I would like to mention that the book comprises the most important parts of this opening, and also the ideas reached through the experience of playing games in tournaments, as well as the positions analysed in collaboration with Grandmaster Ferenc Berkes. But there should always be room, if a player chooses this opening, for some new interesting idea during the game itself, because either side (both White and Black) can encounter something new and unexplored in a relatively early phase of the game. Therein lies the beauty of chess: creativity, freedom to mix things up, and an abundance of possibilities and ideas for a game of high quality. I’m certain that this book will be very helpful to most chess players in building a strong foundation in order to be able to use this opening in praxis. At this point it’s important to say a few words about the move order. Many players enter this system with 2.Nf3 and 3.Bf4. Positions reached after 2.Nf3 are usually identical to those with 2.Bf4, but that move order is actually less elastic and it narrows down White’s options. It is for this reason that I am promoting the development of the bishop on the 2nd move as the main move order. Those differences in options will be the most obvious in chapters 2 and 4. In the process of writing this book the biggest problems for me arose from the different move orders used in the analysed games. In order to avoid confusing the readers, for each chapter there’s an introduction where the correct move order can be seen clearly. I’m using this opportunity to point out to readers that they definitely shouldn’t skip the introductions to the chapters! At the present moment the London System is becoming increasingly popular at the top level — even in ‘classical’ tournament games, although it’s much more often seen in rapid. Currently the top players who use it most frequently are American Grandmaster Gata Kamsky and Russian Grandmaster Boris Grachev, while other top players occasionally have it in their repertoire, usually using it as a surprise weapon. Among them are Magnus Carlsen, Vladimir Kramnik and others. Also a great contribution to this system came from the French Grandmaster Eric Prie, who plays it in a very original and active manner. One way or the other, what’s important are the facts which I obtained through my study of the London System and which I will prove in this book with a thorough analysis of games. I will show that this system is fully deserving of your attention for analysing and playing, that it’s unjustly neglected in comparison with other openings and also that it gives players myriad interesting positions on the board, free and creative play, with lots of space for further growth and improvement.

223 Seiten, englisch, kartoniert, 1. Auflage 2016