London System
Chess opening · ECO A48 · 5 half-moves
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bf4
The London System is reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bf4. It is Black's move in the position shown.
It branches from the East Indian Defense with 3. Bf4.
How often it is played
The London System and its variations appeared in 0.24% of games — 7,315 of 3,000,000 rated games sampled from Lichess in September 2026. That makes it number 163 of the openings listed here.
Results
White won 47%, 4.4% were drawn and Black won 49%. These are games between players of every strength and time control, so they say how the opening does in practice rather than how sound it is.
What the engine thinks
Stockfish, at depth 18, evaluates the position at +0.09 — which is level. Positive numbers favour White; see reading the evaluation bar.
Similar openings
The most-played alternatives — what else could have been chosen around the move where this opening begins.
| Opening | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Defense: Normal Variation | 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 | 2.5% |
| Indian Defense: Accelerated London System | 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 | 0.54% |
| Queen's Gambit | 1. d4 d5 2. c4 | 4.5% |
Main continuations
| Variation | Moves | Share of games |
|---|---|---|
| London System, with Bd3 | 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bf4 Bg7 4. e3 d6 5. Bd3 | 0.04% |
| London System, with Be2 | 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bf4 Bg7 4. e3 d6 5. Be2 | 0.02% |
Check your own games
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