Exercise 7.1Find the move
White to move
Black has set up ...g6 and ...d5. Find the most direct knight move.
7
The London System · Kapilash Chess Academy
...g6 with ...d5: the Nb5 Idea
A Jobava-style twist
In this lesson you will learn
- How ♘c3 and ♘b5 hit c7 against the Grünfeld setup
- Why ...♘a6 is often forced
- Exchanging on a6 to damage Black’s pawns
- Returning to a normal London setup
Every board on this page is live. Move the pieces by tapping or dragging, click any move in the lines to see that position, and press ↺ to start again.
7.1 Hitting c7
With the pawn on d5 and the bishop going to g7, Black's c7-pawn is defended only by the queen. If White's knight comes to b5, it attacks c7, and the bishop on f4 adds to the pressure.
Diagram 7.1Black to move
Example 7.1 · 3.♘c3 and 4.♘b5
White's knight attacks c7. Black has to react at once.
Black usually defends with 4...♘a6. After 5.e3 c6 the knight goes back to c3 — it has done its job by forcing the black knight to the edge. Now ♗xa6 damages Black's queenside pawns. It is a small advantage, but a very concrete one, and Black has to know this line well.
TipA knight on a6 is far from the centre. If you can exchange it with ♗xa6 and leave Black with doubled a-pawns, you win a lasting structural advantage.
Remember
- Against ...g6 and ...d5, ♘c3 and ♘b5 attack c7.
- After ...♘a6, the knight can return to c3 when Black plays ...c6.
- ♗xa6 gives Black doubled a-pawns.
Exercises · Lesson 7
Each exercise comes from a real London position. Find the best move, then play it on the board.
Exercise 7.2Find the move
White to move
Black has just played 5...♘b4. How does White punish it?
Exercise 7.3Find the move
White to move
Black has just played 4...♗f5. How does White punish it?
Exercise 7.4Find the move
White to move
Black has just played 4...♗g4. How does White punish it?
Exercise 7.5Find the move
White to move
Black has just played 5...♘b4. How does White punish it?
Exercise 7.6Find the move
White to move
Black has just played 6...♗f5. How does White punish it?
Exercise 7.7Find the move
White to move
Black has just played 6...♘b4. How does White punish it?
Exercise 7.8Find the move
White to move
Black has just played 8...♗xc2. How does White punish it?
Exercise 7.9Find the move
White to move
Black has just played 5...♗h6. How does White punish it?
Exercise 7.10Find the move
White to move
Black has just played 5...♗h6. How does White punish it?
Exercise 7.11Find the move
White to move
Black has just played 6...♗h6. How does White punish it?