Chess opening · ECO D00
Queen's Pawn Game: Accelerated London System
Playing 2.Bf4 before Nf3 lets White settle the bishop outside the pawn chain at once. The usual plan follows with e3, c3, Nf3, Bd3 and Nbd2, a compact pyramid that stays the same against most replies. The early bishop move has a cost: the b2 pawn no longer has the c1 bishop behind it, and Black's queen can try to exploit that.
- Rank by weighted share
- #73 of 159
Key moves
1. d4 d5 2. Bf4
- 2. Bf4The bishop leaves c1 before e3 is played, so it ends up outside the pawns instead of locked behind them. From f4 it watches e5, c7 and the b8-h2 diagonal, and it can drop back to g3 if Black challenges it with ...Bd6 or ...Nh5.
Hitting b2 with ...c5 and ...Qb6
Black's most direct plan strikes at d4 with ...c5 and then puts the queen on b6. Now the queen eyes b2, which nothing defends since the bishop left. White usually guards it directly with Qb3 or Qc1, often after c3 has steadied d4.
If White meets the queen with Qb3, Black can push ...c4 to gain space and kick the queen to c2, after which the game turns into a slow fight on the queenside.
Moving into the Jobava setup
White does not have to build the pyramid. After 2...Nf6, the move 3.Nc3 reaches the Rapport-Jobava position by a different order, with the knight in front of the c-pawn and plans of Nb5, e3 and sometimes queenside castling.
Queen trades on b3
2... c5 3. e3 Nc6 4. c3 Qb6 5. Qb3
Black has piled up on d4 and b2. White's c3 holds the center and Qb3 defends b2 while offering a queen trade. If Black takes on b3, White recaptures with the a-pawn and gets a half-open a-file for the rook.
Top replies by rating
Nc6 leads below 1600, but from 1600 up Nf6 takes first place. At 1800 to 1999 Bf5 enters the top three, and at 2000 and up c6 does.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1200 | Nc6 27% | e6 24% | Nf6 19% |
| 1200–1399 | Nc6 32% | e6 22% | Nf6 20% |
| 1400–1599 | Nc6 27% | e6 22% | Nf6 22% |
| 1600–1799 | Nf6 28% | e6 22% | Nc6 19% |
| 1800–1999 | Nf6 34% | e6 24% | Bf5 14% |
| 2000 and up | Nf6 38% | c6 19% | e6 15% |
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.