Course
A full White repertoire with the London pyramid. Meet ...d5, ...c5, ...Bf5, King's Indian, Dutch, and the common sidelines through typical middlegame plans.
Lines learned
0/80 completed · 0/0 solved
Watch the next move, then play it.
Continue sessionMore ways to train
A full White repertoire with the London pyramid. Meet ...d5, ...c5, ...Bf5, King's Indian, Dutch, and the common sidelines through typical middlegame plans.
This is a playable repertoire, not a video course. You meet each position on the board, play the move yourself, and the opponent answers with the reply club players actually choose. Lines you have seen come back on a spaced schedule so they survive past the day you learned them.
Every branch in this course grows out of this opening sequence.
1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 c5 4.c3
80 lines and 578 positions to recall.
Start with 1.d4 and develop the London bishop.
Support the centre and unlock the other bishop.
Meet ...Bd6 calmly and reinforce the centre.
c3, Nbd2, Bd3, and castling. The complete setup.
When Black hits Bf4 with ...Bd6, keep the bishop pair and stay solid.
Reach the Ne5 attacking setup against a solid ...e6 / ...c5 shell.
When Black hits b2 with ...Qb6, guard it with Qc1 and keep the London bishop.
If Black hunts Bf4 with ...Nh5, play Be5. Do not park the bishop on h4 where ...g5 can take it.
Trade the jumpy knight, then use the open centre and the c4 break.
When Black takes on d4, recapture with the e-pawn and play against the isolated d-pawn ideas in reverse.
cxd4 keeps a healthy pawn centre. Play against ...Qb6 and ...Nb4.
Against a quiet ...Be7 setup, strike with c4 and play a Queen's Gambit-style centre.
Play h3 so ...Nh5 never comes easily, then castle and put a rook on e1.
The slow central plan: connect with Qe2, lift a rook, then break with e4.
If Black develops ...Nc6 and delays ...c5, play c3, Bd3, and Nbd2 as usual.
Against ...Be7 instead of ...Bd6, you skip Bg3 and go straight for Bd3, O-O, and Ne5.
The attacking follow-up: Ne5, f4, trade on d7, then Nf3-e5 again.
When Black expands on the queenside, play a4 and keep the c-file under control.
Against a quiet ...e6 shell, build the full London pyramid.
When Black plays both ...c6 and ...e6, keep the pyramid and break with c4 or Ne5.
A quieter triangle. Leave Bf4 on f4, play Bd3, and look for Ne5 or c4.
Meet ...Qb6 with Qc1 or a3, then finish development without dropping b2.
Clamp the queenside with a4 before Black's minority expansion becomes dangerous.
When Black pins early with ...Bg4, keep developing calmly.
Put the question with h3. If Black keeps the pin with ...Bh5, play Be2 and Nbd2.
If Black takes on f3, recapture Qxf3 and enjoy the bishop pair.
Meet the Chigorin pin with c3, Nbd2, and h3. Do not panic about the f3 knight.
Against a Slav structure, keep London pieces harmonious.
If ...Bf5 comes after ...e6, take on f5 or play Bd3 and accept a healthy structure.
Play the pyramid, then c4. Do not rush e4 until development is complete.
Bg3, then h3 and O-O. If Black takes on g3, recapture hxg3 and use the h-file.
Treat ...h6 as a waiting move. Complete development, then break with e4 or c4.
When Black hunts Bf4 with ...Nh5, reposition and keep a healthy London.
Stay calm when Black strikes at d4 early.
Defend b2 without abandoning your plan.
The other main answer to ...Qb6: Qc1, then Bd3 and O-O.
When both ...Nc6 and ...Qb6 appear, Qc1 plus dxc5 or Nbd2 keeps b2 safe.
Meet the Benoni-style ...c5 strike before Black plays ...d5.
Keep c3 and e3. Do not take on c5 unless you have a clear follow-up.
The most common early ...c5 cluster. Qb3 or Qc1, then e3 and Nf3.
Against a kingside fianchetto with ...c5, play c3, Nf3, Be2, and h3.
When ...c5 comes with ...e6 and no ...d5, play c3, Nf3, and Be2. Watch ...Qb6.
Refuse early captures. Build the pyramid and prepare e4.
dxc5 is playable. Return the pawn on your terms or keep it if Black is slow.
If you have a knight on f3, recapturing exd4 is the IQP choice. Nxd4 is the other option.
If you recapture with the c-pawn, meet ...Bb4+ with Nc3 or Nbd2 and keep the centre.
Do not rush dxc5 or cxd4. Qe2, Bd3, and O-O keep every structure available.
When Black mirrors your bishop, trade on your terms.
A piece-active try. Challenge the centre with c4.
When Black copies Bf5 and plays ...e6, Bd3 or c4 both work. Prefer Bd3 and a healthy pyramid.
Vs a Slav-London mix with ...Bf5, play c4, Qb3, and Nf3.
The ambitious plan: h3, g4, and Nh4 to hunt the light-squared bishop.
The Jobava-free way vs ...Nc6 and ...Bf5: c4, Nc3, and Qb3.
Against ...g6 systems, stay solid and castle.
Against ...g6/...Bg7, prefer Be2, h3, and Bh2.
Meet the classical KID break with dxe5 or d5, then Bh2 and c3.
dxe5 is the simplest answer. Recapture on e5, then c3 and Nbd2.
d5 gains space. Play c4, Nc3, and b4, a Benoni in reverse.
Against ...c5 and ...g6, keep c3, play Be2, and decide between dxc5 and d5.
When Black takes Bg3, recapture hxg3 and keep easy piece play.
If ...Nh5 comes, Bg5 or Be5. Do not give up the bishop cheaply.
Against ...d5 and a fianchetto, keep c3, play Be2, and do not rush c4.
If Black delays ...Nf6, still play Bf4, e3, Nf3, and Be2. Meet ...e5 with dxe5 or d5.
When Black mixes ...c5 and ...Nh5, play Bg3. Do not leave the bishop on h4 for ...gxh4.
Meet 1...f5 with d4, Bf4, e3, and Nf3. Do not grab the e5 square too early.
Against the Stonewall, occupy e5, play Bd3, and break with c4.
Vs the Leningrad, play c3, Be2, and h3. Meet ...d6 and ...Qe8 with Nbd2 and c4.
If Black hunts Bf4 with ...Nh5, play Bg5 or Be5 and keep a healthy structure.
Meet ...Nc6 and ...f5 with d5 or c3. Do not let Black play ...e5 for free.
After full development, e4 is the thematic break. Open the centre and use the f-file.
If ...Nc6 comes without ...d5, play d5 or c3. Do not let Black play ...e5 easily.
Treat 1...e6 as a flexible wait. Play Bf4, e3, Nf3, and meet ...c5 or ...d5 as usual.
Meet 1...c5 with Bf4 and e3. Keep c3 and do not take on c5 without a plan.
Against 1...d6, play Bf4, e3, Nf3, and c3. Meet ...e5 with dxe5 or d5.
Vs 1...b6, play e3, Nf3, and Bd3. Meet ...Bb7 with Nbd2 and c3.
A Queen's Indian wait. Play e3, Nf3, and c3. Meet ...b6 or ...c5 with the usual pyramid.
Nc3 before Bf4. An aggressive London cousin.
Nc3-Bf4 setups and the thematic e4 break after ...c6.
A short Jobava extra vs ...c5. For the full repertoire, use the Jobava London course.
Meet ...Bb4 with a3 or Nge2. Then e4 or Nb5, and point to the dedicated Jobava course.
These courses start from the same first move, so what you learn here carries over.