f4 /f:J g7 37. it.di c:!ic6 38. i.e2
c:!ib6 39. i. f30 h6 (39 ... /f:J eB 4ofs
/f:J q 41f6 lf:JeB 42. c:!ie3 /f:J q 43. c:!if4
h6 44. ile4 gs+ 45. c:!ie3+- with i.g6
next) 40. it.di c:!i c6 41. .i.e2 c:!ib6
42. it. f30 /f:J es 43.fs gs 44.f6 /f:J c7
45. i.e4 /f:J e8 46. i.g6+-

28 � xc 2 + 2 9 . � xc 2
• • • � xc 2 +
30. ii.xc2 f6 31.f4!±

Now White finds a plan to drive

the black knight from d7 and pen­
etrate with his king on cs. For that,
it's necessary to transfer the bishop
to the diagonal hi-a8!

37 lf:Jds 38. i. b /f:J c7 39.b3 c:!ig7

•••

40. /f:J as!

A route for the white king is se­
cured after the coming ii.c6!
White still doesn't give up squares
to the knights. 40 c:!ih6 41. i.c6+-
•••

He found a way and the rest of

31 fxes 32.fxes c:!ie7 33. /f:J c6+!
••• the game is a technical realisation
An important move removing of the position.
Black's king from the center!
 CHAPTER SIX - S LAV SET-U P - 2 c6 A N D SYM M ETRY 2 -ll fs
41 ...l£l fs 42.Wcs Wgs
Black is very late with his
counterplay!
43. Wb6 1£lds+ 44. Wxa6 Wg4
45. Wxbs Wxg3
In pawn races, the advantage is
almost always with the side who has
the bishop.
46.l£lc4 gs
Unfortunately for Black, it was not
possible to play 46 ... Wxg2 47.1£le3+!
Wfa 48.l£l xds exds 49. � xds gs
50.M+- and White is much quicker.
47.a4 1£lg6
Tasked with being sacrificed for
the fast pawn!
a b c d e g
I guess in time-trouble, Whites
panics a little bit. Much better
was so. Wes Wxg2 (50 ... g4 si.a6 h3
52.gxh3 gxh3 53.1£le3! 1£l xe3 (53 ...
h2 54.1£lft+ Wh3 55.1£lxh2 Wxh2
... ... 1 65
56. a7+-) 54.a7 1£l 7d5 55.a8'%W h2
s6.'%Wgs+ Wfa s7.'%Wh7 Wg1 ss.'%Wg6+
Wfa 59.'%Wh6 Wg1 60. i. xds 1£l xds
6i. '%W gs+ Wfa 6 2 . '%Wh4+ Wg2
63.'%Wg4+ Wfa 64.'%Wh3 Wg1 65.'%Wg3+
Wh1 66.'%Wfa+-) si.a6 h3 s2.a7 h2
53.1£le3+ Wg1 54.a8'%W hi'%W ss.'%Wai+
Wh2 s6.'%Wxhi+ Wxh1 s7.Wd6+-
so ... 1£lc7+
so ... g4!? si.1£l xds exds 52.a6 h3
53.gxh3 gxh3 54.a7 h2 55.a8'%W hi '%W
56.'%Wfs '%Wh7 57. Wb6+- and White
still has to be careful.
51. Wes 1£l fs s2.b4 g4 53.1£lc4
White didn't have any reason
for this move, but it's also enough
good! White promotes to a queen
first and, two pawns up, is eas­
ily winning. The rest of the game
will be without comments. 53.b5 h3
54.gxh3 gxh3 55.a6 h2 56. � hi+-
53 ... 1£lds 54.a6 h3 ss.gxh3 gxh3
56. � xds exds 57.a7 h2 ss.as'%W
h1 '%W 59. '%W xds '%W gi+ 60. Wbs
1£ld4+ 61.Wa6 '%Wai+ 62.Wb6 '%Wc3
63.bs Wf4 64.l£ld6 '%We3 65. '%Wf7+
1£lfs+ 66.Wb7 Wxes 67.1£lc4+ Wd4
68.1£l xe3 1£ld6+ 69.Wc7 l£l xf7
70.b6
h A very nice technical game by
Kiril Georgiev!
1-0
1 66 WI N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

Lessons to be learned: exchange bishops after �d3 as hap­

pens in this game.
1. Only with the c4 plan, us­
ing the absence of the bishop
from c8, can White fight for
an advantage.
2. Don't be afraid to play with
your king in the center - your
king is safe! Black is not bet­
ter-developed and he gave up
the bishop pair. The endgame
is better thanks to the king in
the center!

L. Winants (2530) - V. Georgiev

(2535)
37th Turin ol (M e n) (3). 23.05.2006
Compared to the previous game,
here Black chooses the line 2 ... c6
with 3 ... �b6, with the idea to create
pressure on the b2 pawn. White re­
sponded with the simplest plan - 4.
b3 followed by 5. ii.d3 - the idea be­
ing to continue with taking space
on the queenside. Faced with that
plan, Black put the queen on a6, af­
ter which White changed his plan,
moving the play to the center and
the kingside exploiting the mis­
placed black queen on a6. In the end
White finished the game with an ef­
fective attack.
1.d4 ds 2. �f4 c6 3.e3 �b6 4.b3
In my opinion this is the best
plan. It is also possible to play 4. �c1
but White loses the possibility to
This is the simplest plan. The bish­
op on f5 is strong and he can disturb
White's action on the queenside af­
ter c4-c5-b4-b5. The bi-square will
not be available for the rook after
opening the b-file. A famous 'Lon­
don' expert has also tried 5.a3 � f6
6.c4 e6 7.�c3 �bd7 8.c5 �d8 9.b4
a6 10.h3 �e4 11.�xe4 il xe4 12.�e2
il.. e 7 13.�c3 �g6 14. ile2 o-o 15.0-
0;;!;; Kovacevic,V (2520) -Vukelic,T
(2310) Poree 1998 and White has
a free hand on the queenside!
5 ... ii.xd3
5 ... .ig6 doesn't make a huge dif­
ference. White can continue with
6.�e2 e6 7.0-0 � f6 8.c4 ile7
9.�bc3;;!;; and the standard plan on
the queenside of c5-b4-b5.
 CHAPTER SIX - S LAV SET-U P - 2 c6 A N D SYM M ETRY 2 �fs
... ... 1 67

6.!fxd3 CZJf6 7.CZJf3 CZJbd7 8.o-o e6 and now the pawn on e6 may be­
9.c4 !fa6 come a problem after White's main
A typical move against the cs plan e3-e4.
plan! The downside of this move is
that the Black queen can stand mis­
placed at some point.

10.1£lbd2 1£l hs?!

The wrong plan. The "London
bishop" is always unpleasant , con­
trolling the important diagonal
h2-b8, so this move is understand­
able. But in this position . . . CZJ f4
isn't a real threat. Black should play
more peaceably with 10 ... il.. e 7 11.e4
dxe4 12.CZJ xe4 CZJxe4 13.!fxe4:t and
White has a small advantage due to
having more space. In this typical 11 ... il.. e7
position from many opening lines, With this move Black realizes
the queen on a6 is placed awkward­ that he chose the wrong plan with
ly and Black doesn't have his usual . . . 1£l hs. 11 ... 1£l xf4 12.exf4 g6 13. !!fe1
plan of a5-a4. �e7 14.CZJgs:t and the problem of
Also natural was 10 ... !!ds 11. !fc2 the black king is evident.
moving out of the pin 11 ii.. e 7 •••

12.cs CZJ hs 13.b4 1£l xf4 14.exf4 b6 12. il.. h 2

15.cxb6 (1sfs!? exfs 16. !!fe1-+) 15 ...
ifxb6 16.a3 o-o 17.CZJb3 il.. d 6 18.g3:t
Schlindwein,R (2425)-Tregubov,P
(2515) Cappelle-la-Grande 1995
11.h4!?
An original move which makes
a lot of sense. White makes space
for the bishop retreat on h2 and at
the same time the pawn h4 can help
in future actions against the black
king, supporting ideas with 1£lgs!
Also 11. il.. e s causes problems for
Black 11 .. .f6 12. ii.. g3 1£l xg3 13.hxg3:t
The bishop is saved!
12 ... h6?
This move turns out to be an un­
necessary weakening. After 12 ...
1£l hf6 13.e4 dxe4 14.CZJ xe4 o-o:t
Black would still have a playable
position.
13.e4 dxe4 14.CZJxe4 o-o
A very risky decision, but what
else could Black do against the CZJd6
threat?
1 68 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
The pawn on h6 becomes a tar­
get, while the queen on a6 is far
from events.
15 lfJ hf6 16.lfJ xf6+ /fJ xf6 17.g5
••.
hxgs 18.hxgs lfJ h7
Of no help is 18 ... lfJhs 19. \!?g2 'ifas
20. '.aae1! an important move! It pre­
vents . . . 'iffs and threatens g6. 20 ...
g6 2i. '.a xe6! fxe6 22.'ifxg6+ /fJg7
23 . ..ies '.a f7 24. '.a h1 ..ib4 25.'ifh7+
\!?fs 26.g6+-
19. i.. f4 '.a fd8 20. \!?g2
White freewheels to the finish,
attacking along the h file.
20 /fJfs 21.lfJes
•••
. . . lfJg6 shouldn't be allowed ..
21 ii. c s 22. '.a h1 .1i. xd4 23. 'ifh3
•..
lfJg6 24./fJxg6
with mate after 'ife6!
Conclusion: The set-up with . . . c6,
. . . 'i¥b6 used by Vladimir Georgiev
doesn't make much sense to me, es­
pecially when compared to the posi­
tion from the Trompowsky (Queen
Pawn) game. For example: i. d4 <ls
2. ii.gs h6 3. i.. h4 c6 4.e3 'i¥b6 5.b3
es!? or after 5. 'ifc1 es!? and after 6.
de? 'ifb4 with 'ifh4 coming! Anoth­
er good plan for Black after 5.b3 or
s. 'ifc1 is 5 ... ii. fs, with . . . e6, . . . i.. e 7
next and Black develops the bishop
with tempo, offering exchanges! In
our position we don't have this kind
of problem and therefore this is
a much-improved version. The bish­
op on f4 is much better placed, be­
cause the . . . es move for Black is im­
possible! Against this set-up, White
has to take space on the queenside
by pushing the pawns b3-C4 and c5-
b4 if Black allows it. It seems like . . .
'i¥b6 stimulates White's action on
the queenside!
1-0
 CHAPTER SIX - S LAV S ET-U P - 2 . . . c6 A N D SYMM ETRY 2 ii.fs
F. Berkes (2645) - C. Lupulescu
(2594)
38th Dresden al (M e n) (4), 16.11.2008
In this game we can see a Slav set-up
with . . . c6, . . . .tfs after which Black
chose a very violent continuation
with 4 ... �b1 followed by . . . es, sacri­
ficing the pawn just to spoil White's
castling possibility. However, from
very early on he was left without
compensation and this game shows
how White has to maintain sang­
froid and punish unreasinable play!
1.d4 ds 2 .t f4 c6 3.e3 iHs 4.c4
•
ilxb1 s.�xb1 es?±
a b c d e g h I like this move! White threatens
Violent play in the early part of the
game can't bring success. The idea is
to prevent castling and to develop the
pieces quickly. Two games ago we saw
the same idea with . . . .txb1 in a simi­
lar position in the game Georgiev K.­
Godena M. Padova Open 2014, but
... 1 69
there Black didn't sacrifice a pawn
to spoil White's castling ambitions.
Black should play more solidly with
5 ... e6 6.cs! �d7 (6... b6 7.b4 bxcs
B.bxcs �as+ 9. 'r!ld1±) 7.� f3 �gf6
8.h3 �e4 9. �d3 fs 10. �c2! White
don't need to hurry with castling
(10.0-0?! gs! 11 ..th2 hs_,, ) 10 ... .te7
•
11 . .t h2 o-o 12.0-o;t Kovacevic,S
(2380)-Varga,Z (2480) Harkany 1994
6. �xes �as+ 7. 'r!ld1 �d7 8. ilg3 cs
The only way to justify 5 ... e5.
Black tries to open all files to the
white king!
de with b4 coming next, or imme­
diately b4.
10 ...cxd4 11.exd4 .te7
Black had no time for 11 dxc4 ..•
12. il xc4 ile7 13. �ei+- when his
king is weaker.
1 70 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
12.cs!
A logical decision: White closes
the center, after which his king can
feel safe.
12 ... /fJe4 13. �d3 fs
Maintaining the knight on e4 but
also weakening the diagonal a2-g8!
Of course White isn't afraid to
enter complications. His king is saf­
er and his pieces are better placed.
Peaceable players will choose per­
haps 15. Wc2 ±
15 ...f4
16. il.xf4!
White accepts the challenge!
16 . . . lL:l x fa + 17. W c 2 lLl x h 1
18.�xds+-
It's very clear already that Black
has no hope of saving the game. His
king is bare and the knight on hi
falls.
18 ... /fJf6
Black couldn't save his knight
With 18 ... lZJ fa 19. �C4 � f8 (19 . . .
lfJf6 20. �f7+ Wd7 21. il. bs+ WcB
22. �e6+ /fJ d7 23. �c6+! bxc6
24. il.a6#) 20.�hs+ g6 2i.�xh7
�xf4 22.�xg6++-
19. �bs+ Wfs 20.�xds+
Of course, White doesn't have to
search for more than this pleasant
endgame.
20 ... �xds 21. �xh1 lfJds
Blockading on ds, but it is
short-lived!
22. lt.g3 hs!?
Black seeks counterplay by push­
ing the pawn and bringing the rook
into the game via h6!
Very bad is 22 ... lL\e3+? 23. Wd3
lLl xg2 24. �gi+-
 CHAPTER SIX - SLAV S ET-U P - 2 c6 A N D SYM M ETRY 2 ii.fs
...
Awaiting the opponent's quick
surrender, White gives up one not­
so-important pawn. I have no idea
if it was a blunder or just good sim­
plification. 26.g3+-
26 �xg2 27. �xg2 1£le3+ 28.�d3
••.
1£lxg2 29.�e4
Now the knight is far from events
and shakily-placed!
29 ... k f6 30. kd6+ �e7 31. il.c7
�cs 32. kes kf6 33. �e6!
The knight on g2 is doomed and
the rest of the game was just a hope­
less fight from Black for his national
team!
33 ... �c6 34. k h3 it.. xes 35.1£l xes
�a6 36. �xg2 �xa3 37.�fs �a2
38. �xb7 �xh2 39.c6 �c2
1-0
... 1 71
Conclusion:
Don't afraid to take a pawn and
keep the king in the center! Believe
in your position, because your nat­
ural play cannot be punished with
violent play, especially not at such
an early stage of the game!
A. Kharlov (2555) -A. Dokutchaev
(2420)
RUS-chT Kazan (8), 1995
Here comes the one of the criti­
cal endgames in the London Sys­
tem. Black makes the Slav-set-up
moves . . . ds, . . . c6, . . . k fs, . . . e6 af­
ter which White reacts with c4 and
then the typical tfb3 - forcing the
move . . . t+'b6 after which appears
an endgame with better chances for
White. In this game, Russian grand­
master Kharlov showed the essence
of this endgame.
1.d4 ds 2.l£l f3
Be careful! Our move order is
2. it. f4 c6 3.e3 � fs 4.c4 e6 5.1£lc3
l£ld7 6.'£l f3! 1£lgf6 7.t;'b3 t+'b6 8.cs!
2 l£lf6 3. it.,f4 c6 4.e3 � fs 5.c4
.••
One of the very rare lines in the
"London" where you have to play
c4 to seek an advantage, instead of
the plan 1£lbd2-c3. Black's bishop is
"out" on fs so White can now press
the b7 pawn.
1 72 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

5 e6 6.�c3 �bd7 7.°%!fb3 °%!fb6 8.cs!

.•. Black now threatened . . . � hs
The idea is to force a better end­
game with a space advantage!

8... ifxb3 9.axb3±

As I said in the introduction to
CHAPTER 6, maybe this evaluation

looks pretentious, but praxis proves it.

This is the famous knight route

�d2- �b3- �a5 which causes Black
terrible trouble. By bringing the
knight to as, Black will be forced to
give up his bishop.

12 ... 0-0
This is only move against White's Black is unable to exchange dark­
plan of b4-bs. The typical move 9 ... squared bishops after 12 ... lt.. d s
�hs?! doesn't work well 10. lt.. e s! a6 13.�b3 lt.. C ?? Now actually we see
(10... �xes 11.�xes �f6 12.b4± with the main problem of Black's posi­
next bs; 10 .. f6 11. lt.. q! .B'.c8 12. lt.. d6 tion: 14. �xc7 .B'.xC? 15.bs!
lt..xd6 13.cxd6 a6 14.h3 gs 15.g4 lt.,e4
16.�xe4 dxe4 17.�d2 �g7 18.h4!
gxh4 19.�xe4+ -) 11.b4 .B:cs 12.h3
�hf6 (12 ... �xe5 13.dxe5+-) 13. lt.. h2±
and Black has achieved nothing
compared with our main game! The
plan is the same �d2- �b3- �as

10.b4 .B'.c8 11.h3

White must worry about his cru­
cial piece in the forthcoming actions!
 CHAPTER SIX - S LAV S ET-U P - 2 c6 A N D SYM M ETRY 2 ii.fs
...
This is the point! The rook on h8 is
undefended! 15 ... 0-0
(15... cxbs 16.tiJxbs! axbs 17- �a8+
We7 18. �xh8+-)
16.b6! The best way to win! 16 ...
�cc8 17-/2Ja5 �b8 18 . .il xa6! bxa6
19./2Jxc6 and White's pawns on the
queenside are unstoppable. 19 ...
�a8 20.b7 � abs 21./2J xb8 /2J xb8
22.b4 .ild3 23. Wd2 kc4 24. � hb1
/2Je4+ 25:�::J xe4 dxe4 26.b5 axb5
27. �as it.d5 28. � xb5 f5 29. �b6
Wf7 30. Wc3 We7 31. �d6 g5 32. Wb4
Wf6 33. � xd5 exd5 34. �xb8 �xb8
35.c6 We7 36.Wc5 1-0 Grachev,B
(2668)-Rychagov,A (2568) Moscow
2010
13./2Jb3 �d8 14. �d6!
An important move when faced
with the freeing move . . . e5! With
his bishop on d6, White is not
forced to take de after . . . e5. 14./2Ja5
is not bad, but here Black can gain
some counterplay 14 ... it.xa5 15.bxa5
e5! 16.dxe5 /2Je4 17./2J xe4 it. xe4
18.e6 fxe6 19. it.d6 � f7 20.f3 .tg6
21. �a4 �e8 22. �b4 /2J f8 23. ke2
e5 24. Wd2 /2Je6 25. �c1 tiJds
26. �c3 k f5 27. �cb3 .ilc8 28. �b6
/2Je6 29. � 3b4;;!;; Grachev,B (2602)
-Malakhov,V (2690) Serpukhov
2007. White is still better, but for
me more convincing looks to be the
14 . .td6! from our game.
... 1 73
14 ... �es 15.CiJas it.xas 16.bxas
Now White improves his pawn
structure! This opens up new pos­
sibilities of bringing the rooks to the
b-file pressuring the b7 pawn.
16 es 17. �a4!
.••
Another typical idea in this sys­
tem and a very useful move with
two ideas: Pressing the b7 pawn and
controlling the d4 square.
17 lt.. c 2
•••
With this intermediate move,
Black brings his bishop to b5 by force.
18. �b4 exd4 19. �xd4 /2Je4
Black forces exchanges because
it's the only way to save the b7 pawn.
20./2J xe4 � xe4 21.Wd2 � xd4+
22.exd4 �a4
Black was concerned about
White's plan of h4-� h3-�b3 or the
longer .ile2- �a1- � a3-�b3 and he
want to put his bishop on b5 to de­
fend the b7 pawn.
1 74 WI N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

29. $i.e7 fs
Black must take some space to
avoid a complete stifling.

30. <i!?e3 <i!?f7 31. il.d6 lfJe6

Black tries to construct a fortress!

But now the diagonal h3-C8 is

unprotected. I will show you what
would happened in other cases.
22 ... .tg6 23.h4 /fJ f6 24. �h3! /fJe4+
25.<i!?c1 �e8 (25 ... /fJxd6 26.cxd6 �dB
27- �b3 �xd6 28. �xb7±; 25 ... /fJxf2
26. �b3+-) 26. �b3 lfJ xc5 27. .txc5
�ei+ 28. <i!?d2 � xfi 29. � xb7 h5
30. �b6 �xfa+ 31. <i!?e3 �xg2 32. �xa6
�xb2 33. �a8+ <i!?h7 34.a6+- and
there is no defence against a7-�b8;
22 ... .tf5 23.g4 .te6 24 . .td3 /fJ f6
25.£3 lfJes 26 . .tg3 /fJc7 27. �e1 lfJ b5
28. �fa± the plan is the simple f4-f5.

23. ii,d3 /fJ f6 2 4 . �e1 � e S D

25. �xeS+ lfJxeS 2 6. .tfs+-
Now White wins a pawn, but he
needs to be very precise. Only with
a concrete plan is it possible to win
this position!

26 ... g6 27. il.cs il.bs 28. il.xb7 /fJg7!
The best defence! The only good
place for the knight is e6 which
makes the penetration of White's
king more difficult.
An inaccurate move! Why give
up the h-pawn and simplify the po­
sition? White could win by playing
for zugzwang! 33.h4! lfJe6 34.gxf5
gxf5 35. �c8 <i!?f6 36 . .te5+ <i!?f7
 CHAPTER S I X - S LAV SET-U P - 2 c6 A N D SYM M ETRY 2 li. fs
...
37.b3 it. fa 38.hs .ibs (38 ... h6 39. Ji..f4
liJg7 40. Ji.. d7 it. bs 41. il.xh6 liJxhs
42. Ji.xfs+-) 39.h6 il.f1 40. il.d7 il.bs
41. i.g3 Wf6 (41 ... We7 42. it.cs Wf7
43f4 We7 44. it.h4+ Wf7 45. i.d70+-)
42. il.h4+ Wf7 43J40+-
33 liJxh3 34. gxfs liJgs 35.fxg6+??
•••
A very serious mistake after which
there doesn't appear to be a way to
win! Allowing 35 ... hg lets Black make
a fortress. The pawn g6 controls the
important squares hs-fs for the en­
trance of the white king. The win­
ning plan was to force Black into gxfs
to have a free f-pawn. Winning was
35. i.f4! liJe4 (35... Wf6 36fxg6 hxg6
37- it.xgs+! Wxgs 38.b3 Ji.ft 39. il.e6
Ji. bs 40. Ji.. d70 Zugzwang! Black
must allow i.g4-i.e2 or Wf4-We5!
40 ... Wf6 41. il.g4! Wgs 42. it.e2+-)
36.f3 liJ f6 37. i.e6+ Wg7 (37... We7
38. it.gs+-) 38. it.. es h6 39.fxg6+- real­
ising the plan to have a free f-pawn!
... 1 75
35 ... hxg6 36. Wf4 l£Je4! 37.f3 liJd2
37... liJ fa also leads to a draw
38.b3 liJd3+ 39. We3 l£Jc1 40.b4 liJa2
41. Wd2 liJ xb4=
38.b4 liJb3?!
Why to leave the es square un­
protected? 38 ... liJc4!=
rh
39. 'a'es r... C 1??
"Z...J • •
This is losing! An incomprehensi­
ble mistake! Black only had to worry
about king penetration. 39 ... liJd2D
40. i.e6+ Wg7 41. il.g4 Wf7= with
liJc4 next.
40. Ji.. e 6+ Wg7 41. i.e7
The king gains entry, which spells
the end of the game!
41 ... liJd3+ 42. Wd6 liJxb4 43. il.d7
Black's pawn on c6 is doomed
and he doesn't have defence against
Ji.. h4-1i.. e 1!
1-0
1 76 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

Conclusion: 6 ... �gf6 7.�b3 �b6 8.cs �xb3

9.axb3± a6 10.b4 �c8 11.h3 ke7
This endgame is playing for one goal! 12.�d2! �d8 13.�b3 �C2
The essential plan is to make the Here is the difference compared
knight maneuver with �d2- �b3- to the previous game! With 13 ... kc2
�as with the idea of pressuring the Black forces White to play �as.
b7 pawn, after which Black is forced
to give up his dark-squared bishop. 8 - · -·- -
The biggest problem in Black's posi­
7 - ·-�- ···
•&•&•- a
tion is a permanent weak pawn on
6
b7 and a lack of space.
s a ��� ·- a
�r� n m a
E. Prie (2504) - P. Varga (2446)
: -��' � ��,��,,�,�-:!
�/'/� ..ta� �'/� t::i a
French Team Championsh i p, ?/% /'./ /'. , , , / .�
2
, ��/'. , . ;- m�ia f
30.04.2009

Compared with the previous game, a b c d e g h

again in the same ending, Black
chose another defensive plan of keep­
ing his king in the center, with the
idea of bringing the knight to bs via
e8-C?. White reacted well by giving
up the "strong London Bishop" for
the knight on C?, followed by � b6,
and Black was left with an isolated
rook which was decisive in this game.

1.d4 ds 2. kf4 c6 3.e3 kfs 4.c4 e6

5.�c3 �d7
Black doesn't gain anything from
5 ... �b6 6.�Cl �d7 7.c5! �d8 8.� f3
�gf6 9.h3;l;; with typical play on the
queenside! Black chooses another plan, to
keep the king in the center, closer
6.�f3! to the weak pawn on b1.
Don't forget move-orders! 6. �b3
�b6 7.cs �xb3 8.axb3 es� 16.�d2 kg6 17. �a4
Don't forget this plan!
 CHAPTER SIX - SLAV S ET-U P - 2 c6 A N D SYMM ETRY 2 �fs
... ... 1 77

17... �as 21 ... 'i!?xc7 22.ll:Jb6 'i!?ds 23. �a4

The only way to protect the b7 It's a fact that Black plays a rook
pawn. down!

18. �b4 �a7

Black's rook is now awkwardly
placed!

19. �e2 ll:Jes

By putting his knight on bs Black
wants to stultify White's plan of
�a4-�b4.

,.,....,
20."2...l a4 ,.,...
"2.JC7 ., 4.
21. AXC7+ n
..
A concrete decision. White gives
up his strong bishop for the plan of
isolating Black's rook!
with the idea free the rook never
works because White penetrates on
the a-file after 24.axb6 �as 25. �ha1
'i!?d7 26. ii.xa6!

Also a good plan was to grab

some space on the kingside with
2i.h4 hs 22.ll:Jb6 ll:Jbs 23. �a4 ll:Jxb6
24.axb6 �as 25. � h3 'i!?d7 26. �es
� agS 27. �g3 � h7 2S. �g5± and
now Black's knight on bs is isolat­
ed, which means White's plan is to
open the position on the kingside
with g4 at some moment.
26 . . . b x a 6 27. � x a 6 � x a6
2S. � xa6+- Black is helpless! His
bishop is useless and can't help in
the fight against the dangerous
pawns.
1 78 W I N N I N G WITH TH E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
24.h4!
As usual, you have to play on the
kingside or in the center when your
opponent has an isolated piece on
the queenside.
24 h5 25.b4 l£:\f6 26.f3
•••
White grabs space and the im­
portant squares!
26 ... iHs 27. B:aa1 B'.h8 28. �et!
Now White's king heads to the
kingside!
28 ... .tg6 29.�fa �e7 30. B:a3 .tfs
Black doesn't have an active plan
and he must simply "sit and wait".
31.�g3 l£:\d7 32. B: ha1 f6
As I said before, the plan with
32 ... l£Jxb6 never works, e.g. 33.axb6
B:aa8 34 . .txa6 bxa6 35. B: xa6 B:xa6
36. B'.xa6+-
33.�f4
White has improved his king,
which is very important in the end­
game, but a factor which also helps
in operations in the center and on
the kingside.
33 .tg6 34.e4!
•••
White has prepare everything he
could for opening the position in
the center.
34 dxe4 35.fxe4 es+
•••
Black couldn't just await a simple
death so he is tries to play actively.
36.dxe5 l£:\xe5
On the first sight Black has im­
proved his position. His knight on es
looks nice but White in return has
gained the open d file - and the rook
on a? still doesn't have any perspective.
37. B:d1 kf7 38. B:d4 ke6 39. B:a1 g6
The rook cannot enter in the
game while hs hangs.
 CHAPTER SIX - S LAV SET-U P - 2 c6 A N D SYMM ETRY 2 it.. fs
... ... 1 79

40 .B'.ad1 .B'.es 41 .B'.d6 .B'.fs 42 .B'. 1d4

• •
White has improved the position
of his pieces to the maximum. At
this moment White provokes his
opponent a little bit, offering an
exchange!
• 48. <t!i>f40 <t!i>e8 49. �e6 .B'. h8 so. ctJd7!
lt:J xd7 si. .B'.xd7 .B'.f8 52 . .B'.g7+-
44.ctJxaS .B'.xa8 45. <t!i>f4 .B'.f8 46 . .B'.d1
Now White finds a great plan to
exchange the bishops!

42 .B'.es
•••

Accepting the provocation with

42 ... ctJf7 leads to an easy loss 43. �c4!
ctJ xd6 (43 . . . ll. xc4 44 . .B'. d7+!+ -)
44.cxd6+ <t!i>f7 45. � xe6+ <t!?xe6
46.d7 .B'.d8 47. .B'.d1 <t!i>f7 48.es+-

White finds a good maneuver,

putting his bishop on b3.

48 .B'.cs 49. ll.d1 .B'.gs 50. �b3

•••

A very important bishop is killed

and white uses that to play against
the weak point f6!
Black loses patience and decides
not to think about his rook any­ 50 � xb3 51 . .B'. xb3 .B'.c8 52 .B'.b1
.•. •

more. Black will now participate in .B'.f8 53 .B'.bd1 .B'.c8 54 . .B'.d6

•

the defense with all his pieces. In With persistent maneuvering,

the case of passive defence White White has reached a winning posi­
can break through the position af­ tion! Now the upcoming .B'.f6 leads
ter 43 ... .B'. f8 44. �d1! .B'.e8 45 . .B'.xe6+! to insoluble problems for Black.
<t!?xe6 46. �b3+ <t!i>e7 47. .B'.d6 .B'. f8
(4'J. ..g5 48. <t!?d4 gxh4 49 . .B'.e6+ <t!?jB
50. .B'.xf6+ <t!?g1 51 . .B'.f5 l:t:Jg6 52. e5±)
1 80 WI N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
54 ... �h8 55. �xf6!
The only winning way! Without
this idea it's not clear how White
can win!
55 ... �xf6 56. �d6+ �e7 57. �xe5+­
A pawn up and too many weak­
nesses in Black's position promises
an easy win.
57... �g8 58. �f4
Now White goes to take another
pawn!
58 ... � f8+ 59.�g5 � fa 6o. � xg6
�f7
6 0 . . . � xg 2 + 6 1 . � x h s � b 2
62. �g7+ �f6 63. �xb7+-
61.�xh5
The rest of the game does not re­
quire comment in view of White
being three pawns up. The remain­
ing moves were just filling out the
scoresheet!
61 ... �b2 62.g4 � xb4 63.e5 �c4
64.e6+ �e7 65. �g5 �xe6 66.�g6
�f4 67.h5 �f8 68.h6 �g8+ 69.�h5
�h8 70. �g7 �d5 71.g5 �xc5 72.h7
b6 73.axb6 �xb6 74.g6
Conclusion: In this game the con­
clusion is the same as the previous:
that this endgame is playing only for
one result. The difference was only
in the different unsuccessful defen­
sive plan which Black used in this
really difficult endgame.
1-0
 C H A PTER S EV E N
..
GRU NFELD S E T-U P
In this set-up against the London
System, Black plays the position as
he would the Gri.infeld. His idea is
to create pressure on White's center
with cs and if its possible also with
es. Comparing with other lines
from earlier chapters, here White
is playing mostly on queenside!
1.d4 ds 2. �f4 g6
2 ... '£\ f6 3.e3 g6 -is the same
a b c d e g
In this position it is possible to
play 4.c4 '£\ f6 5.'£\c3 o-o transpos­
ing to the well-known line in the
Gri.infeld where in recent times at
the highest level Black' has achieved
good positions and results. With
. . . cs Black attacks the center and
bishop on g7 becomes very strong.
It's not to my taste and I like more
to play against the bishop g7 while
building some kind of fortress with
the pawns on c3-d4-e3!
4 '£\ f6
•••
4 ... cs doesn't make a difference
and transposes to the main posi­
tion after 5.c3
5. �e2 o-o 6.o-o cs 7.c3
h a b c d e g h
This is the critical position which
will be discussed in this chapter.
White's idea is to have a stable cent­
er and to play mostly on the queen­
side and against the bishop on g?.
In the same time very important is
1 82 W I N N I N G WITH TH E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYST EM
to take care about es square, other­
wise after es move, bishop from g7
can become strong. Black uses two
plans usually. The most common is
. . . ll::l c6 with the idea being to play . . .
ll::l d7 and then . . . es, while the other
is . . .. ll::l bd7 with . . . b6. It's very im­
portant to remember that White
doesn't need to spend time on the
h3 move securing the bishop, be­
cause Black cannot take the bishop
pair with lLl hs apropos he doesn't
have time for it.
7... ll::l c6 s.ll::l e s!
See: Burmakin V.-Jerez Perez A.
Sitges op 2009. and Sitnikov A.-Ko­
vchan A. UKR chT 2011.
V. Burmakin (2627) - A. Jerez Perez
(2388)
35th Sitges open (8), 29.07.2009
In this game Black chose a plan in­
volving the Griinfeld set-up. White
responded with a very concrete plan
using an early 8.ll::l e s, creating pres­
sure in the center. Black's reaction
with 8 ... cd was bad because he gave
up on the center after which White
obtained easy play on the queen­
side and entering an endgame! In
this game GM Burmakin Vladimir
shows a great recipe of how to play
the ensuing symmetrical endgame
against bishop on g?.
1.d4 ll::l f6
Our move order is i. .. ds 2. i. f4
ll::l f6 3.e3 g6 4.ll::l f3 it.g7 5 . .ie2 o-o
6.o-o cs 7.c3 ll::l c 6 8.ll::l e s
2.ll::l f3 g6 3. it. f4 �g7 4.e3 o-o
5. ii.e2 ds 6.o-o cs 7.c3 ll::l c 6
From a different move-order we
finally reach the position of in­
terest to us! The other plan is 7...
ll::l bd7 8.ll::l e s b6 9.ll::l d 2 il.b7 10.M
a6 11.b4;;!; with the idea to open the
b file, and if Black continues with
11 ... c4 12 . .if3 bs 13. '%!9c2 then White
will have a free hand to invoke the
plan e4!
7. . . cxd4 8.exd4 ll::l c6 9.h3 is
a transposition to the game from
CHAPTER 1. Kovacevic V.-Mikhal­
chishin A. Pula 1980.
s.ll::l e s!
This move is designed against 3
possible plans for Black. They are
. . . ll::l hs with the plan of taking the
bishop pair, . . . ll::l d7 with the idea of
 C H A PTER SEVEN - G R U N FELD SET- U P 1 83

. . . es, and . . . b6 planning to complete

development. For example 8.'2ibd2
l:Li hs! 9. �gs (9.dxcs l:Lixj4 10.exf4
d4! 11. cxd4 l:Lixd4 12.l:Lic4 W!ids
13.l:Lixd4 W!ixd4 14. W!ixd4 �xd4 =)
9 ... h6 10 . .i h4 gs 11.'2ie1 (11. �g3
l:Lixg3 12.hxg3 b6 with pleasant posi­
tion for Black) 11 ... cxd4! 12.exd4 (12.
cxd4 l:Lij4! 13. �g3 l:Lixe2+ 14.W/ixe2
�f5 15.l:Lid3 W!ib6+) 12 ... '2l f4 13. �g3
'2ixe2+ 14.W/ixe2 �fs 15.'2ld3 e6oo;
Or 8.h3 '2ld7 9.'2lbd2 E:e8! Black
has to make a useful move and
then . . . es is coming. (Black doesn't
have to hurry with 9 ... e5 10. dxes Although the position is sym­
l:Li dxes 1 1 . l:Li xes l:Li xes 12. l:Lij3 metrical, White has easier play. The
l:Lixj3+ 13 . .ixf3 �e6 14.W/ib3t, with biggest problem in Black's position
unpleasant pressure on the pawn is the bishop on g?.
ds.) 10.'2lb3 c4 11.'2ibd2 es 12.dxes
l:Lidxes 13.l:Li xes l:Li xes=

8 cxd4?!
...

Black clarifies the center instead

of keeping the tension. 8 ... '2ld7
9.'2l xd7 �xd7 10.dxcs es 1i. .ig3
.ie6 12.'2id2 fs 13.f4 d4 14 . .ic4±
Rivas Pastor-Fries Nielsen Gronin­
gen 1979.
8 ... l:Li xes 9 . .i xes W!ib6 (9 . . . b6
10.dxcs! bxcs 11.c4-;k, Black's center
is unstable now and the plan '2lc3-
.i f3 can cause him serious diffi­
culties.) 10.W/ib3 c4 11.W!ixb6 axb6
12. � f3 �e6 13.'2l a3 E:as 14. k xf6 Showing great understanding.
i.xf6 15.e4-;k, White enters an endgame with
The best move is 8 ... W!ib6!? - see doubled-pawns which will help in
next game. his actions on the queenside. The
a-file is of crucial importance and
1 84 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

also promising was 1i./flc3!? 'i!fxb2

12. ii.xf6 Wfxc3 13. ii.xe7:;!;

11 ... 'i!Hxb3 12.axb3 ii.d7 13./flc3

ii.c6
A little bit of a strange position
for the bishop, but played with the
idea of . . . /fle4 at some point.

14.b4
Now the doubled pawns start to
prove very useful!

14 ... a6 15. !!as!

A nice move which pressures the
ds pawn, with the idea of doubling
rooks at the same time!
15 ... e6 16. !!fa1 !!ac8 17.b5?!
White frees himself of the dou­
bled pawns, but this allows some
counterplay. Better was to play 17.£3
first, preventing any counterplay
with . . . /fle4, and only then contin­
ue with bs!
17... axbs 18.'flxb5 /fle4?
A serious mistake after which
White obtains a big advantage. It
was a good idea, but a bad move or­
der! Black had to seek relief in 18 ...
ii.xbs 19. !! xbs /fle4! 20.f3 ii. xes
21.fxe4 ii.f6:;!; and it seems than he
has good chances to make a draw!
19./fla7!
After 19. k xg7?! the defence for
Black is easier. White's bishop is
stronger and he has to use it.
After this maneuver all the co­
ordination of Black's pieces is vio­
lated. The bishop on c6 especially is
a problem.
20 ... !!d7 21. kb6 kf6
Black can't open his bishop with
2i. .. e5? in view of 22.f3 ifld6 23.e4!
lfles
(23 ... lflcB 24.iflxcB !!xcB 25. !!aB
!!fB 26. kcs !!fdB 27. ke7+-)
24.exds !! xds 25./fl xc6 bxc6
26. !!xds cxds 27. kcs+-
22.f3 ifld6 23. kcs ke7 24.b4+-
Now another b pawn creates
problems for Black.
24 ... !!ddS 25.iflxc6!
A good exchange because the
rook enters the 7th rank.
 C H A PTER SEVEN - G R U N FELD SET-U P 1 85

34 ... 'itifs 35. ggd7

Now is the right time to exchange
one pair of rooks and kill off any
Black counterplay!

35 ... �xd7 36, gxd7 gb2

Black couldn't save the pawn with
36 ... 'itigs because 37.bs comes, e.g.
37... cxbs 38.c6+-

37. gxh7 �xb4 38. gc7

Two pawns up, the game is effec­
tively finished! The rest of the game
was an easy technical job for GM
A faster win came from 27. g ia6! Vladimir Burmakin!
/fJcs 28. gc7 i.xcs 29.dxcs! d4
38 ... gc4 39. gxc6 'itif7 40. �cs g5
41.c6 gc2 42.c7 'iti g7 43. 'iti f1 f4
44. 'itie1 gc5 45. 'itid2
30.exd4 g xd4 31. gas lfJd6 1-0
32. gca7+-
Lessons to be learned:
27 /fJf5 28. gaa7 �xc5 29.dxc5 d4
.•.

What else? The pawns on c6 and 1. With the active and multi­
f7 hang! functional move s./fJes you
are preventing . . . /fJ hs and
30.e4 d3 31 . .ixd3 gxd3 32.exf5 Black ideas with . . . es! The
exf5 33. �xf7 limp move h3 is an unneces­
Rooks on the 7th rank are a night­ sary waste of time!
mare in rook endgames! 2. after Black reaction in the
center with cxd4, you can
33 .. , ge2 take with the c-pawn only if
Black tries to achieve the same the knight is still on bi. In
White's 2nd rank! that way you get the c3 square
for him.
34, gg7+! 3. doubled pawns on the b-file
A nice check, removing Black's are not weak - they gives lots
king from the h-pawn. of opportunities for playing
on the queenside.
1 86 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYST EM
A. Sitnikov (2496) -A. Kovchan
(2558)
UKR-chT Cl ubs Al ushta (9.3), 21.os.2011
In this game Black chose the better
continuation 8 ... °ifb6 than the 8 . . .
cxd4 of the previous game, but later he
didn't react so well in the center with
9 ... lf::i es - and after 10. �es White
added more pressure on the center.
Forced to search for active play, Black
went wrong in the complications and
at the denouement of the tactical
phase he entered into a lost endgame.
1.d4 /fJ f6
Our move order is i...ds 2. � f4
lf::i f6 3.e3 g6 4./fJ f3 �g7 5. �e2 o-o
6.o-o cs 7.c3 lf::i c 6 8.lf::i es
2./fJf3 g6 3.�f4 �g7 4.e3 ds 5. �e2
cs 6.c3 0-0 7.0-0 lf::i c 6 s.lf::i es °ifb6
A very natural move for Black!
Compared with the previous game,
here Black didn't clarify the center
with 8 ... cxd4.
9. °ifb3 lf::i xe5?!
After this move, White's pressure
on the ds pawn is bigger. A famous
grandmaster reacted the best and
the most active way in this position
with 9 ... lf::i e 4! Adranov N.-Smirin I.
URS eh T 1988. 10.£3! lf::i d6 (10 cxd4?
••.
11.l£ixc6 bxc6 1 2 fxe4±; 1 0 . . . lfJ/6
11.l£id3 c4 12. 'i¥xb6 axb6 13./fJb4
'ila4 14.a3"t, White has a clear plan
to play for e4!) 11. 'ild1! �e6 12.lf::i a 3
this position is perhaps not better
for White, but I like it because the
endgames that may arise hold good
prospects for White. For example
12 .. .£6 (12 ... C4 13.°i¥xb6 axb6 14.e4"t,)
13./fJd3 c4 14.°ifxb6 axb6 15./fJ fa-;f,
10. �xe5"t,
The pressure in the center and on
the ds pawn is now evident.
10 �g4?
•.•
Black didn't evaluate the conse­
quences of this move very well. He
could choose some other moves
which lead to only slightly worse po­
sitions, e.g. 10 ... il.e6 u.°ifxb6 axb6
12. �C7 l£ld7 13./fJa3 'ilfc8 14./fJb5-;t, or
10 ... c4 11.°ifxb6 axb6 12. il.f3 il.e6
13./fJa3 'ilas 14. il. xf6 �xf6 15.e4"t,
10 ... °ifc6 11.dxcs 'ifxc5 12.lf::i a 3 b6
13. il.d4 °ifc6 14. 'ilfd1 �b7 15. � f3-;f,
10 ... °ifxb3 11.axb3 /fJd7 12. �xg7
<i!txg7 13.dxcs lf::i xcs 14.b4 lf::i e 4
15. 'ild1 �e6 16.lf::i d 2 lf::i xd2 17. 'i!.xd2"t,
 C H A PTER SEVEN - G R U N FELD SET-U P
11. il.xf6!
White accepts the challenge and
the next four moves are forced!
11 it.. xe2 12. �xe7 E: fes 13 .ilxcs
..• •
l!¥xb3 14.axb3 it.. xfi 15.Wxf1±
In the end White has profited
with two pawns for the exchange,
which guarantees a stable advan­
tage especially thanks to the very
healthy pawn structure. Black
doesn't have any open files for his
1 87
rooks, which prevents them from
showing their natural strength!
15 b6 16. �d6 �fS 17. �xfS WxfS
•••
1s.'i!te2?!
Of course the place for the king
is in the center, but before this
White should prevent any eventual
counterplay, so 18. E:a6! ± fixing the
pawns on the queenside!
18 b5?
••.
The wrong decision: creating
a weak point on cs and the a-pawn
starts to be a weakness. Black could
best utilise his chances with 18 ...
as! 19.CZJa3 (19.c4 a4! 20. bxa4 dxc4
21.CZJc3 fst.) 19 ... a4 20.b4 We7t.
and this endgame is not so clear
anymore!
19. E:as a6 20.ll:la3!
The shortest route to the b4
square!
1 88 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
20 ...£5 21.�C2 �e6
Only by bringing his rook to d6
can Black defend the pawns. Black
loses another pawn after 21. .. f4
22.�b4 fxe3 23.fxe3±
22.�b4 �d6 23.h4!
Taking space is always good:
White doesn't have to hurry.
23 ... Wf7 24.�d3 We6 25.�es
�gs?! 26.Wd3?!
a b c d e g h a
White is still playing this posi­
tion in a 'relaxed' manner and misses
a win. Now was the right moment for
taking action with 26.c4! bxc4 27.bxc4
�as 28.cs �dds 29.b4 �dbs 30.�d3+-
26 ... We7 27. �a1 �f6 28.g3 hs?!
Black decides to close the posi­
tion on the kingside but he makes
a route for the White king.
29. We2! �d6 30. Wf3 Wf6 31. Wf4
White's pieces stand well and now
it is only left for him to prepare e4!
31 ... �g7 32.�d3 �a7 33.b4
Fixing the pawn on a6 and prevent­
ing possible counterplay with . . . as!
33 ... �e6 34.�cs �d6 35. �as �c6
36. �a1 �d6 37. �a3 �c6 38. �as
Over the last few moves White
was probably waiting for the 4oth
move in order to get more time and
find a wining plan.
b c d e g h
After a long search for the cor­
rect plan, White finally opens the
position in the center and goes on
to realize his big advantage.
40 ...fxe4 41.fxe4 dxe4 42.ds �cs
43.Wxe4?!
A white pawn could arrive on the
7th rank after 43.d6 e3 44.d7 �d8
45.Wxe3 We7 46. �ai+-
43 ... �e7+ 44. Wf4 �et
Black decides to give up the a­
pawn and finally activate a rook!
 C H A PTER SEVEN - G RU N FELD S ET-U P
45. !!xa6+ Wg7 46. !!a7+ Wh6
Threatening mate in one with
!!fs. If 46 ... Wf6 47.�e4++-
47.�e6 !!c4+ 48. Wf3 !!ce4
Black has activated his rooks but
it's too late.
49.�f4
White still need to be care­
ful! 49.�gs?? leads to a draw! 49 ...
!! 1e3+ 50.Wg2 !!e2+ si.Wh3 !! h2+
52. Wxh2 !!e2+ 5 3 . Wh3 !! h2+
54. Wxh2 stalemate
49 ... !!es 50.�e6 l:!e5 51. !!d7 !!e1
52.b3 !!as 53. !!ds
Simplification is very often the
best way. Again playing for mate
leads to the stalemate! 53.�gs??
!! fs+ 54. Wg2 !!e2+ ss. Wh3 !! h2+!
56.Wxh2 !!fa+ s7.Wg1 !!fr;;!;;
53 !!xd8 54.�xdS Wg7 55.�e6+?!
•..
a b c d e g
1 89
White complicates the win in­
stead of just calculating a little bit.
Of course the position is still win­
ning but now White has to play
carefully. 55.c4! !!b1 56.cs !!xb3+
57. We4 !!xb4+ 58. Wes !!c4 59.c6 b4
6o.d6 b3 6i.�e6+ Wf7 62.�gs+ Wg7
(62 ... We8 63. d7+ We7 64.�e6+-)
63.d7 b2 64.dS!f bi if 65.!fd7+ Wg8
66.!ff7+ Whs 67.ifh7#
55 Wf6 56.�c5 !!c1 57. Wf4!
•••
White uses geometry!
57 We7 58.�e4 !!b1 59.We5!
.••
White gives up the b3 pawn, but
he will take the bs-pawn in return.
59 !!xb3 6o.d6+ Wds 61.Wd5 !!b1
.••
62. Wc6 !!c1 63. Wxb5
With three connected pawns the
game is finished!
63 Wd7 64. Wc5 !!e1 65.� f6+
.••
We6 66.�d5 !!e5 67.c4 Wd7 68.b5
g5 69.hxg5 !!xg5 70.b6
Conclusion: By giving up the
center, Black doesn't have any ac­
tive play and every attempt to look
for complications will be punished.
1-0
h
 C H A PTER E I G H T

Q.U E E N'S GAM BIT S E T-U P

In this chapter we will actually see 5.CLlc3

one side-line from the Queen's Gam­ Here Black has two plans which
bit not so often used by Black. Here will be shown in this chapter. The 1st:
Black makes a "triangle" with pawns
c6-ds-e6 which reminds us a lot of 5 ... it.d6
the set-up from the Semi-Slav. trying to simplify the position by
exchanging the bishops. And the
other is s ... it.e7 6.CLl f3 o-o 7.V!!/c 2
lLlbd7 8.h3 a6 in Meran spirit. Black
... �(ftl. �/�
� ....
.I �m:
8
. �� - ��
�. is preparing . . . dxc4 with a subse-
7 �/�y··- �-···/�//�/·/ quent . . . bs, . . . cs plan but first he

a .1. a .1. 1< a

waits for il.e2 or il.d3 to win a tem­
6
po. 9. �d1!
sa a .1. a a
4 fj 3 �r� m fj
3m a n a
2 3 ?J·� - 0 8 0
1 ���-i=��%�/
a b c d e f g h
Only from this move order may
there arise the rare line from the
Queen's Gambit. In my rich career
in the "London System" I still have
not faced this plan. This line is dubi­ This is also a useful and waiting
ous for Black due to the pawn on c6. move. White wants to take on c4 at
Usually in the Queen's Gambit with once from fr. See Kramnik V.-Lpu­
il.f4, Black's main idea is to play . . . tian S. EU ch-T 1992.
cs at once. For example: i.d4 <ls 2.c4
e6 3.CLlc3 CLl f6 4. il. f4 il.e7 s.CLl f3 6. il.g3!
o-o 6.e3 cs! or the more modern 6 ... See Gurevich M.-Erwich M. BEL
lLl bd7! also with the . . . cs idea. eh Team 2008.
1 92 WI N N I N G WITH TH E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

6. kg3!
This is usually the best reaction.
M. Gurevich (2631) - M. Erwich (2416) White wants to exchange bishops
BEL-chT 2008/09, Belgium (5.2). but preferably with the opening of
07.12.2008 the h-file. With this move White
also hinders Black's development
In this game we will see the rare because . . . � bd7 is not possible!
line in the Queen's Gambit with an
early c6 which is considered dubi­ 6 ...o-o 7.�f3 b6
ous for Black. With 5 ... �d6?! Black Black has almost no other way to
already entered a very tough posi­ develop his pieces on the queenside.
tion to play, mainly because he has
big problems finishing his develop­
ment on the queenside. At some
point, with the most aggressive ap­
proach combining e4 and long cas­
tling, White seized the initiative
which resulted in a mating attack
at the end.

1.d4 �f6
Our move order is i. .. ds 2. �f4 c6
3.e3 � f6 4.c4 e6 5.�c3 �d6

For me this kind of move always

looks extremely risky when Black
has already castled! The justifica­
tion we can find is the need to play
. . . �bd7. Simplifications with 8 ...
i.a6 9.�e2 i. xc4 10. k xc4 dxc4
1i.�xc4;!;; do not solve all Black's
problems but was nevertheless nec­
essary. The white-squared bishop
will be a very important factor in
White's attack.
 C H A PTER E I G H T - QU EE N 'S G A M B I T SET- U P 1 93

9.hxg3 h6 10.�e2 CZJbd7?! 12.CZJxe4 �e7

Black doesn't feel the danger and
continues with thematic play. He
avoids the worst of the troubles af­
ter 10 ... iLa6! 11.CZJes CZJ fd7 (11 dxc4
•••
12. iLxC4 ilxc4 13. �XC4 bs 14. �e2
CZJfd7 15.CZJd3"t:; 11 cs 12.cxds ii.xd3
.••
12 ... iLb7 13.CZJd6 �C7 14.CZJ xb7
�xb7 15.o-o-o cs (15 ... b5 16.c5 B'.fdB
17. B'. h4± and g4 is coming.) 16.g4!
cxd4 (1 6... CZJxg4 17. ii.e4+-) ngs
hxgs 18.CZJ xgs--+

13.�xd3 exd5 14.g4--+) 12.cxds iLxd3 13.CZJ xf6 + CZJ xf6 14.CZJe5 ii.b7
13.CZJ xd3 exds (13 ... cxds 14.g4 CZJc6 15.0-0-0±
15f4/6 16.0-0-0) 14.b4 CZJf6 15.0-ot: Black is powerless to oppose the
g4 plan.

15 c5
•••

Black could avoid the mating

attack by passing into a bad end­
game, e.g. 15 . . . B'. fd8 16.g4 CZJd7
(1 6. . . B'.xd4 17.gs! hxgs 18. iL h7+
CZJxh7 1 9. B'.xd4 + -) 17. �e3 ! (17.
�e4?! CZJfB 18.CZJxc6 iLxc6 19.�xc6
�gs+ 20. �b1 �xg4 21.�e4 �xe4
22. ii.xe4"t:) n .. CZJ xes 18.dxes �gs
(18... c5 19. B'.xh6!gxh6 20. �xh6 B'.xd3
21. B'.hi+-) 19.�xgs hxgs 20. ii.e4±

With this typical opening of the

position in the center White grabs
the initiative.

11 dxe4
•••

In the spirit of the Meran would

be 11 ... dxc4 12. i. xc4 bs 13. i.d3 es!?
14.dxes CZJg4 15.e6! fxe6 16. B'.d1!
(After 16.0-0-0 �b6 White has to
worry about the fa pawn.) 16 ... �c7
17. i.c2± but it's not a great version
for Black as White has a much bet­
ter structure.
1 94 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYST EM
16 l!fds
•.•
Losing quickly is 16 ... cxd4 17.gs
hxgs 18 . .t h7+! <i!?h8 (18 ... tiJ xh7
19. l!xh7! <i!fxh7 2 0. l! hi + <i!fgB
2i.�hs+-) 19. it.g6+ <i!?g8 20. i.xf7+!
l!xf7 2i.CiJg6+-
17.g5!
Opening the h-file is more im­
portant than one pawn!
17 hxgs?+-
.••
After this move the game is ac­
tually over! The last hope was 17-..
CiJd7 18.gxh6 �gs+ 19. <i!?c2 CiJ xes
20.�xes �xes (20 ...gxh6 2i.�xgs+
hxgs 22.dxcs bxcs 23. l! hs±) 2i.dxes
gxh6 22. l!xh6±
18 . . . fxg6 1 9 . l! h 8 + <i!? x h 8
20.CiJ xg6 + <i!?g8 2i.CiJ xe7+ <i!?f7
22. l! e 1 .t e 4 23 . CiJ c 6 .t xc 6
24.�xe6+ <i!?g6 25.�xc6+-
18 g6
..•
18 ... exds 19.CiJg6!+-
19.�e3 CiJd7 20.CiJg4 fs 21.d6 �g7
22.�xe6+ <i!?fs 23 ..ixfs
•
1-0
Lessons to be learned:
i. In this rare line of the Queen's
Gambit after 5 ... .td6, again
the best reaction is it.g3! It
forces Black at some point
to take on g3, otherwise he
can't finish developing his
queenside.
2. After the opening of the h­
file, use that in the most ac­
tive way by long castling and
opening the position in the
center with e4.
V. Kramnik (2590) - S. G. Lputian
(2560)
EU-chT (Men), Debrecen (6.3), 11.1992
Compared to the previous game,
here the Armenian grandmaster
used another plan with the most
logical . . . it.e7 instead of . . . .td6. The
ex-World Champion reacted in the
best way by delaying the develop­
ment of his bishop from fi wait­ -
ing for the move dxc4. At one point
Black had spent all his useful moves
and he took on c4 at the worst mo­
ment, resulting in a rapid collapse.
 C H A PTER E I G H T - QU EEN'S G A M B I T SET- U P 1 95

i.d4 e6 8 ... a6 9 . "i!.d 1

Our move order is i. .. ds 2. �f4 c6 The best position for the rook af­
3.e3 CZJ f6 4.c4 e6 5.CZJc3 �e7 6.CZJ f3 ter the opening of the position in
o-o 7.!fc2 the center.

2.c4 CZJ f6 3.CZJf3 ds 4.CZJc3 ii.e7 9 ... h6?!

5. ii.f4 o-o 6.e3 c6 7. !fc2

a b c d e g h

Finally we arrive at our position

after a different move order!

7... Cl:Jbd7
It's too early for the typical 7...
Cl:J hs?! 8. �d3! fs (B... h6? weaken­
ing his king position would be fa­
tal for Black after 9. �es CZJd7 10.g4!
Cl:J hj6 11.gs hxgs 12.CLixgs CLixes
13.dxes CZJg4 14. ilh1+ WhB 15. ii.gB!
fs 1 6. exf6 CLi xf6 17. CZJj7+ "i!.xf7
18. ii.xf7+-; 8... CZJxf4 9. ilxh7+! WhB
10.exf4 g6 11. ii.xg6 fxg6 12. !Vxg6�;
B...g6 9. ii.h6 'BeB 10.0-0±) 9. �es
CZJd7 10.h3 Cl:Jxes 11.dxes±

8.h3
Now White doesn't allow the Kramnik V. -Zude A. Bundesliga
possibility of . . . Cl:J hs! 1994.
1 96 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

9 ... dxc4 10. �xc4 bs 11. iLd3 iLb7

12.l:Lie5! ;!;; and it's very hard for Black
to play . . . cs without some materi­
al losses. For example 12 ... cs (12 ...
h6 13.0-0 cs 14.dxcs �xcs 15. .1l.h7+
WhB 1 6. l:Li e4 + -) 1 3 .dxcs � xcs
14.l:Lixd7 l:Li xd7 15. it. xh7++-
9 ... �a5 10.l:Lid2 bs (10... cs 11. ke2
cxd4 12.exd4 l:Lib8 13.c5 l:Lic6 14.l:Lib3
�dB 15.l:Lia4;!;;) 11.cs b4 12.l:Lib3 �ds
13.l:Lia4;!;; Belov, I (2430) -Kluth,C
(2190) Hamburg 1995
White gives up the bishop but he
10.a3! has achieved full control of the es
A very useful move with a hidden square, and also an open e file, in re­
idea; after a few moves the idea will turn. The pawn on f4 may also ac­
be seen! tively participate in the attack with fs
sometimes. Black's position wouldn't
10 dxc4
.•• be so bad, were it not for his pawn
Blacks has spent all his useful having moved from h7 to h6. A de­
waiting moves and almost at the fensive plan with . . . g6 never will
worst moment he is forced to react work because of sacrifices on g6 or
in the center. e6. Now White has the simple plan
of i.. a 2-.1l.b1 with a huge attack.
11. i.xc4 l:Lids
11 ... bs 12 . .1l.a2 as 13.l:Lies �b6 13 ... �c7 14.l:Lies l:Lif6
14 . .1l.b1 �ds 15.l:Li xd7 � xd7 16.l:Lie4 14 . . . l:Li xes 15.fxes b6 (15 . . . bs
i.b7 17. 0 - 0 l:Li xe4 18. �xe4± 16 . .1l. a2 cs 17. ds! �xes 18. �fe1±)
Mirzoev,A (2523)-Bhat,V (2409) Bal­ 16. .1l.a2 g6 17. �fe1 Wg7 18. �e3 .1l.b7
aguer 2006 19. �g3± with the threat of ke6

12.0-0! l:Lixf4 13.exf4± 1s. it.a2!

This is the old method of treating Now we can see the point of 10.a3!
this position which was used in the
past by Alekhin. 15 .1l.d7 16. �b1 �eS?!
•••

Losing quickly, but in a position

in which you have no good options
it's very hard to criticize. 16 ... � fds
17.g4!+-;
 CHAPTER E I G H T - QU E E N 'S G A M B I T SET- U P
16 ... Wh8 n�e4 g6 (17. . �xe4.
18. '¥Jfixe4 fs 19.�g6+ +-) 18.� xf6
�xf6 19.� xg6+ fxg6 20.'¥Jf/xg6 il.e8
2i.'¥Jf/xh6+ Wg8 22. �d3 �f7 23. �g3+
il.g7 24. '¥Jf/xe6±
A typical break in such positions
with an isolated pawn, after which
Black's position collapses.
17... �d8
17... cxd5 18.� xd5 '¥Jf/xc2 19.� xe7+
Wh8 20. �XC2+-;
17... exds 18.� xds+-
18. �fet!
Still Black doesn't have a threat
and White can increase the pres-
sure even more.
18 ... Wh8
The idea is to remove the king
from checks and now Black
threatens to take on ds! 18 ... cxds
19.� xds+-;
1 97
18 ... exds 19.�xds �xds 20. �xds+-
19.dxe6 �xd1 20. �xd1 fxe6
White didn't land checkmate,
but he has reached a strategically
winning position. Black is full of
weaknesses!
21.�e4 g60 22.�cs
Now the dark squares will be also
be problematic for Black.
After a successful campaign, the
bishop moves to another diagonal.
24 ... Wg7
24 ... �f7 25. '¥Jf/d6+-
25. �xe6 �f8 26.�d7
Black has no defence against the
upcoming '¥Jf/e7.
1-0
1 98 W I N N I N G W I T H T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYST EM

Conclusion:

If Black makes the "triangle" with

his pawns e6-d5-c6 as in the Semi­
Slav, his idea is usually to take on
c4 with . . . bs next. Because of that,
don't hurry with the move it.d3 -
it loses time. Play some other use­
ful moves and recapture on c4 in
one move. In the game a "young"
Vladimir Kramnik cast doubts on
the Black set-up with very clever
and useful moves in the opening
like h3 (preserving the f4-bishop),
and �d1, which was played against
the further . . . cs after . . . dxc4, . . . bs
plan. Also a3 provided a nice retreat
for the bishop, enabling him to uti­
lise the diagonal b1-h7.
 C H A PTER N I N E
CHIG ORIN S E T-U P A ND Z
The Chigorin set-up is very rarely
played against the London System.
In my opinion the reason is the im­
possibility for Black to play actively
in the center with . . . es as in the Chi­
gorin proper, and so the knight on
c6 stands awkwardly.
a b c d e f g h
This is the main position in the
Chigorin Defense. Here Black has
the rapid development, but it's not
a guarantee of equalizing because
White takes the bishop pair and
builds up his center. The theory is
going like this: 6. �d2 �xc3 7.bxc3
(or 7- il.xc3 exd4 8.ez:Je2)
A lot of players have in their rep­
ertoire against the Chigorin 2.ez:J f3
... �g4
ez:Jc6 3. i.f4 with the idea being to
play against the knight on c6. The
move c4 appears later when Black
cannot react actively in the center
(or 3.e3 with the same idea)
2 ••• ez:Jc6
a b c d e g h
2 ... �g4 This move has been used
several times by Ivan Sokolov! The
main idea of this move - in the
spirit of the Trompowsky - is to
prevent the e3 move and making
the London set-up! From the exist­
ing games in the database it is not so
clear how White should react. After
many years of experience in these
positions, my conclusion is that the
only way to fight for the initiative is
with 3.ez:Jc3! -the idea being to play
200 WI N N I N G WITH TH E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

like in the Veresov Attack in which

the bishop on g4 is exposed. White
will play f3 with tempo.

Usually in the Veresov Black devel­

ops his bishop to f5. 3 ... e6

a) 3 ... c5 4.h3 � h5 5.g4 �g6 6.e4!

dxe4 7. �b5+ �d7 8.dxc5±;

b) 3 ... �c6 4.f3 �h5 (4 ... e5?! 5.dxe5

�e6 6. e3± and I don't see suf­
ficient compensation for the
pawn!) 5.e4;;t;; ;
In this position Black has also
tried another plan 3 ... � f6 4.� f3
ii.g4?! 5.h3! il.xf3 (5... ilh5 6. ilb5!i
with the unpleasant g4- �e5) 6. �xf3
e6 - see Rozentalis,E (2551)-Zeber­
ski, J (2437) Ustron 2007.

4.c4!
White doesn't have to be afraid of
complications!

This is the point!

(Thematic would be 5.g4 �g6

6.h4 h5�)

5 ... h6

6.g4 �g6 7.�d2 � f6 8.o-o-oi

and White has a nice attacking
position!
 CHAPTER N I N E - CH I GO R I N SET- U P A N D 2 � g4
Apparently the active 4 ... .1i. xb1?
is not dangerous for White. 5 Jhb1
e5 6.dxe5 .1i.b4+ 7. We2 dxc4 8. 'i!fc2±
and White's king is safe in the cent­
er. The plan is �d1- � f3-g3-.Jlh3 or
ilg2 Kovacevic, S (2396)-Morales
Camacho,J (2193) Lorca 2004;
Also, 4 ... e5 doesn't work 5. 1'.xe5!
1'. xb1 (5 ... � b4 6.�a3±; 5 ... ii. b4+
6.�c3 �xes 7.dxes ii.xc3+ 8. bxc3
�e7 9.�f3 o - o 10. °i!fb3±) 6. � xb1
.1i.b4+ 7. We2 � xe5 8.dxe5 dxc4
9.g3 c6 10.'i!fxd8+ �xd8 11.� f3 �e7
12 . .ig2 o-o 13. �hc1 b5 14.�d4±
5.�c3 �f6 6.�f3 il.. e7
Black also has other possibilities
in this position: 6 ... ilb4 7. �c1 �e4
8.cxd5! exd5 9. kd3 o-o 10.0-0 �e8
(10 ... 1lxc3 11. bxc3 �as 12.�gs!?�)
11.�b5! ka5 12.�e5 �xe5 13 . .1i. xe5
c6 14 . .1i. xe4 .Jl xe4 15.�d6 f6
16.� xb7 °i!fb6 17.� xa5 'i!f xa5
18. 1'.d6 'i!fxa2 19. k a3± Galyas,M
(2444) -Kaufman,R (2319) Budapest
2007;
6 ... kd6 7. kg5! .ie7 8. �c1�;
6 ... �b4!? 7. �c1 dxc4 8. ii.xc4 c6
9.0-0 �bd5 10. i.e5 ile7 (10... �xc3
1i. � xc3 (11. bxc3!? 1i. a3 12. � a1
ii. b2 13. � b1 ii.xb1 14. °i!fxbi kxc3
15. °i!fxb7 o - o 16.�gs °i!¥b6 17. � bi
°i!fxb7 18. �xb7 with the very un­
pleasant threat of � f7.) 11 ... i.d6
12.°i!fb3 �b8 13. ii.xd6 °i!fxd6 14 . .id3
ii.xd3 15. � xd3 o-o 16. �c1�) 11.'i!fe2
o-o 12.h3 ii.g6 13. � fd1� Xu, J
(2668)-Miladinovic,I (2563) Istan­
bul 2000
... 201
7.a3!?
A useful prophylactic move which
prevents . . . �b4 ideas! See Van We­
ly-Sokolov I. Kasparov Chess G P
2000.
E. Rozentalis (2551) -J. Zeberski
(2437)
POL-chT Ustron (6), 06.09.2007
In this game Black played the Chig­
orin set-up, where Black chose a du­
bious plan with . . . kg4 after which
he was forced to give up the bishop
pair. White used his pluses in the
position with the energetic plan h4
connected with long castling and
playing for the attack, after which
Black encountered problems at an
early stage of the game, from which
he was unable to escape.
1.d4 ds 2.�f3
Our move order is 2. il.. f4 �c6
3.e3 � f6 4.� f3 i.g4?! 5.h3
2 ... �c6
3 . .if4 �g4 4.e3 �f6 5.h3!
An important move which forces
Black to hand over the bishop pair!
5 ... .1i.xf3
Black was more-or-less forced
into this! 5 ... k h5 6.g4 kg6 7. kb5
e6 8.�e5i
202 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYST EM
In this type of position the usual
plan for White is to play c4, but here
with the queen on f3 that isn't a good
option because Black has . . . �b4. To
prepare the plan with �d1 and a3 is
too slow, and Black can react with . . .
�d6 followed by . . . es after which he
is solves all his problems. With the
move in the game 7.c3! White de­
cides to play more in the 'London
spirit', choosing a normal set-up with
l.£id2-�d3 concentrating the power
on the kingside and supported by the
active queen on f3!
7 .. �d6 8. �g5
.
A logical decision to avoid giving
up the bishop pair for nothing!
8 �e7
•••
A very passive move which loses
time! The best for Black was to go in
for the slightly worse endgame after
8 ... h6 9. �xf6! the best decision is to
play on the better structure (Black
would have a comfortable posi­
tion after 9. �h4 gs! 10. �g3 �xg3
11.�xg3 /.£ie4 12.�f3 �d6 13. �d3f5
14. �h5+ Wd700 ) 9 ... �xf6 10.�xf6
gxf6 11.g3;;!; with a better structure
and the possibility to play c4 taking
a space advantage on the queenside,
and guaranteeing White a small ad­
vantage, with no risk. Now Black
has to improve his "bad knight"
with 11 ... /.£ie7 12.c4 c6 (12 ... c5 13.dxc5
Ji.xc5 14. cxd5 l.£ixd5 15. �g2;;!; the
bishop on g2 is a beast! 15 ... /.£i b4?!
16. We2 l.£ic2 17. gc1 l.£ixa1 18. gxc5±
and the knight on ai will fall sooner
or later.) 13./.£ic3 fs 14.cs Ji.q 15.b4
l.£igs (15 ... e5 will met always with
16f4!±) 16. Ji.d3 /.£i f6 17./.£ie2;;!;
White doesn't play thematically
and instead uses exactly the right
moment to seize the initiative. This
motif was already seen in the first
game of CHAPTER 5. Kovacevic V.­
Ree H. Maribor 1980.
 CHAPTER N I N E - C H I C O R I N SET-U P A N D 2 � g4
.. 203

10 ... e5
Black seeks active play in the cent­
er, but the next move brings a very
strong answer! With 10 ... a6 Black
cannot make sufficient counterplay
after 11.0-0-0 es 12.g4 bs 13. �xf6!
�xf6 14.g5 il.e7 15. �g2 e4 16.'Llxe4!
dxe4 17.Yl!¥xe4 'Lias 18.¥Wxa8 ¥Wxa8
19. �xa8 �xa8 20.e4±

11. �bs!
The crucial move in White's con­
cept. In this way, pressurising the
knight on c6, Black is forced to
abandon the center.
11 ... exd4
Another logical reaction is 11 ... e4
but it promises nothing good after
12.Yl!¥h3 a6 (12 ... ¥Wc8 13.¥Wxc8 �fxc8
14f3 exf3 15.gxf3± with a strong
center and bishop pair there is no
doubt about White's huge advan­
tage!) 13. �e2 bs 14.f3! and again
Black's center crumbles. 14 ... exf3
15.gxf3�
Black should search for his chanc-
es with the active 12 ... 'Lle4!? 13.'Llxe4
dxe4 14.Yl!¥fs h6 (14 ...g6 15.Yl!¥f4 Yl!¥d6
1 6. ¥Wxd6 �xd6 17. hs±) 15. �d2
� xh4 16.0 - 0 - 0 il.gs n � xgs
YWxgs+ 18.YWxgs hxgs 19. � hs 'Lle7
20. � xgs c6 2i. 2L.c4 � fe8 22. �es
'Llg6 23. � fs �e7 24. �e1±
13.0-0-0
Of course, Black is too slow on
the queenside!

12.exd4
In this symmetrical structure
White has much better placed piec­
es and the possibility to feel free to
attack the Black King.

12 ... �eS?
An indifferent move which leads
to even bigger problems.

a b c d e g h
204 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

A very nice move with a concrete gxf6 2i.CZJe4 �b6 22.ll:Jxf6+! �xf6
idea: to take on f6-eS and then play 23 . �xf6 .1l xf6 24. � xeS+ � xeS
�fs! 25. � xeS++-

15 �d6
••• 18. �he1
Black must make a connection
between his rooks. After 15 ... b4
White is winning by force! 16 . .1lxf6!
bxc3 (16... .1lxf6 17. �xe8+ �xe8
18. �f5+ -) 17-bxc3 .1la3+ 1S. Wc2
�xf6 19. �xeS+ � xeS 20.�xf6 gxf6
21 . .1lxa6+-

16.a3 CLJa5
Leaving the es square unpro­
tected, but Black didn't have many
better options. he has no time for a b c d e f g h
16 ... � abs 17.g4! as 1S . .1l f4 �d7
19.g5 CLJg4 20. � hg1 fs 2i.gxf6 CLJ xf6 Black loses material! The biggest
22. i. h6 il.. fs 23. �xes � xeS 24. i.gs problem in Black's position is the
(24. �xf6? �ei+! 25. �xe1 gxf6+) 24 ... weak Sth rank and pinned rook on
il.. e 7 25.hs (25. i.xf6? i.xf6 26. �xf6 eS!
�ei+! 27. �xe1 gxf6 28. ilxb5 Wf8
29.CLJb3 �d6oo ) 25 ... b4 26.h6 bxc3 18 WfS
•••

27.bxC3 .1lxa3+ 2S. Wdi+- or 16 ... h6
ng4! �d7 1s. il fs �ds 19 . .1t. xh6!
gxh6 20.gs CLJe4 2i.tl:J xe4 dxe4
22. i.xe4+-
In this way Black tries to solve
both problems. 1S ... �d7 19. i. xf6
.1t.xf6 20. �fs!+- Deflection!
19 .1t.xh7!
•

17. �es!+- Unfortunately for Black, some­

White dominates the e-file and thing is always hangs.
the threat is ilf6-�d5.
19 ll:Jc4 20.tl:Jxc4 bxc4 21. il fs
•••

17 c6
••• White chooses the safest way!
Black can't solve his problem The fastest win was 21.hs �abs
with the d-pawn after n .. CZJc4 in 22.h6 g6 23 . .1lxg6! fxg6 24. �e6+-
view of 1S. i. xc4 dxc4 (18 ... bxc4
19. il.. xf6 il.. xf6 20. �xd5+-) 19. � he1
�ads (19... Wf8 20. �xe7!+-) 20 . .1lxf6
 CHAPTER N I N E - CH I G O R I N S ET-U P A N D 2 i. g4
... 205

21 ... Cl:Jgs 22 .1i.f4

• 1.Cl:Jf3
Waiting for the handshake, Our move order is i.d4 d5 2. �f4
White misses a quicker win again. CLJc6 3.e3 it. f5 4.c4 e6 5.CLJc3 CLJf6
22. ii. xe7+ � xe7 23 . � xe7 Cl:J xe7 6.CLJ f3 �e7 7.a3
24. �e6 f6 25. �h5+-
1 ds 2.d4 kfs 3.c4 e6 4.CLJc3 CLJc6
••.

22 �f6 23.g4 �xh4 24. it.. d7

••. 5 .1i.f4 CLJf6 6.e3 ke7 7.a3!?
•

Also was good 24. � h1 �f6 25.g5

�d6 26. �e3 �d8 27. � h8+-

24 �edS 25 .1i.xc6 �acS 26. it.. xds

.•• •

CLJf6 27. �hl

Conclusion: If your opponent
doesn't respect the basic principles
of the opening - by giving up the
bishop pair and helping to develop
your pieces, don't miss the chance
to punish him with energetic play.
In this game, the plan with . . . it.. g4
cannot be recommended for Black!
1-0 A useful prophylactic move, pre­
venting ideas with CLJ b4! White
didn't want to play twice with the
L. Van Wely (2646) - 1. Sokolov (2637) bishop after 7. �e2 CLJb4 8. �c1 dxc4
KasparovChess G P g/60 I nternet (1.z), 9. �xc4 c6= or 7.cxd5 Cl:J xd5! 8. kg3
11.0Z.ZOOO (8.CLJxds?! �xds 9.a3 �as+! 10.Cl:Jd2
esi) 8 ... o-o 9. it.e2 it.b4 10.�d2
In this game there appeared once CLJ f6oo
again the Chigorin set-up - but 7. �c1 is also a good move with
not from our move orders. In the a similar idea to 7.a3
structure characteristic of many
openings, Black sought an early 7 0 - 0 8. �c1 a6 9.cxds exds
•.•

"fight" with 11 CLJh5?! and he took

•••
the bishop on g3 too early, before
White castcastled. White used that
inaccuracy with a nice plan involv­
ing We2 and using the open h-file,
winning in an instructive way.
10. it.d3;t
This is the typical Queen's Gam­
bit position with theawkward
knight on c6 which causes Black
difficulties.
206 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

10... �xd3 11.�xd3 �hs?!

a b c d e g h a b c d e g h

This is too ambitious. Black had Of course, White doesn't miss

a very interesting option in 11 ...
�a7!? with the idea of improving
his knight's position and now White
can fight for an advantage only in
the following way: 12.h4!? c6 13.�gs
�d7 14. �es g6 15.f3! (15.hs �g4�)
15 ... h6 16.� h3 �bs 17.\t>fa;t
12. i.g3
The typical idea with 12. i.es
doesn't promise anything big af­
ter 12 ... g6 13.0-0 � xes 14.dxes c6
15. �fd1 �g7
the chance to attack along the open
h-file!
14 ... i.f6 15.g4 kg7 16.gs fs?±
Now the pawn h7 becomes a se­
rious weakness and Black remains
without counterplay. Still, it would
not be terrible after 16 .. .f6! 17.gxf6
�xf6 18. <i!tfi �e7 19.e4 c6;l;;

12 �xg3?!
.••

This is too early. Black should

wait for White to castle and only
then take on g3. In this way White
will use his open h file for attack­
ing purposes. 12 ... g6 13.0-0 � xg3
14.hxg3;l;; and the plan is �M creat­
ing pressure on the queenside. Also,
we should not exclude the possibil­
ity of e4.
 CHAPTER N I N E - CH I C O R I N SET-U P A N D 2 � g4
... 207

The king makes way for the 26 �xb2

•••

knight transfer to the f4 square. 26 ... �d8 27. �d1+-

19 ... �d6 20.lL:le2 lL:\e7 21.lL:\ f4 cs

Black has nothing to lose
and starts his search for some
counterplay.

22.g3 �b6 23. Wg2 �CS

23 ... �xb2 24. �b1 �a2 25. �xb7+-

24. �h6 �c6?!

In a difficult position Black blun­
ders. Also 24 ... cxd4 brings no relief:
25.exd4 �xb2 26. �b1 �c3 27.�xc3
�xc3 28. �xb7+- or 24 ... c4 25.�d1
�xb2 26.�g1!+- and Black can't
prevent �h2- �h7 1-0

Conclusion:

In the Chigorin set-up against our

lovely "London", the main and per­
manent problem of Black is his
knight on c6 and that has to be ex­
ploited with a well-prepared c4! In
that way you avoid some unneces­
sary complications in the center
after which White can count on
a small but long-term advantage
playing on the c-file. More about
can be read in CHAPTER 9 if you -

haven't read it already!

25 kxes 26.dxes
•••

Now Black loses the <ls pawn and

also the game!
 C H A PT E R T E N
TY PICA L E NDCAMES: LO NDON SYSTEM

Although the main theme of this
book is the opening, I decided to
devote some care and attention to
the endgames typical of the London
System.
One of the most important as­
pects of chess is the endgame, so it's
very important to know which end­
games may arise in your openings.
In the London System, endgames
can occur in several ways and they
are in general good thanks to the
healthy pawn structure. Howev­
er, there are cases when you have
to avoid them, and all will be ex­
plained in this chapter.
Also in this chapter I could place
some games from previous chap­
ters! Pay special attention to these
games: Delchev-Behling (Chap­
ter 3), Sedlak-Miranovic (Chap­
ter 3), Sedlak-Ascic (Chapter 5),
Kharlov-Dokutchaev (Chapter 6),
Prie-Varga (Chapter 6), Burmakin­
Jerez Perez (Chapter 7).
actors were two top GMs in 1980.
The leader of White's pieces was
one of the best team players in ex­
Yugoslavia (our well-known London
expert), and Black was the famous
Hungarian theoretician (at the mo­
ment the successful coach and cap­
tain of the Austrian team). Black
was well-prepared and he proved
that the endgame which happened
in the game held more prospects for
Black thanks to the space advan­
tage. This game presents a very rare
case where the endgame doesn't ap­
peal to White. We can classify this
game as a chess classic.

V. Kovacevic (2555) - Z. Ribli (2610)

Bugoj no (11). 1984

This is one of the critical games in

developing the London System. The
21 0 W I N N I N G W I T H TH E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
7.�xb6?!
Not the best decision! The space
advantage provides Black with
a pleasant game, so White should
avoid this ending! A better option
was 7.�c2 �fs! 8.�c1 e6 9.ll:\bd2=
with the idea of b3 or �e2-d1-c2
trying to push e4 later.
7 axb6
•••
Now Black has an easy plan with
. . . bs-b4 freeing himself of the dou­
bled-pawns! It's interesting to com­
pare this position with the games
Kharlov A.-Dokutchaev and Prie
E.-Varga P. from chapter 6. In those
games White pushed cs and forced
an endgame after . . . �xb3.
8.a3
Another option for White is 8.ll:\a3
after which Black achieves a minimum
of an equal position in many ways.
8 ... li.fs (or 8... �as 9. li.q e6 10. li.xb6
�a6 11. li.cs li.xcs 12. dxcs ll:\ e4
13.ll:\bs We7) 9.ll:\bs �as 10.a4 �c2
This move is probably played
against . . . b4, but it doesn't prevent it.
9 e6
.•.
9 ... b4!? was also possible and after
10.ll:Jxc6 bxc6 11.cxb4 e6 Black takes
back the pawn with a comfortable
position!
10.b4?!
Understandably White doesn't
allow b4 but this move creates
a weakness on a3 and gives up the
bishop pair, which will cost him ex­
pensively in the end. After 10. �e2
Black equalizes with 10 ... b4
10 ll:Jhs !
•••
After killing the London bishop,
a future breakthrough with . . . es is
easier for Black.
11.ll:Jxc6 ll:\xf4!
An important intermediate
move! Why miss this chance?
 C H A PTER TEN - TYPICAL EN DGAMES: LO N DO N SYSTEM
12.exf4 bxc6 13.�d2 f6!
Black takes control of the es
square and prepares . . . es !
Here is one more point of 13 .. .f6:
the rook comes to the a file, pressur­
ing the a3 pawn.
17. Wd2?+
White gives up a pawn! It was pos­
sible to save the pawn with 17. �d1
E:fa7 18.a4! bxM 19. E:a3 �a6! other­
wise White takes back the pawn af­
ter Wd2-.ic2- E: ha1-E:M! 20. E: xM
�bs 2i. E: xa7 E: xa7 22. Wd2 E:a2+
23. �c2+ and although Black has
the more active pieces and controls
the a-file, it's not easy to find a way
to make progress!
17 ... E: fa7 18.Wc2 E: xa3 19. E: xa3
E:xa3 20. Wb2
White gave up the pawn but he
didn't give up the file!
21 1
20 ... E:a7 21. E:a1
White was probably hoping for
a draw in view of the closed posi­
tion and doubled c-pawns, but Black
found a very nice plan.
21 ... E:xai 22.Wxa1 �d7
The partially-forgotten bishop
comes into the game via the e8
square.
23. Wb2 �es 24. Wc2 �g6+ 25. Wd2
�e4
With pressure on the knight, the
. . . es threat becomes more real.
26.We3
White can't move the knight, be­
cause . . . es comes.
A very nice and difficult move!
It is always a very tough decision to
enter a position with opposite-col­
oured bishops. It turns out that the
white pawns on the queenside will
21 2 W I N N I N G WITH TH E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
be very weak after the break with
. . . es!
27. �xb Wf7
It's necessary first to bring the
king to the center in order to defend
the pawns on the queenside. 27... es?
is too early 28.fxes fxes 29. �g4=
28. �g4 We7 29.h4 h6 30.hs es!
Finally! Everything is well-pre­
pared for the break in the center!
31.fxes
Of no help is 3i. � fs exd4+
32.Wxd4 Wd8 33. �e6 �b8! switch­
ing to the diagonal a?-g1, after
which Black is able to push . . . d4
34. We3 (34. Wes Wq mating) 34 ...
�a7+ 35. We2 d4 36.cxd4 �xd4-+
31 ... fxes 32.f4 exd4+ 33. Wxd4
'i!tds!
In the endgame the king plays
a very important role!
34. �e6 Wc7 35. �f7 il.. e7 36. li.es
Wb6
The winning plan is . . . � f6 and
then . . . cs!
0-1
V. Kramnik (2801) - N. Grandelius
(2649)
Stavanger (1), 19.04.2016
This game was played between the
ex-World Champion, a well-known
deep thinker and great techni­
cal player, and the talented young
Swedish player. After the opening
Nils chose the wrong plan of enter­
ing a slightly worse endgame, af­
ter which Kramnik demonstrated
his impeccable chess technique!
The biggest problem from Black's
perspective was the position of his
king. Persistent defense from Black
was not sufficient in the end.
1.d4 �f6 2. il.. f4 ds 3.e3 e6 4.c3 cs
5.�d2 �c6 6. il.. d3
With 6. ii.d3 Kramnik chooses an
older plan, one which was used in
the past by Vlatko Kovacevic! About
this more is written in chapter 4.
6... �d6 7. �xd6 �xd6 8.f4
This is the point! White plays f4
before �gf3!
8 ... cxd4!
Black uses the right moment to
take on d4 after which White must
 CHAPTER T E N - T Y P I CAL EN DGAMES: LO N DO N SYSTEM 21 3

take back with his c-pawn (much 14. !!c1 it.d7 15. �e2 �c8!
better would be to recapture exd4 A typical maneuver! Black seeks
for White). the best place for his knight!

9.cxd4 o-o 10.a3

Always useful to prevent . . . �b4.

10 ... �e7 11.�gf3 �b6?!

Forcing an endgame against
Kramnik? Black could continue
more actively with 11 � fs! 12.�e2
•..

�g4 13. it. xfs (13.�ft �b6! 14. h3

�f6 15.g4 �d6 when Black has nice
control of the es square and the plan
could be . . . it.d7-it.bs exchanging
his bad bishop for the strong col­
league on d3!) 13 ... exfs 14.h3 � f6 He cannot successfully fight for
15.0-0 as= and the idea is . . . b6-it.a6 the c-line with 15 ... !! fcs 16. it.a6!
activating the bishop! !! X C l 17- !! X C l .ft. cs 18. it.d3;!;

16.�es it.a4 17.�d2 �d6

With this maneuver Black's knight
takes up the best place, with the aim
of exchange bishop via bs square.

Why not! White's king is better

placed closer to the center.

12 ... �xb3 13.�xb3;!; b6 a b c d e g h

Covering the cs square!
21 4 WI N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYST EM

Black has exchanged his the

worst piece but still hasn't equal­
ized as c-file is under White's con­
trol and also the c6 square - again
pay attention to the king's position!

20.a4 eLJd6 21. �c6

All with tempo! White has to play
energetically!

21 ... �fds 22. �at!?

24 axb6
•..

Accepting the challenge wouldn't

be a good idea 24 .. .fxes 25.dxes tl:Je4
26.bxa7± and White has too many
pawns for the knight, one of them
on the 7th rank!

25. �xas �xas 26.eLJd7 bs 27.ll:Jcs

After a couple of forced move,
White has obtained a powerful
point for the knight.
An interesting and unthemat­
ic solution! Kramnik aims to cre­
ate weaknesses on the queenside
in Black's position. Doubling rooks
with 22. � hc1 also brings an ad­
vantage for White:· 22 ... ll:J fe8 23.b4
f6 24.eLJd3 Wf7 25.b5;;!; with un­
pleasant pressure. The pawn a7 be­
comes a target in the future after
lLl b4- eLJc6.

22 tl:Jfes 23.as f6 24.axb6!

•••

An important intermediate move

after which the knight from es en­
ters the heart of Black's position!
 CHAPTER TEN - TYPICAL EN DCAMES: LO N DO N SYSTEM
White takes action! 28.g4!? was an
interesting option with the idea of
staking even more space and keep-
ing the tension. 28 ... 'B.a2 29. Wd3
'Bai 30. 'B.b6 'B.h1 31.l£i fJ;!;
Until this moment Black has de­
fended his position successfully,
but now after constant pressure
an inaccurate move appears. Black
missed a way of making strong
counterplay after 29 ... 'B.a2+ 30. Wf3
'£i fs! 31./£J xe6 /£J h4+ 32.Wg3 /£J xg2
33./£Jc3 'B.b2 34./£Jd5 /£Je1!=
30.1£lxe4 'B.a2+ 31.Wf3 'B.b2 32./£Jc5
gs!?
What else? Black can't wait any­
more -he needs to bring the knight
into the game somehow!
33. 'B.b6!?
Another possibility was 33.fxgs
fxgs 34.h3 (34. 'B.xe6?!'B.xb3;t) 34 .../£Jf6
35. 'B.b6 'B.d2 36. 'B.xbs hs! ;t and still
21 5
Black has chances to save the game
due to his active pieces and the re­
duced position. (36... 'B.xd4? 37- 'B.b7+
Wg6 38. 'B.g7+! Wh6 39. 'B.xgs!±)
The first serious mistake after
which the position is hopeless for
Black. The right move was 33 ... g4+!
34. Wxg4 (34. Wg3 /£Jg7!�) 34 ... 'B.xg2+
35. Wf3 'B.xh2 36./£Jxe6 'B.h3+ 37.We4
'B.xb3 38. Wds;t and Black still has to
solve the problem of his knight on e8.
34. 'B.b7+! Wg6 35./£Jxe6
Now Black's king is in danger!
35 ... Wfs
35 ... 'B. xb3+ loses after 36. Wxf4
with the unpleasant threat of
/£J f8-'B.h7
36./£Jc5 'B.c2
Nothing helps now: 36... 'B.<l2 37. 'B.d7±
and knight is cut from the game or 36...
1£Jd6 37. 'B.d7 /£Jc8 38.'B.xh7+-
21 6 WI N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM

37.�e4 �c7 38 .B'.b6 �ds 39 .B'.d6!

• • exactly which endgames were prom­
And the worst Black piece in the ising for him and what to do in them.
game finally falls! A very good game
from the ex-World Champion!
1-0

A. J. Miles (2562) - L. Dominguez

Perez (2556)
36th Capablanca Memorial El ite,
H avana (9), 15.05.2001

This game is not so theoretically im­

portant and mainly I would like to
use it to explain the endgames which
arise in these structures. In this
game we see the Carlsbad structure! 9 e6
•..

Here, mostly the exchange of queens
comes after the moves !fb3- !fb6
which gives a pleasant and prospect­
ful endgame to White. In this game
Anthony Miles showed how you have
to use White's resources in this kind
of endgame. Unfortunately, at the
end he failed to crown his excellent
play with a win! This is a game we can
connect with chapter i.
l.d4 ds 2. il.. f4 � f6 3.e3 cs 4.c3
�c6 5.�d2 !fb6 6.!fc2
A little reminder, from chapter 3.
I prefer 6. !fb3, but as I said, in this
chapter we have illustrative games
about typical endgames!
6 cxd4 7.exd4 il.. g4 8.�gf3 .B'.cs
•.•
9.!fb3!
Antony Miles had a great feel for
these structures. He could evaluate
At this point Black had a difficult
decision: to choose between two
bad endgames. Finally he decided to
enter the one with doubled pawns.
9 ... !¥xb3?! brings Black noth­
ing good either: 10.axb3 a6 (10 ... e6
11.�es a6 (11 ... �xes? 12.dxes � hs
13. il.e3±) 12.� xg4 � xg4 13.b4
il.e7 14.�b3;;!;) 11.b4 e6 12.bs axbs
13. i!.xbs �d7 14.h3 il. hs 15.g4 il.g6
16.�es! �dxes 17. il.xe5;;!;
lo.�es � xes 11. !¥xb6 axb6
12. il.. xes;;!;
Black's pawn structure is dam­
aged on the queenside but White
doesn't have an open file for ex­
ploiting it. Without a concrete plan,
Black will not feel the weaknesses.
 C H A PTER TEN - TYPICAL EN DGAMES: LO N DO N SYSTEM
a b c d e g
12 lL\d7 13. �hs Wds 14. il. g3
.••
lL'lbS!?
Black improves his knight's po­
sition and also attempts to pre­
vent White's plan with M-as, but
unfortunately for him it's simply
unstoppable!
15.0-0 lL'lc6 16.a4!
White starts a very strong plan
on the queenside. Although it's an
endgame, Black's king is not safe
and White plans to use that factor.
16 ... �as
16 ... �e7 17.lL\b3 �f6 18.as lL'l xas
19.lL\xas bxas 20. �xas±
17.a5!±
One pawn is not a big loss if you
develop an initiative: time is more
important. If you play slowly how­
ever, your opponent has a chance to
consolidate his position.
21 7
h a b c d e g h
17...bxas
Black had no better option! 17-..
� xas 18. � xas lLl xas (18 . . . bx as
19. �a1 Wd7 (1 9 . . . lL\ a7 2 0. �xas
lL'lxbs 2i. �xbs WcB 22. �as±) 20.£3
� fs 2i.lL'lb3 �d6 (21 ... b6 22.lL\xas!
bxas 23. �xas+-) 22. il. xc6+ bxc6
23. � xas±) 19. � a1! f6 20.b4 lL'lc6
2i. �a8+ We7 (21 ... Wd7 22. �bB+-)
22.£3 il. fs 23. �c8+-
18.lL'lb3 �e7 19. �a2!
A nice move with the idea of dou­
bling rooks! Regaining the pawn
with 19. �xc6? means a return to life
for Black! 19 ... bxc6 20.lL'l xas Wd7=
19 ... Wcs 20. �fa1 �ds 21.lL'lcs!
White continues his brilliant play
and he is still not interested in the
pawn. His idea is b4! 21. �xc6? leads
to a draw! 2i. .. bxc6 22.lL'l xas �xas
23. �xas �xas 24. � xas Wb7=
21 8 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
21 i.b6
•••
In case of the passive 2i. .. 1£)b8
with the idea of . . . b6, comes 22.b4
b6 23.1£)b3 Wb7 24.bxa5 bxa5 25.c4!�
and his king is in big danger!
22.b4 1£)a7
After this move White wins
material, but it's very hard to find
a better option for Black. For ex­
ample: 22 ... � xc5 23.dxc5 or 23 ...
e5 (23 .. .f6 24. i.d6 e5 25.bxa5 1£)b8
26.a6 bxa6 (26... 1£)xa6 27.c6+-) 27.c4
d4 (27... dxc4 28. �xc4 ga7 29. gbi
llJc6 30. gb6 Wd7 31f3 il.fs 32.g4
�g6 33. gaxa6 gxa6 34. gb7+ WdB
35. il.xa6+-) 28.c6 g a7 29. gb2+­
with ..ta4 next) 24. �d3 f6 25.£3 i.e6
26.b5 llJd8 27. g xa5 g xa5 28. gxa5±
23.llJd7!
Black doesn't have time for a break!
Always, after good positional
play, tactics come easily and White
soon regains his material!
24 ... ilxas
Here is the point! In case of 24 ...
llJxb5 25.llJb6+! then an important
intermediate move comes! 25 ...
ilxb6 26. gxa8+ Wd7 27. gxh8+-
25. gxas b6!
Black defends really well and
finds the best practical chance!
25 ... Wd8 26.llJb6 We7 27. ild3 h6
28.b5+- or 25 ... llJxb5? 26.llJb6+ Wd8
27. gxa8++-
26. ga2
Again precise! This is strong­
er than 26.llJ xb6+!? Wb7 27.llJ xa8
llJ xb5 28. g xb5+ Wxa8 29.fa � f5
(29 ... � hs 3 0. c4!+ -) 30. gc5 it.g6
3i. gc7 gb8 32. �e5 gb7 33. gc8+
Wa7 34 . ..t xg7 gb8± and as always
the endgames with opposite-col­
oured bishops involve a small risk
of a draw.
26 ... gdS!?
Again the most resistant! With
an exchange down Black would
have nothing to hope for! 26 ...
llJxb5 27. gxa8+ Wxd7 28. gxh8 ..tf5
29. gb8! Wc6 (29 ... llJxc3 30. g b7+
WeB 31. gxb6 llJe2+ 32. Wft llJxd4
33. �es+-) 30.£3+-
 CHAPTER T E N - T Y P I CA L EN DGAMES: LO N DO N SYSTEM
27.�es!
Of course, Anthony does not
fall into the trap! 27.�xb6+?? Wb7
28.� xa8 �xb5-+
27... �hs 28. �a6+ Wc7 29.�xf7+
Wc6 30.�xd8+
A pity! White gives his opponent
some microscopic chances. More
precise was 30.�e5+! Wc7 3i.�d3+
Wd7 (31 ... Wc6 32.bs+ Wd7 33.�es+
We7 34. ii.b7+-) 32. �b7+- with the
idea b5- �b4
30 ... �xds 31. �d3 �bs
Black is a pawn down, but it
seems as though he has never stood
better than he does now!
32.f3?!
Starting to lose the advantage
step-by-step. White could take
another pawn with 32. � xh7! g6
33. ii.e5 �e8 34.g4 �xg4 35. �xg6
�g8 36. � h7+-
21 9
32 ... �g6±
Now Black is almost back to life!
33. �xg6
Entering the endgame with op­
posite-coloured bishops is always
a questionable decision. 33. �xb5+
Wxb5 34. � a7 Wc4 35. �C7+ Wd3
36. il.e5 b5 37. �xg7 �as 38.h4 �ai+
39. Wh2 �a3 40. �c6 �xc3 41. �xe6
�c2 42. Wg3 Wc4 with some chanc­
es for a draw!
33 ... hxg6 34. �e2?
a b c d e g h
With a series of inaccurate moves
White casts a shadow on his pre­
vious brilliant moves! It was very
important to control the a-file. By
taking the a-file Black can create
counterplay. White could still win
with 34. �e1! �c8 35. Wfa Wb7 (35...
Wd7 36. We3 �q 37- Wd3+-) 36. �e2
�c6 37.h4+- and nothing can stop
the white king from going to g5
220 W I N N I N G WITH T H E M O D E R N LO N DO N SYSTEM
34 ... cr!;>d7 35. �e1 Bes 36. Be3 Bas;!;
Now White's advantage is purely
symbolic and the draw is not far off.
37. crt>fa Ba2+ 3S. Be2 Bxe2+!
Black does not miss his chance to
save the game!
The fortress is a necessity. Af­
ter . . . b5- �c4-cr!;>f7 white can only
dream about the win! White's king
cannot enter between the Black
pawns!
41. �h4+ crt>es 42.b5!?
A last try but unsuccessful. The
rest of the game was just waiting for
a draw offer!
42 ... � xb5 43. crt>c2 �d6 44. crt>b3
�c4 45. �g5 cr!;>d7 46. ii. f4 crt>c6
47.h4 crt>d7 4S. crt>b4 crt>c6 49. crt>b3
cr!;>d7 50. cr!;>b4 crt>c6
1/2
 CO N C LU S I O N

I hope that by reading the first book I have ever written you managed to
make a connection with the very cunning London System - an opening
which I always keep very close to my heart, having played it for over 10
years!

I also strongly believe that I have managed to fill the book with all of my
knowledge and understanding of the London System, which in turn will
give you a solid edge even against much stronger players, and from the
very first moves!

In my opinion, it is an extremely strong weapon in a practical game - and

the "simple looking positions" which arise are much harder to understand
than they appear at first sight and actually contain huge potential.

I hope you will enjoy winning with the Modern London System at least as
much as I do!