Learn the London System | 10-Minute Chess Openings

[@jorrie46]

Pretoria, South Africa, I'm 74, retired, and my wife died 2 years ago. Started playing chess against my computer a few months ago as an antidote to boredom.

[@shamikakelkar9833]

Good for you!

[@tahirhashmi2533]

Sorry for your big loss. Welcome to chess.

[@blackmorecatchtherainbow9677]

Respect ✊ I hope you do well

[@mohammedal-sabah2119]

I'm sorry for your loss

[@gb1oke]

Sorry for your loss, hope you're having fun!

[@acstamos]

Early c5 - 3:15 Jobava London - 4:20 5:10 - Early light square Bishop 5:45- King’s Indian - Pirc Defense 7:35 - Very early c5 8:30 - Dutch

[@theultimatebananaboi163]

thanks

[@hello-yn1lu]

thank you.

[@user-uk9er5vw4c]

thank you so much!

[@mathrob2]

Not all heroes wear capes ! Thanks a lot

[@kyconfii]

Thanks I’m going to just copy this in case this gets buried and i need it later. Sorry

[@ducanhdinh8574]

0:55 against Nf6 1:49 Million dollar square 3:20 against c5 5:10 against Bf5 5:46 against King's Indian 7:38 early c5

[@brylinx1451]

Thank you

[@Onclaw]

@@brylinx1451 Yep me too

[@kratos.8151]

I wish hed have done what to do if black goes to E5.

[@049plague4]

Thanks

[@kbpclo.mp4]

Thanks. This helps!!

[@mattmiller7832]

I watched this video when I was first learning chess and trying to improve. I played the London from about ~400 to 1200. I then switched to almost exclusively the Jobava London. I'm now just over 1700 and I'm finding myself coming back to check out the regular London. I've never felt I understood the concepts Levy taught in this video better than I do now. Thank you Levy

[@siddhantsharma2299]

Hey, can I ask you how long your rating climb journey took for these different ratings? And also, what you’d recommend me to do, I’m a 1200 right now and I’ve mostly been playing the ponziani opening I started from scratch about 6 months ago and in the beginning I was playing the London but then I completely left it around 800 rating

[@DarkGope]

He never answered...​@@siddhantsharma2299

[@DrunkChess99]

The best way to play the london is to play jobava london in the lower elo since they prob don't know how to counter it and if you have learnt theory then you can easily crush opponents​@@siddhantsharma2299

[@rrp482]

Levy, I've spent all day studying both your London system videos as well as Eric's video about the London traps and it's really rewarding to watch your opponent's moves and adapt the opening to counter their moves. I'm a low rated player and haven't really had the knack of planning a couple moves ahead but playing the London system has proved to fix that issue. It's a lot of fun when you can identify the threats and adapt your game to them and it's all thanks to how simply you explain it. Thanks a lot!

[@geethuvarghese9103]

Keep going.. Good luck mate!

[@rrp482]

@@geethuvarghese9103 thank you! One year later & I'm still playing the London every time I get white 😅

[@quicksilver9169]

​@@rrp482Elo ?

[@rrp482]

@@quicksilver9169 1000 and thereabouts

[@someone_in_the_universe2211]

How you doing now after one more year?​@@rrp482

[@akayy17]

I've watched this video at least 100 times and I think I'm starting to memorise it finally

[@TheNextGen5.0]

?

[@TheNextGen5.0]

Are your trying to advertise Gotham course??

[@handleofchairs]

@@TheNextGen5.0 💀

[@phlosen7854]

@plush yes it is

[@goldengoat1737]

Don’t just memorize the moves focus on why they are making certain moves it helps a lot in developing your game

[@Drovek451]

Just had my first 0 blunder, 0 mistakes game with the London! (Rating ~950). Thanks for your videos and your courses, Levy!

[@ziwuri]

Same here!

[@perseus_editz3207]

congrats i’m 1500 and have been playing this for a while and just stay with it bc lots of people will tell you that there’s better openings down the stretch but it works very well even going down to late 1800 s 1900s

[@vesty00]

I’m only 600 and I just got it my first time too :)

[@vaynardBG]

Sorry but where do you guys check your rating? I'm playing in lichess (lot of super GM there, Magnus, Nakamura, Firouzja, ext). I'm rating 1900 there but I dont know how accurate it is since Magnus rate 3300++ and supper GM usually rate 2800-3300++. So yeah, where and how to check our 'real' rating 😁

[@rudraveerpratapsingh4359]

@@vaynardBG fide rating is the most accurate i guess

[@christopherpurnell8809]

Watching from the Hospital in York, England. The morphine hasn't proven to be great for the old rating but thanks for the great content

[@Milark]

💪

[@rumsbums3113]

Get well soon!

[@Tommyggs5432]

Christopher Purnell covid got ya laters bro

[@natanfurman2467]

Morphyne

[@darthkek1953]

Are you a patient or just a doctor nicking the scag? 😆

[@danagreen6518]

69 yo guy with cancer taking up chess again since my teenage years! I have enjoyed watching your videos for the past several months over our Maine winter. I am a big read of chess books and magazines over the years. I enjoy your pacing often and your style. I am settled in on learning the London system. I am going to review videos here and if you have anything on chessable….do you recommend any good books or reading on the London? Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing with older folks on limited income or illness that can keep us a home and inside more than most/ via Maine USA

[@Fitness4London]

Chess is great for high-quality entertainment and brain-development at minimal expense. Wishing you well.

[@kiethbiasillo4678]

Haven’t played in almost 30 years. Started back up and found Levy. Fantastic teaching style. Just figuring out I really never had a good understanding of the game. Age and experience makes a difference. And now I’m using Levy to actually help me be a decent player. Thanks for that! Love the game more than ever.

[@ManyMiniStuff]

can we appreciate how good of a teacher levy is thank you sir

[@ronicave8522]

Tbh that rook sacrifice idea vs the Kings Indian has been one of the most usefull tricks ive learned in the past couple months. I have won many games with it, its amazing how many people fall for it. Thanks Levy!

[@toad33332]

I'm a 1900 player, never really bothered to learn the london, i'd picked it up as an alternative to the queens gambit when it doesnt work out for me, i like to have my bishop out before closing the position to support the D4 pawn . However I've gained about 60,70 rating points playing this. It's made a big difference to my game so far.

[@SirVirtual]

I hope you get to 2000 rating soon

[@pezra9218]

any recommended black openings? im only an 800 player but a while back I learned the queens gambit as my first opening and I climbed like 300 rating, I have tried learning a few on black but they are a little complex and hard to remeber and recommendations?

[@nyksiex]

@@pezra9218 if you are below 1500, you gotta learn game theory before opening theory

[@kencur9690]

@@nyksiex and opening principles before complex opening theory. Go for e4 and learn that basic opening theory (as you do need something) and just play solidly.

[@nyksiex]

@@kencur9690 you are completely right. It is always the best option to go solid and logical than by heart

[@MrLTactics]

I tried your strategy with the H-pawn push and captured the knight with my rook today, and it worked like a charm! Little chance for the opponent, ending in check mate very soon after :) Great content like always!

[@It_is_Mahi]

I didn't understand anything from the video... Just help me?!

[@wrawler]

@@It_is_Mahi watch it again until you understand....maybe even download it

[@Fitness4London]

@@It_is_Mahi You need to watch it about 10 times to start getting it, as there are so many variations to get your head around. Then watch it once a week every week. Seriously, it's worth it! The danger of half-remembering something is that you apply the tricks in a situation where they don't work, so you need to learn the exact set-ups and how to play each.

[@southernviking8644]

Watching this man has raised me 250 points higher on rapid Chess. Less mistakes, better defense and aggressive attacks. Checkmating people faster. Managing clock better.

[@darakdelasombra9264]

i must be the worst student, as soon as i play Bf4 i immediately forget everything you said :(

[@zaaxi7424]

Afterwards you need to make the triange 'hat', 'pyramid' whatever with the pawns, tuck in the white bishop behind this, develop both knights to their squares and then look to castle kingside, easy no?

[@daviderwin1204]

I had this problem. Repetition helps. Get out a physical board and perform each of these variations 20 times and it will likely start to stick. Seems monotonous, but it is actually pretty quick and really helps it stick.

[@Hacktheplanet_]

You need to get used to the game fundementals first

[@allsmiles6538]

@@daviderwin1204 that's a pretty good idea. thx for the tip :D

[@joaovaltrig3587]

There's a video about bad bishops that take 3 hours, but it's worth if you wanna get good

[@R3DR0M666]

Just got your beginner bootcamp, and combined with the london and Caro-Kann I am having a lot of progress! Thank you!! Greetings from México!!! 😛

[@Laurent1848]

From Montreal (Canada), this intro to the London is gold! Always good to return to basics and learn the ideas behind openings. Keep on your good work Levy!

[@JeffSorenson-j8k]

I'm a struggling learner in Toronto, and it's hard to overstate how useful your videos are! Thanks.

[@ArkFen]

cool! I moved to Toronto a month ago)))

[@briantreadwell2206]

Your calm quiet authority makes for masterful instruction . . . . . I will watch this over during my holiday Rockley, Barbados to add another opening . . . . Already started with it I an on my sixth viewing . . . . . I will inevitably be looking at your lesson program . . . . Your work ethic and knowledge is admirable, i aspire to be above average

[@liammcleod159]

after watching this many times i must say, i still cant remember what to do

[@Inertiafivezero]

Don't memorize openings, it's really hard to do and mostly useless. Try to understand them instead. You'll be less thrown off when the opponents don't go your way.

[@liammcleod159]

@@Inertiafivezero I like that thought process thanks

[@tylerdevore6520]

Yea as long as you know your first like 3 moves based on opponents plays. The rest comes pretty easily with experience over time.

[@dannyhelser5824]

@@liammcleod159 don't feel bad about not remembering all of the variations. this video also doesn't cover a response to everything, but if they do something other than what was mentioned, it can likely be punished

[@liammcleod159]

@@dannyhelser5824 as a 1000 I do not have the capabilities to perform said punishment

[@nickolayfrissen293]

6:48 why did he suddenly sound like agadmator? xD

[@filouface]

its its its its loss for black HAHAHA i like the reference.

[@zachnado69]

plot twist: they are one and the same

[@krisselv]

6:50 this is where agadmator entered the game

[@alexkuah1391]

omg yes haha

[@vishwajeetsharma5022]

It was in this position agadmator entered the game

[@robsharktest]

I expected an Evan's Gambit, but this was even better hahaha

[@sudattashakya6288]

Lmao

[@AnkitMishra-hd6po]

Lol

[@Holeefuk-ro3nl]

Bangladesh , Dhaka.Thanks for such a great elaboration about the london system in just 10 minutes.Currently watching this for the 20th time ! Finally my dumb adhd brain could comprehend all these information . Finally have an opening setup to begin with . Currently at 298 elo . let's see how far i can go with this .

[@apiculthor]

Hey Gotham. All the way from Porto Alegre, Brazil. I'm a teacher and we have the chess club in my school, sharing your videos with my students so they learn new openings!

[@kulimanga]

Hey Levy, watching you from Košice, Slovakia. It's been a long time I've watched this video, but played it again to prepare myself for a proper London game. Thanks a lot for all your content. It's great to see you explaining tactics and strategies.

[@daviderwin1204]

This is really fantastic. 10 minute openings is my favorite format I've found for this kind of study. Thanks!

[@docsol22]

These 10 minute videos as full of information. Thank you so much! From Milton, New York. Two hours north of NYC. Hudson Valley.

[@renecardona4806]

Heyooo I went to RPI in Troy! shout out to upstate NY

[@nicholasmetz4901]

Yoo Im from Highland NY, I went to the milton dome all the time as a kid!

[@joeljohnson896]

Why would you dox yourself like that

[@docsol22]

@@nicholasmetz4901 I am 3 minutes from the dome!

[@zengalileo]

I've said this before but you are just the best explainer of chess. Something about how you talk just makes everything just sink in. I've watched another channel on the London for a couple of weeks over snd over and not really catching on. Then I just watched this video once and I totally get it first time. Thank you so much. Great channel.

[@spacekidastro]

@6:45 , seems like a simple Qe8 followed by Pf5 would negate the whole attack and put you down -2

[@HealthyScratch21]

Ever since I’ve taken chess some what more serious over the last 8-9 months or so, I’ve been really interested in becoming a London player. I’m grateful for the knowledge given to us through this video and I’m going to be using these tips right away. From Portland, Oregon

[@joeshmo546]

Previously a London player not any more

[@Gaish]

@@joeshmo546 what are you playing now?

[@joeshmo546]

I've been experimenting with the Dutch and fried liver attack. I occasionally play the London 8n bullet games for easy development. But not as often a si used to

[@ripcdburnme]

I feel like after these ten minute opening setup videos, there should be a part two where you play sub's with said opening. Because now I have to search around for you videos where you play against people with this opening!

[@tomasbeltran04050]

Go watch his rating climbs wiþ d4. You'll have fun. Also "How to win at chess" (ðat's literally ðe name) is anoðer chess series to watch examples

[@geethuvarghese9103]

It's there.. Check out levy, Eric, Ramirez.. Ramirez has the most detailed though! Great stuff all.. Good luck, mate!

[@yoddllez7485]

2:14 stone wall after night move 3:32 early queen development night c3 3:57 rook sac Jobava London Early bishop movement queens gambit 5:14 - 5:47 kings Indian night c3 6:18 if opponent plays d5 in kings Indian 7:38 what to do about early c5- scicilloan

[@HenryS12]

Nice

[@zacuddin3821]

Jo mama london

[@washingt0ns]

Thank you for the lesson Levy. I'm from California and started a chess club in my downtown and we meet in person on Saturdays. Met great people cause of chess and also due to you how well you teach that i like to continue playing chess. Thanks again. - Giovanni

[@witchsorrowful1918]

I'm just here to enjoy Levy's "formal Chess teacher" voice. Now how about we have a Russian gangster voice next?

[@СергейПлугатырёв]

Поддерживаю

[@koklu3]

@@СергейПлугатырёв согласен

[@christopherg1288]

Lmao so true

[@pphedup]

His voice.....but he's so sweet.

[@andrewf7822]

I have played The London for years but still learnt a few things. Keep up the good work. From North Yorkshire, England.

[@RobertoStelling]

Watching from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! Amazing series, you got the right tone and balance between variations and general ideas. Keep up with the great work, bro!

[@jayeshvarchand3282]

Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat, India 🇮🇳 I wanted one steady but promising opening, and London seems to be the best fit, but I didn't know how to follow up after 3 moves and how to answer the different responses from the opponent. Your video made it pretty clear, I actually wrote down all possible scenarios and will memorize it all soon. Thank you very much ❤

[@premdasyesudasan5778]

Watching it from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. I play games of chess every now and then on my smartphone. Perhaps I will try the London system in my future games. Really enjoyed your style of presentation a lot!

[@user-vz8ic3cb7x]

I am so bad at studying chess, but this gives my sub 400 rated self some hope

[@officerwizz]

Im with you bud

[@tylerdevore6520]

When people say you can get to 1000 just by not blundering pieces its mostly true. The problem is there are sooo many different openings, and as a beginner if you keep switching you never fully understand opening/mid/end game of any of them. Pick 2 openings maybe for both sides and ONLY play those 4 openings. You will become very familiar overtime, and eventually able to spot best tactics for them. Good Luck!

[@afraid2letgo]

I was kinda bad, but London's theory and Caro-Kann gave me somewhat consistency. Won several games in a row and even did some goodish moves! I hope it's not just me getting lucky lol. I recommend you Caro-Kann and London.

[@WarDaddy2023]

@@afraid2letgo I agree with you. I only play the London and Caro Kann. I just started playing chess a few months ago and sticking to just two openings and studying them a bit has really helped. I just climbed over 900 rating and its from playing games and becoming familiar with the positions I arrived at when playing familiar openings. I think in a month or two I'm going to slowly add one more opening to both black and white. Good luck on your chess progression.

[@DJgodrocks2]

@@WarDaddy2023 I also want to focus on the London and Caro Kann, but this video feels like it's designed for those who understand the London system a little bit better than what I do right now. Any suggestions for a good way to practice the basics of both openings?

[@OzzyCat16]

Levy, just discovered your channel a few months ago. Great sense of humor, amazing content. Thank you for everything you do!

[@ricklanders]

This was excellent, crisp and to the point, and covered many variations. Thanks!

[@marcossandoval7048]

Finally digging into the London. I’ve played the Danish gambit enough. I’ve liked the ideas of traps the London can trigger. And I’ve learned I play better in a closed system. Thanks for the instruction Levy!

[@tdematos]

These videos are invaluable for learning chess! Love the play by play of whats can happen during each move.

[@yareyboadames2148]

Watch 100 times. Go play and forget everything. Go back to watch 100 times again. Am I the only one?

[@0KDKING]

I always mix up all the different openings from his videos and have to go back and rewatch them 😂

[@mojorjojot3611]

Nope you are not the only one

[@yazeedpetersen4135]

Lol here here

[@Arhomomurry]

We are on the same boat

[@leodavis5886]

No

[@vaivs7903]

Thank you for the explaination. Mated someone in 11 moves using the h4->h5 move.

[@mrose4132]

This is great!!! A 10-minute opening lesson is perfect for me at this stage!! Hoping to improve my game and get up to 1500. I’ll be re-watching this video! Perfect format for me to consume a chess lesson.

[@kwibisalufwendo3964]

Watching this from Perth Australia. Thanks for this good stuff Levy. I bought your book because of all the wisdom you have freely shared on KZbin. Thanks man and I am reading every page 😁

[@chrismcenaney5850]

We are from Madisonville Ky. Thank you Levy. This content is pivotal or during the game. My nine year old son is picking up a chess because of your videos. You are 100% the Goat of growing the game.

[@rafiirvana9297]

Levy you need to make more of these, the series is so informative while still being very digestible. Props

[@losthighway6749]

Levy: “I suspect a cheater.” *confirms cheater *humiliates cheater Me: *sees disconnect *loses game “This cat was clearly cheating.” *checks analysis and profile “Wait, I’m his only win in like six games and he had several blunders...” 😳😞😭😞😭

[@kennyjohn1562]

F

[@kunalsingh4418]

Happened to me just yesterday. The guy played an almost 99% accuracy game and totally crushed me. I was half doubting if he was a cheater , but turned out the guy had lost like 4-5 matches consecutively and I was his only win.

[@unknownplayer7190]

@@kunalsingh4418 because he used engine just to you

[@ajay-pq8tg]

@@unknownplayer7190 yea thats possible , but getting 99 accuracy is also possibke without cheating. Ive had friends play each other and win with 97-99 accuracy but i think its more prevelant at lower ratings.

[@jinolin9062]

@@ajay-pq8tg punishing blunders is a easy best move so when your opponent is brain dead the accuracy is very high.

[@jacobmason9975]

I'm from Michigan. I want to get super awesome at chess, but the more I study it the more I realize it is actually pretty hard

[@tomasbeltran04050]

Have faiþ on yourself, you'll do good!!

[@ryananderson3779]

@@tomasbeltran04050 we all have faib

[@isaiahjones8731]

@@tomasbeltran04050 blud used a thorn like its 1362

[@tomasbeltran04050]

@@isaiahjones8731 yay

[@finalink2342]

Watching from Vancouver, Canada. Thanks for the video!!

[@jorgerios1616]

This is amazing. Concise, well-explained, and covering the basics in the end. Thanks man.

[@jorzor-spaghetti3167]

Watching from my student apartment in Norway trying to sharpen my knowledge on this opening so I can use it against my dad

[@seelengutt]

Serres,Greece.London system is my only opening with white since i started playing chess not too long ago , and i realy learned some basics going from 1k to 1.4k and continue ,but as you said i think i should mix it a little bit and start punishing my opponets more .

[@zacharyrichied3237]

Watching from Dallas, great content as always Levy!

[@ramyakarthik6326]

Really one of the best videos about the london system!!

[@gubashitalks1415]

From Cairo, Egypt I've recently picked up chess again I remember playing with the black as a kid just because I liked the color xD

[@marek_wiesner754]

nice and short, exactly what I wanted.

[@anhphamduc8313]

Gotham is the best at making these instructional videos!

[@Adam-pr4yw]

Watching from London! I really am.

[@seabiscuit8512]

ADAM FROOOMMMMM LONDONNNNNN

[@SurjoPodder-v5m]

That extra 17 seconds definitely helped me a lot! Thanks Levy!🙃

[@riketscience]

Whassup Levy :) I took from one of your videos today that playing several games a day and winning 50% of them is not real training! So here I am starting the journey of real study. And I decided to start with London. Really excited to start playing with all these lines. Amazing tips. I will watch this video every day for ten days and see if I have it all down. I can do rubiks cube in no time and can remember so many sequences. But chess still blows my mind!

[@6Pope9]

Kostelec na Hané, Czech republic. I can't speak english and I don't understand a single word in this video. Just watching for this handsome gentleman.

[@willembakker7999]

Ehhm, how dis you write this then?

[@6Pope9]

@@willembakker7999 Google translate

[@adamvrtal4766]

@@6Pope9 Google překladač je klasika 😁

[@rayclay2]

Great series. Gotham Chess. so concise. well presented..love the enthusiasm and candor.. a great teacher~! rock n roll hal of fame city here. shores of lake erie.

[@tylermielcarek6406]

O-H

[@ChillBrah_]

Tyler Mielcarek I-O!!

[@yaboibeyonce-]

He sounds drunk at 0.5 speed lmao

[@johnathannash9560]

LMAO

[@ameyachavan5893]

😂😂😂😂

[@roshansanjeewa381]

This power ful chess opening 😱😱

[@Discoveringnewsports]

6:43 HE SACRIFICED THE ROOOKKK

[@kaushik9359]

I've played London a few times and to be honest I feel that my opponents are taken by a surprise after that initial Bf4 move. This opening has most of the times given me an advantage for the middle games.

[@Joffe.]

what rating are you that people are surprised to see the london?

[@illegalpic6814]

@@Joffe. 1500+ plus

[@mrlucasftw42]

Oh this is really nice - tired of playing kings pawn - given that many are used to playing against it - sure only playing as a mere 950, but this is nice.

[@SirVirtual]

That's not bad to me.

[@Milsiz]

This is incredibly good. Thanks for sharing your wisdom GothamChess! Learned so much from it!

[@matthewrynne4630]

Of course I'm in London. Playing on my phone. I love watching your videos. The insightful mix of tactics and strategy is unbeatable. Great work

[@chapmanchan4788]

Watching this video from Hong Kong, China. Played chess for about 1 year, strict 1.e4 player and 1.d6 Pirc/King’s Indian player. I somehow lost against a 1900 where he played 1.e4 , screwed up the opening and we end up in a London. I was completely winning, but I got hit with a sacrifice on d5, and somehow threw a -7 position into a #7.(miscalculated queen sacrifice, thought it didn’t work but stockfish says it’s top move)That brings me to this video.

[@Esther15889]

Belgrade, Sebia. You are a great teacher, thank you.

[@drasticgray]

Can someone help me? at 3:03 he talks about getting the queen to h5 but with the position of the knight that looks like a blunder. can someone explain why it wouldnt be?

[@heisnammichael]

Levy is saying to put the queen to h5 after the dark square bishop h4. By doing so,if the opponent takes your queen, you takes the opponent's queen with the h4 bishop.

[@BeiggoMC]

From south-east finland, 14, started playing chess with my dad and sometimes i still cant beat him

[@pbj4184]

What about the 9 other people living in Finland? Can you beat them?

[@BeiggoMC]

PBJ lol

[@iflam100]

Probably the best London System alternatives explained in methodic fashion. Thank you!

[@davidsoto3710]

Watching this from Colombia, Medellín, I'm currently 600 score haha so, need to learn a lot. Thanks 🙏

[@miguelarcanjodobonfimneto7658]

Eu sou do Brasil e estou assistindo da cidade de Santa Cruz do Rio Grande do Norte! Gostei do vídeo me deu várias ideias de como jogar de maneiras diferentes com o sistema londres!

[@olc7222]

Watching from Ráckeve, Hungary!

[@miks8]

0:59 - you never told the good reason why are we delaying Nf3? Riga, Latvia

[@gilmal8892]

because black will pin the knight with Bg4 otherwise

[@rose_blue1]

​@@gilmal8892 True, that's what I was about to say.

[@vincehale5915]

Watching with my best friend Connor in Belfast North of Ireland!!!!!!!!!!!

[@oqnq5193]

Watching from Hungary 🇭🇺 I was an all-time loser in the local chess club until I heard about the London and started playing it. Having some experience with it now, it is really satisfying to watch this video.

[@d2ez695]

London. Thank you Levy you just taught me so much in 10 short minutes

[@VinayKumar-zj2vt]

Finally started playing d4 when reached 1900 rating in lichess

[@maddiethemadovich]

You _forgot_ to mention how to get into London when Black plays Englund gambit, because we came to play London and force our game, not to play theirs Watching from Southeast Ukraine (the complicated one), have recently come back into chess for like 20th time, but this time with your vids in my pocket, feeling that I can do good

[@drippydrinker96]

If you saw the video properly at the start.. london system is after d4-d5 only : )

[@kavertx9167]

Watching from a small town in Bulgaria.

[@peterlongan]

What region?

[@chastitywhiterose]

Hello Levy, I came back to this page because I am linking to this video in the database I just started building. I continue to be amazed at all the crazy traps you can show in these positions. I am in Lee’s Summit Missouri where hardly anyone knows how to play Chess. I want to teach Chess to children and young adults because Chess is really more entertaining than Minecraft or Fortnite yet the people of my town have no knowledge. My mission is to change that. I often recommend your videos while also writing and streaming my own teaching materials. It is my dream to play Chess with you too someday on a Twitch stream.

[@shabaz590]

I am in Vancouver 11 yrs old and I am learning chess from the best chess teacher in the world. Looking for a good opening for black and to learn the fried liver next

[@pratapaditya1997]

watching from Delhi, India. As a beginner, love your videos levy. (y)

[@AzygousWolf]

"checking" in from Melbourne Australia during lockdown

[@sl4de717]

Hi from Warsaw, Poland. Q: What openning is the most difficult to crack ?

the answer is simple: opening the most difficult to crack is one played by strong player :)

[@josiahbrush4324]

QGD

[@RileyLeff]

i've watched this 25 times and i think i'm gonna need to watch it another 250 to fully grasp everything going on here

[@neomeo1045]

Haha, I just rewatched this video again and it seems each time I watch it I am somewhere else. This time I am visiting family in Poznan, Poland and wanted a refresher because I will play some games tonight which I want to crush ;) Thanks as always Levy, you really helped me get back into chess and relive/reinterpret my school years.)

[@fadge4105]

What happens at 4:07 if Queen takes Bishop on b5?

[@sampsaheinonen]

Bishop from f1 takes queen then

[@liamrisi550]

Why did you delay Knight F3? At 1 minute you said you delay for good reason. Not sure if I missed the reason.

[@noahcamuso2562]

My first instinct is that delaying nf3 preserves pawn f3 as a defense against black’s potential knight e4 outpost (with pawn backing it). I could be wrong.

[@namekendrick]

Yeah, I was wondering that too. My guess was that bringing Black's bishop down to g4 would put the knight in an uncomfortable position thus putting that "million dollar" e5 square in jeopardy? I think that's why he waited until the bishop path was blocked by e6. But then he put the knight there at 3:25 so idk lol

[@JustinDickins]

I've been struggling with the London and I'm not a strong player, but I think it's so that you don't telegraph your intentions of moving knight e5. Maybe some black players would see knight f3, make that assumption, and immediately counter with pawn e5.

[@reybarreto7979]

Here’s my guess as to why delay Nf3. Because it leaves the d1-h5 diagonal open for the queen and light-squared bishop. If you play Nf3 early, Black can play Bg5 pinning the knight. But by delaying Nf3, if Black plays ...Nf6, Bg5 attacking the queen, White can counter with Be2 counterattacking the bishop, gaining tempo. If White responds by exchanging bishops he violates the principle of avoiding moving the same piece more than once in the opening, since exchanging bishops cost Black 2 bishop moves.

[@michae95lompa]

Greetings from Switzerland 😁 I have a question: where exactly ends the London System and starts the midgame phase? I mean, you showed different variations depending on the responds of black that involved several pieces, were those moves all part of the London System or at some point was the opening completed and you simply developed further your game?

[@menzac8892]

I think an opening is completed when you are fully developed. Which is middle control, developed bishops and knights, and connected rooks.

[@darthkek1953]

@@menzac8892 Castling is often considered part of it too.

[@DVineMe]

Thank you so much for this! And your KID/Pirc video as well. For the past month I had just been hovering around the low 300s, then a couple of days ago I applied these. Just reached 451. Of course this isn't magic and I'll probably hover around this level for a while. But it really helps to have an easy straightfoward plan to give you a sense of direction, without losing too much time on having to think about what your next move is going to be. I even got two games earlier with 1. d4 e5, don't remember if it's in the video, but I took (don't know if that's right) and just kept developing as normal. It was a bit harder, but still managed to win. So yeah, great stuff this!

[@DVineMe]

Just to show how powerful this is: someone's currently trying to do this (in a daily no less) 1. d4 e6 2. Bf4 Bb4+ 3. c3 Qf6 4. Be5 If they take any piece along that diagonal (or fail to move their queen) I'm going to be up a bishop and/or queen, if they keep moving forward with that queen I can keep developing my pieces the way they're supposed to (order depending on what the queen does of course), while simultaneously hunting down the queen. All hail the London System! And GothamChess for explaining it so wonderfully in 10 minutes.

[@Skeyew]

appreciate this video! Funny enough, ive been doing the pyramid opening for a long time. Without any opening system aside from my own. Excited to start implementing these.