[Event "PZ Black vs 1.d4 etc repertoire: 1.d4 without 2.c4 - Swiss"] [Date "????.??.??"] [White "1.d4 without 2.c4"] [Black "Swiss"] [Result "*"] [Annotator "Swiss Defence - Onions/Regis"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "D02"] [Opening "Queen's Pawn Game: London System"] [StudyName "PZ Black vs 1.d4 etc repertoire"] [ChapterName "1.d4 without 2.c4 - Swiss"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/7kwJ3zeo/YasTy6CG"] [Orientation "white"] { I often say that you have to put pressure on the centre with pawns, and White is not doing this, so these systems tend to be a bit flat. Bit you have to know what you are doing! How should you play these systems as Black? Well, even if White doesn't want to open up a file, you should! So delay playing ... Nc6 until you have played ...c5. Also, Whiten often wants to attack on the King's-side, so I suggest you delay castling until you can tell what White is up to. } 1. d4 (1. e4 { [%cal Gc7c6] } 1... c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 { [%cal Gg1f3,Gb1d2,Gd2f1,Gf3e5,Gd2f3] }) 1... d5 { These are nasty systems to face, because White's attack can arrive very quickly, when your pieces might be on sensible but passive squares on the Queen's-side. But there is no need to let White set up their game as they wish. } 2. Nf3 (2. Bf4 { These days, Whites usually delays Nf3, playing Bf4 earlier. } 2... Nf6 3. e3 c5 4. c3 (4. dxc5 Nc6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Bg5 Be6 7. Bxf6 gxf6 8. Qf3 Qa5 9. Bb5 O-O-O 10. Ne2 Rg8 { 0-1 (44) Rowson,J (2599)-Shaw,J (2432) Birmingham 2005 }) 4... Nc6 5. Nd2 { Now 5…Qb6 isn’t so appealing, as out previous tricks don't work, but there are two other good ideas: } 5... Bf5! (5... cxd4 6. exd4 (6. cxd4 Qb6) 6... Bf5 { [%cal Gc8d6] } 7. Ngf3 e6 8. Qb3 Bd6 (8... Qc8 9. Nh4 Bg6 10. Nxg6 hxg6 11. h3 Be7 12. Bd3 a6 13. a4 Nh5 14. Bh2 { 1/2-1/2 (14) Gonda,L (2448)-Erdos,V (2522) Budapest 2005 } 14... Bd8! 15. O-O Bc7! $15 { Prie }) 9. Bxd6 Qxd6 10. Qxb7 (10. Be2 O-O 11. O-O Rab8) 10... O-O 11. Bb5 Ne7 12. Qa6 Qc7 { 0-1 (31) Lystsov,L (2086)-Schepetkova,M (2244) Voronezh 2018 }) (5... Qb6 { [%csl Ga1,Gb1][%cal Ga1b1] } 6. Qc2 Bf5?? 7. Qxf5 Qxb2 8. Rb1) 6. Qb3 (6. Ngf3 e6) 6... Qd7! { [%cal Gf3e5] } 7. Ngf3 c4 8. Qd1 e6 9. Be2 b5 10. Nh4 Bd6 11. Bxd6 Qxd6 12. Nxf5 exf5 13. Qc2 Ne4 14. Nxe4 fxe4 { 0-1 (26) Muranyi,K (2339)-Saric,A (2597) Germany 2015 } { [%cal Gc6a5,Gb5b4] }) (2. Bg5 h6 3. Bh4 c6 4. e3 Qb6! 5. Qc1 e5 6. dxe5 Qb4+) (2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bg5 { Veresov System. White develops quickly, and decides what to do with the pawns only after having a look at Black's set-up. } (3. Bf4 { Now, White has some idea of Nb5. } { [%cal Gc3b5,Gb5c7] } 3... c5! { is logical and OK for Black. } (3... g6!? 4. e3 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O { Black will castle quickly and then probably plan for …c5 . This new system has yet to settle down and it’s not yet clear what are the best ideas for White or Black! }) (3... e6 4. e3 Bb4 { [%csl Gc5][%cal Gc7c5] }) 4. e3 (4. Nb5 Na6) 4... cxd4! (4... Nc6?? 5. Nb5 e5 6. dxe5 Nh5 (6... a6 7. Nc7+ Qxc7 8. exf6)) 5. exd4 a6! { This is the same pawn structure as the Exchange Caro-Kann, but White’s Knight on c3 is misplaced. Black scores better than White from here. } { [%cal Gb1c3] } (5... Bf5 6. Nb5 { [%csl Ga6] } 6... Na6 7. c3 e6 { [%csl Ga8,Ga7,Ga6] } 8. Qa4 Qd7?? 9. Nf3 { [%cal Gf3e5] }) 6. Nf3 { [%csl Gc3][%cal Gb8c6,Gc3a4,Ga4c5] } 6... Nc6) (3. e4 Nxe4 4. Nxe4 dxe4 5. f3 (5. Bf4 Bf5) (5. Bc4 Nc6 6. c3 e5 7. d5 Ne7 8. f3) 5... e5) 3... Bf5 { Now, just 3 Bf5 is logical and OK for Black. After this, } 4. f3 { is the only move that is at all threatening, but } 4... Nbd7 5. Nxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 h6 7. Bh4 (7. Bc1 e5) 7... Ne3 8. Qd3 Nxf1 9. exf5 Nc5 10. Qc3 Na4 11. Qb3 Nb6 { is equal. Tricky, but worth learning. }) (2. e3 { Stonewall Attack. } 2... Nf6 3. Bd3 { White is hoping for a King's-side attack. This can be very strong if you let it happen! Fine gives } 3... c5 (3... Nc6 { The best system against the Stonewall is Tchigorin's: } 4. f4 (4. c3 e5!) 4... Nb4! 5. Be2 (5. Nf3 Nxd3+ 6. Qxd3 (6. cxd3 g6 7. Nc3 Bg7 8. O-O O-O) 6... c6 7. O-O g6 8. c3 Bf5 9. Qe2 Bg7) 5... Bf5 6. Na3 c5) 4. c3 Nc6 5. f4 e6 6. Nf3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. Ne5 Qc7 9. Nd2 Re8 10. g4 { ...with a crushing attack. But White shows their idea very early in this system, so you can see it coming and dodge. }) (2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3 (3. f3 e5) 3... Nf6 (3... e5 { Cox } 4. Be3 (4. Nge2 f5 (4... Bb4)) 4... exd4 5. Bxd4 Nc6 6. Bb5 Nf6) 4. f3 c6 (4... exf3 5. Nxf3 e6 6. Bd3 (6. Bg5 Be7 7. Bd3 c5 8. dxc5) 6... Be7) 5. Bc4 (5. Nxe4 Nbd7 6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. c3 g6) 5... b5 6. Bb3 exf3 7. Nxf3 e6) 2... Nf6 3. Bf4 { London System White intends to use the Queen's Bishop against squares like c7. } (3. e3 Bf5 4. Bd3 (4. c4 c6 { is the Slow Slav, and Black is solid enough after } 5. cxd5 (5. Nc3 { The other line is 5.e3 e6 6.Nh4 Bg6 with which Kramnik and Topalov teased each other in their 2006 match, but I can't imagine you'll have much trouble with it even if you meet it. } 5... e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 (6... Be4)) 5... cxd5 6. Qb3 Qc7 7. Bd2 e6 8. Bb5+ Nbd7! { keeping the c-file free } 9. O-O a6 10. Bxd7+ Nxd7 11. Ne5 Bc2 { forcing a Queen swap, with equality. Not very exciting chess, but that's White's fault. }) 4... Bxd3 (4... e6) 5. Qxd3 e6 { Now 4.Bd3 Bxd3 is boringly equal, while 4.Bd3 e6!? might be a way of mixing things up if you're bored. White is better off doing something else: }) (3. Bg5 { Yet another Bishop move, hoping for fast development and an easy game. The system normally goes: } 3... Ne4!) 3... c5 { The main line is fine for Black, but there area a couple of tricks you need to know. } 4. e3 (4. c3 cxd4 5. cxd4 Nc6 6. Nc3 a6 { waiting for e3 } 7. e3 Bg4 8. Be2 Qb6) 4... Nc6 (4... Qb6) 5. c3 Qb6 6. Qb3 c4 { and White has to decide whether to swap Queens or not: } 7. Qc2 (7. Qxb6 axb6 8. Na3 { This is the only way to stop Black's plan of ...b5-b4, after which White will get squashed. } 8... Ra5 { Probably the most accurate, controlling b5. } { [%cal Gb6b5,Gb5b4] } (8... Bf5 { is also OK } 9. Bc7 (9. Nb5 Ra5 10. Nc7+ Kd7 11. Nd2 e6 12. Nb5 (12. h4)) 9... e6 10. Bxb6 Bxa3) (8... Rxa3 { [%csl Ga3,Ga2] } 9. bxa3 Bf5 10. Nh4 (10. Ne5 { [%cal Ge7e6] } 10... e6 (10... g5 { [%cal Gg7g5,Gf4g5] } 11. Bxg5 Nxe5 (11... Ne4 { [%csl Gg5,Gc3] }))) 10... Bc2 11. Rc1 Ba4 { followed by ...e6, ...Bxa3 and ...b5-b4, White has material but what about a plan? } 12. Rb1 b5 13. Rb2 { [%csl Gc2,Ge6][%cal Ga4c2,Gf6e4] } 13... e6 { [%csl Gf1,Gh1][%cal Gb5b4,Gb4c3,Gb7b5] }) 9. Bc7 Bf5 10. Bxb6 Ra6 11. Bc7 Kd7 12. Nb5 e6 13. Be2 Be7 14. Bd1 Rha8 15. a4 Na7 { That's pretty poor stuff for White, but, because White starts first, I don't think Black can seek more than being equal here. }) 7... Bf5 { [%cal Gc2c1] } 8. Qc1 { [%cal Ge7e6] } (8. Qxf5? Qxb2! { Please note that this line doesn't work a move earlier, if White has played 2.Bf4 }) 8... h6 { [%cal Gf3h4] } (8... e6 { [%cal Gh7h6] } 9. Nh4 Be4) 9. h3 (9. Nh4 Bxb1 { [%csl Gg5][%cal Gg7g5] }) 9... e6 10. Nbd2 { [%csl Gb6] } 10... Qd8 11. Be2 b5 12. Ne5 Nxe5 { [%cal Gc6e5] } 13. Bxe5 { [%cal Ga7a5] } 13... Bd6 *