Jeremy's Chess Ascent · White Repertoire · Book VII
A field manual in chess and character. The dependable weapon.
Written for you, and with you, by Dad.
A letter before we begin
Jeremy,
You already have a fighting answer to 1.d4 of your own, the Queen's Gambit, for the days you want a sharp, ambitious battle. This book gives you its opposite number and its perfect partner: a calm, dependable system you can set up against almost anything Black throws at you, without memorising a hundred variations. It is called the London System, and it will be the reliable friend in your armoury, the weapon for the day you are tired, short on preparation, facing a stranger, or simply want a sound game where you understand every plan and are never in danger from move one.
Here is what makes the London special, and why it teaches a lesson I care about. It is not an opening; it is a system. You build the same sound little house every game, pawns on c3, d4 and e3, your queen's bishop developed outside the pawn chain to f4 where it breathes, then the knights, the light bishop, and short castling. Black can play a dozen different ways, and your first eight moves barely change. That means you spend almost none of your energy on memory and almost all of it on understanding: where the knight belongs, when the bishops point at the king, when to break with e4. A player who truly understands three plans will always beat a player who has half-memorised thirty lines.
And do not mistake calm for toothless. The London looks quiet and then bites. The knight that lands on e5, the two bishops raking toward the enemy king, the central break that suddenly opens the position, these are real weapons, and many of the strongest players in the world win beautiful attacking games with this very system. Solid does not mean passive. It means you are never worse, and you are always ready to strike when your opponent slips.
The virtue of this book is steadiness, son: the quiet strength of a man who is the same dependable self every single day, who does not need drama to be effective, and who builds on a foundation that does not move. That is worth far more than flash, on the board and off it.
Build the same sound house every game, then understand it better than anyone.
Be steady, be sound, and let a simple method mastered beat a complicated one half-learned.
Dad
How to train with this book
The London rewards understanding over memory, so train it by understanding. Work each position the same way and the plans become second nature.
Set up every diagram on a real board before you read a word about it. Your hands learn the setup faster than your eyes ever will.
In every London position, say out loud which of the three plans you are aiming for: the e5 knight, the bishop attack, or the e4 break. A move with no plan behind it is a wasted move.
The dark-squared bishop on f4 is the soul of this system. On every move ask whether Black is trying to trade or trap it, and keep it safe with a timely h3.
Close the manual and answer the "Prove it" box at the end of each theme from memory. If you cannot explain the plan in your own words, you do not yet own it.
Wherever you see a gold Training Ground box, we step off the board for a moment. Those short notes are the lessons I care about most, because the man I am raising matters more to me than the rating I am coaching. Read them slowly.
Chapter 01 · Identity
A complete system for White after 1.d4: the same sound setup against nearly everything, freeing you to play on understanding instead of memory.
The heart of the London is one simple idea: develop the queen's bishop before you block it in. In most 1.d4 openings that bishop gets shut behind the e3-pawn and spends the game staring at its own men. The London solves the problem on move two: the bishop goes to f4, outside the chain, where it breathes and aims at Black's kingside for the whole game. Everything else follows a fixed, comfortable pattern, e3 to support d4, c3 to give the centre a spine, Nf3 and Nbd2, the light bishop to d3, and castling. You will play these moves in almost every game, so you need not fear surprises: whatever Black does, you build your house.
Because the setup is fixed, your work is not to remember moves but to understand plans. There are three, and this book is built around them: the knight to e5, the two bishops aimed at the king, and the central break with e4. Learn those three ideas deeply and you will never be lost in a London, because you are not following a memorised line; you are following a method you understand.
Chapter 02 · Core routes
Black can meet the London in three broad ways. In every one, your first task is the same: build your setup. Only the plan that follows changes.
1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Nf3 (and ...c5, ...Nc6, ...Bd6)
Black builds a solid, symmetrical centre. You complete your setup in peace and then play for the plans: the knight to e5, the bishops toward the king. This is the London at its most natural, and where you will live most of the time.
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 g6 3.e3 Bg7 4.Nf3 O-O 5.Be2 d6 6.O-O
Black fianchettoes in King's Indian style. With no target on h7 you place the light bishop on e2 rather than d3, add h3 for safety, and prepare to expand in the centre with c4 or the e4 break for a broad, comfortable game.
1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 c5 3.e3 Nc6 4.Nf3 Qb6
The one line that tries to punish the London directly, hitting d4 and b2 at once. Do not panic. As the next page shows, a single calm move keeps everything defended, and the game is comfortable and equal, or better.
A road map is not enough; you must know where each road leads. Here is the plan for each.
The plan. Complete the setup, then plant the knight on e5, backed by the d4-pawn. From there it feeds a kingside build-up with Bd3, Qf3 and, when the moment comes, an attack.
The feel. You are never worse, you have a clear plan, and Black must defend accurately for a long time. Steady pressure, no risk.
The idea: build the house, then move the knight into the enemy's living room.
The plan. Against ...g6, be ready for Black's ...e5 break. Meet it by keeping your good bishop with Bh2, and fight for the centre with c4 and the pieces behind it.
The feel. A slower, more strategic game. Your solid structure and safe king mean you can manoeuvre patiently and pick your moment.
The idea: never trade the good bishop for nothing; retreat it and keep it working.
The antidote. Simply Qc1. The queen quietly guards b2, keeps every piece where you want it, and gives Black nothing at all. The bolder Nc3, offering the b-pawn, is a fine second option.
The feel. The whole point: the London's one real test is met by one calm move. No memory required, only steadiness.
The idea: answer a threat with composure, not panic; a single sound move defends everything.
Chapter 03 · Theme · The strong point
The single most important square in the London. A knight planted on e5, supported by the d4-pawn, is a strong tower in the middle of Black's position, and the seed of every attack.
When you learn only one idea from this book, learn this one: get a knight to e5. Supported by your d4-pawn, it cannot be driven away by a pawn, and from e5 it does everything at once. It cramps Black, it controls key squares near his king, and it clears the way for your other pieces to pour forward. Nearly every London attack begins with this knight arriving on e5 and refusing to leave. If Black trades it off, you often recapture with a pawn and gain a powerful wedge, or with a piece and keep the pressure; either way the square remains yours. Aim for e5 in every game, and build the rest of your plan around the tower you plant there.
A single strong point, well defended, gives strength to everything around it. Find your firm ground and stand on it, and the rest of your life has somewhere to lean.
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” Build your game, and your life, around a strong point that cannot be shaken.
Proverbs 18:10
FROM THE DIAGRAM.
Chapter 04 · Theme · The attack
The quiet attack. The London's two bishops, one on d3 aiming at h7, one on the b8-h2 diagonal, form a battery that can turn a calm position into a storm around Black's king.
People call the London boring right up until this picture appears on the board. Your two bishops are natural attackers: the light one on d3 points straight at h7, the classic weak spot in front of a castled king, and the dark one sweeps the long diagonal toward the same corner. On their own they are only a promise, but add the knight on e5 and bring the queen to f3 or h5, and you have a genuine attacking force aimed at one square. Many a London win comes from a sacrifice on h7 or h6 that the calm opening never hinted at. So develop the bishops to their attacking diagonals, keep them, and when your opponent castles into their fire, look hard for the breakthrough.
Two working together achieve what neither could alone. Value your partnerships, and place the people and gifts in your life where they support one another.
“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.” The bishops teach it on the board: strength doubles when it works in harmony.
Ecclesiastes 4:9
FROM THE DIAGRAM.
Chapter 05 · Theme · The break
The moment the London stops being modest. When your pieces are ready, e3-e4 turns your small, solid centre into a big one and opens lines for the very pieces you have quietly developed.
The London builds patiently, and then, at the right moment, it explodes in the centre. Once your pieces are developed and your king is safe, the break e3-e4 is often the strongest move on the board. It challenges Black's centre, opens the position for your bishops and rooks, and does so at a moment when your own house is already in order and his may not be. The key word is prepared: play e4 too soon and you open lines for pieces that are not ready; play it once everything is in place and it is a hammer blow. Learn to feel the moment, the pieces out, the king castled, the break defended, and then strike hard down the middle.
The bold stroke is only wise once the groundwork is done. Prepare first, count the cost, and then the decisive move is a joy rather than a gamble.
“Which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” Prepare the break fully, then play it without fear.
Luke 14:28
IN YOUR OWN WORDS.
Chapter 06 · Theme · The soul of the system
Every London plan depends on one piece: the dark-squared bishop that gave the system its whole point. Guard it, and the London hums; lose it cheaply, and the music stops.
You developed the queen's bishop to f4 on move two precisely so it would never be a bad piece. That makes it the most valuable thing you own in this opening, and Black knows it. Again and again he will try to trade it off or trap it, most often with ...Nh5 attacking it, or with a bishop coming to d6 to offer a swap. Your job is simple and constant: keep it. A timely h3 denies the knight the g4-square and gives the bishop the h2-retreat, so the trade never comes; sidestepping to g3 or h2 keeps it alive and working. Treat this bishop as the crown jewel of the system, because it is. Lose it for a mere knight and you have handed away the one piece that made the London the London.
The most valuable things you are given must be guarded on purpose, not left to chance. Know what your treasure is, and keep it.
“That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.” Guard what is precious, the good bishop on the board and the good gifts in your life.
2 Timothy 1:14
FROM THE DIAGRAM.
Chapter 07 · Tactics · Vigilance
A sound system still needs a watchful eye. The London is safe, but not automatic; one habit guards everything you have built.
Four questions, twenty seconds, most of your future losses prevented. The London hides its dangers well precisely because it looks so calm, so stay alert to the handful that recur.
The bishop trade. ...Nh5 and ...Bd6 both hunt your dark-squared bishop; keep it with h3 and Bg3 or Bh2. The b2-pawn. When Black plays ...Qb6, meet it with Qc1 or Nc3, never with a nervous pawn move that weakens your queenside. The d4-point. Watch ...c5 and ...cxd4 opening lines before you are ready; recapture toward the centre and keep things solid. The e5 counter. Against the fianchetto, Black's ...e5 challenges your centre; be ready to keep the good bishop with Bh2 and hold the balance.
The shield only works if you are honest, if you look hard for the opponent's best reply and not the one you are hoping for. Steadiness and watchfulness are the same virtue wearing two coats: the man who stays alert and unshaken keeps what he has built. “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13)
Chapter 08 · Staying in command
The London is hard to lose, but there are ways to throw away its comfort. Learn the errors that drain its life, and the calm answers to Black's sharpest tries.
These are the ways a well-set-up London still goes wrong. None is a one-move blunder; each is a slow leak.
The temptation. You set up, castle, and then shuffle your pieces with no idea, treating the system as an excuse to stop thinking.
Why it fails. A system gets you a good position; it does not win the game for you. With no plan, Black slowly frees his pieces, seizes the centre, and takes over. The London is a launch-pad, not a hammock.
The command: always be aiming at one of the three plans, the e5 knight, the bishop attack, or the e4 break. Set-up is the start, not the finish.
Two more errors need no diagram, only a warning. Trading the good bishop for a knight without being forced hands away the soul of the system; keep it unless the trade wins something concrete. Releasing the centre too early with a hasty dxc5, or allowing ...cxd4 before you are ready, opens lines for Black's pieces just when yours are not set; keep the tension until it favours you.
Meet Black's testing tries the London way: calmly, with the setup intact.
His idea. After ...Qb6 you offer the b-pawn with Nc3; Black grabs it with ...Qxb2.
Your route. Nb5! threatens Nc7+, forking king and rook, and leaves White clearly on top; the even stronger Nxd5 wins outright. The engine confirms roughly +3 for White. If Black declines the pawn, Qc1 keeps a calm, equal game.
The command: offer b2 without fear; a greedy queen far from home is a target, not a triumph.
His idea. ...Bf5, developing the light bishop before ...e6 shuts it in, to blunt your own bishop on d3.
Your route. Do not be annoyed; press. c4 strikes at his centre, or Qb3 and Nc3 lean on b7 and d5. Your setup still stands, and his bishop on f5 can become a target for a later Nh4 or g4.
The command: answer a good developing move with your own pressure, not with a change of plan.
His idea. From a ...g6 setup, Black hits your centre with both ...d5 and ...c5, Grunfeld-style.
Your route. Stay solid: c3 and Nbd2 hold d4, keep the tension, and wait. Your king is safe and your structure sound; let him commit first, then choose your break.
The command: meet a broad attack with a firm centre; solidity first, counter-blow second.
One rule stands under all of these: keep your setup, keep your good bishop, and keep your composure. Build the house, aim at a plan, and answer every trick with a calm, sound move. That's not caution, but rather COMMAND.
Chapter 09 · Conversion
A sound opening hands you a sound endgame. The London's solid structure and healthy pieces mean the endings it reaches are the kind a patient player wins and never loses.
The London rarely leaves you with weaknesses, and that is worth more in the endgame than any early flourish. Your pawns are compact, your king is safe, and your bishops are good, so when the queens come off you are usually the one pressing. Before you trade a pair of pieces, picture the endgame that remains, and steer for the one your sound structure favours.
| Element | What to watch |
|---|---|
| The good bishop | If you have kept your dark-squared bishop, it is often the better minor piece in the ending. Trade into positions where it shines and his does not. |
| The e5 outpost | A knight or pawn that ruled e5 in the middlegame often decides the endgame too, cramping Black and supporting your advance. |
| The sound structure | No weak pawns of your own means nothing for Black to target. Small, safe advantages are exactly what convert in an ending. |
| The safe king | With no holes around your king, march it to the centre in the ending and let it fight. A healthy London becomes an active endgame king. |
Chapter 10 · The work
A system is learned by playing it, not reading it. Drill the setup until it is automatic, then spend all your effort on the three plans.
| Stage | The work | You pass when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · The setup | Play out the London build (Bf4, e3, Nf3, c3, Nbd2, Bd3, O-O) against ...d5, ...g6 and ...c5, from memory, until it is automatic. | You reach your setup smoothly against anything Black plays. |
| 2 · The plans | In each structure, name and carry out the fitting plan: the e5 knight, the bishop attack, or the e4 break. | You choose the right plan on your own and follow it through. |
| 3 · The tests | Meet the ...Qb6 test, the ...Bf5 try and the fianchetto strike calmly, keeping your setup and your good bishop. | Black's tricks no longer trouble you, and you keep the initiative. |
| Day 1 | Drill the setup three times against each of the three roads; say the purpose of every move aloud. |
| Day 2 | Study one model game where White plays the knight to e5 and attacks; guess each move before you see it. |
| Day 3 | Play three positions built around the two-bishop attack against a partner or the computer. |
| Day 4 | Make flashcards: the ...Qb6 antidote, the ...Nh5 answer, the e4 break, the ...Bf5 reply. |
| Day 5 | Play one 30+20 London and annotate it from memory afterwards. |
| Day 6 | Compare your notes with an engine or coach; repair exactly one line. |
| Day 7 | Take the knowledge check cold, then teach the London to someone else. |
Chapter 11 · Prove you own it
Answer these cold and out loud before you check the key.
| Coach & parent answer key | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Because you play the same sound setup against almost anything; it frees you to spend your energy on understanding plans rather than memorising lines. |
| 2 | To f4, outside the pawn chain, so it is never shut in behind e3; a good bishop for the whole game is the point of the opening. |
| 3 | The knight to e5; the two-bishop attack on the king; and the central break e3-e4. |
| 4 | It is supported by the d4-pawn and cannot be driven off by any enemy pawn; from e5 it cramps Black and feeds the attack. |
| 5 | The bishop on d3 and the dark-squared bishop; both aim toward h7 and the castled king. |
| 6 | Your pieces developed and your king castled, with the break defended; e4 too early only opens lines for pieces that are not ready. |
| 7 | Calmly, with Qc1 (guarding b2) or the bolder Nc3, offering the pawn as a trap; never with a nervous, weakening move. |
| 8 | The dark-squared bishop; keep it with a timely h3 and a retreat to g3 or h2, and never trade it cheaply. |
A word before you close the book
Now you hold two answers to 1.d4 of your own making: the Queen's Gambit for the day you want a sharp, ambitious fight, and the London for the day you want a calm, dependable game where you are never in danger and always understand your plan. Having both is a kind of maturity. It means you can choose the weapon that fits the moment and the mood, instead of being forced into one way of playing.
But I hope the London teaches you something quieter than opening theory. This system wins not by being flashy but by being steady: the same sound method, played every day, understood deeply, never panicking when tested. That is not a small virtue, son. The world is full of people who can be brilliant once; it is short of people who are dependable always. The man who builds on a firm foundation and does the sound thing calmly, again and again, long after the excitement fades, is the man others come to rely on, and the man who quietly wins in the end.
So be steady. Build your house on rock. Keep the good things, answer trouble with composure rather than panic, and let a simple, sound method mastered do more than any cleverness half-learned. That is how you win at the board, and it is very close to how you win at life.
Stay steady, keep your peace, and know that whatever storms come, your foundation and your Father both hold firm.
Dad