How To Avoid London System

Worried about the London? What from getting bored stupid and losing any interest you have in the game?

Apart from 1.d4 e5 you can't prevent the London setup. And if White plays 1.Nf3 and then 2.d4 he could get it anyway.

I like the reversed g3 Slav setup:

Also note that White's bishop belongs on e2 rather than d3 in this position so maybe White could have had better chances if he didn't lose that tempo.

Gruenfeld

d4 e5

Grunfeld doesn't avoid London. 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bf4 and no c4, no Grunfeld.

[START RANT] you don't have to avoid the London System. Recently it has find its way to top level and players like Carlsen use it quite successfully. But here is the thing: The masters don't bash out 40 moves (im exaggerating) of their London System without thinking like most non-master players e.g. d4, Bf4, e3, c3, Nf3, Bd3, Nbd2, 0-0 and most importantly h3 followed by Bh2, Se5 f4 or whatever. After that they start to think about their position. The problem is that all these moves aren't always necessary against certain setups by black. So they end up in a bad position.

The London System is a good opening but most players don't use it in the right way. They use it as a lazy shortcut but there is no shortcut in chess. Even if you play the london system you have to put some effort into your chess understanding and also in opening theory (yeah even in the london system). I would recommend a Kings Indian or Grünfeld Setup. Given the fact that most LS players won't choose the best lines against these setups you will end up with an at least equal position if not more. thats because they don't understand their own opening.

Avoiding mainline theory doesn't mean avoid thinking about your moves. Same goes for Philidor Defense Players(e5, d6, c6, Nd7, Sf6, Dc7,Be7, h6,Nf8-g6 in every single game!!!!). So creative! And after their 20 moves of "theory" they blunder horrible. I don't enjoy playing these kind of people because they never learn from their mistakes and keep playing the same moves over and over again without looking at the position and asking themselves whether the next move they want to play makes sense or not.) I do think that both openings are ok but many not all of them use it in just a lazy way, i can't stand it + they repeat this over and over again. It's not harmful to think about your moves, doesn't whether its a side or main line opening[\END RANT]

P.S. @savagechess2k If White does't play c4 against the Grünfeld Setup that's even better for black, playing without c4 is just bad. Look at the line @cjxchess16 suggested. the position is just bad because White played Nc3 so that his c-pawn is blocked. Without c4 there is no central pressure, which eases blacks task of equalising and then fighting for a win.

so I'll play Grunfeld. g6.Bg7.d5.Thanks

As mentioned before, there is no real way to avoid it except maybe the Modern Defense, which doesn't stop it, but it takes all the sting out of the London System and Black has an equal game already after 1.d4 g6 2.Nf3 Bg7 3.Bf4 d6 4.e3 Nc6 5.h3 e5!, and as a Grunfeld player, you could answer 1...g6 and 2.c4 with 2...Nf6, but then you have to be willing to play the e4-Modern after 1.d4 g6 2.e4 Bg7 3.Nc3 etc.

And also mentioned is that Carlsen played the London and many amateurs play it out of Laziness.  The same can be said for all of the QP openings.  Any of them, if played the right way, can be used as a winning attempt, even if theoretically it's not as strong as 2.c4.  That said, you can't just bank on one system as a catch-all system and just ignore what Black is doing.

Case in point - Part of my repertoire is the Colle, Torre, and Trompowsky (I do not play the London or Blackmar-Diemer Gambit), but I don't go to the board saying "I'm going to play the, uhm, Colle today".  Each of them are only effective under certain circumstances.

For example, the Torre is ineffective against an early ...d5, like 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Bg5?! because of 3...Ne4!  The London or Colle are better here, and I play the Colle by choice, not the London.

The Colle, on the other hand, is like the Catalan.  It is ineffective if Black hasn't locked the Bishop in behind the pawn chain.  This is why you see the Catalan against the QGD or attempts at the Nimzo-Indian Defense.  The same goes for the Colle.  You need that early ...e6.  After 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3, if Black plays something like say, 3...Bf5, then the Colle is ineffective, and White needs to play 4.c4! and after 4...c6, you have a direct transposition to the Slow Slav.  The Colle is also ineffective against 1...Nf6/2...g6 setups.

The London System is best avoided against the Modern Defense.

The Trompowsky is starting to look dubious against 1...d5 due to many recent ideas.  I myself will only play it after 1...Nf6 if I don't feel like playing the Torre or Colle that day.  Of course, if I wasn't in the mood for a Torre or Colle at all, then I probably would have played 1.e4 to begin with.  I play 1.e4, 1.d4, and occasionally 1.b4 in tournament competition.

If youre "worried" about the London, youre spending to much time worrying about openings, and not properly studying openings.  

This is a 4 part video series by IM Christof Sielecki (aka IM ChessExplained) that I found to be helpful to myself.  The video I linked here is the line I play against the London (Starting @ about 6 minutes in):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wh5MspHH8A

If you like the Grunfeld, you're better off playing 2...g6, not 2...d6

This early in the opening, ...d6 is usually only played if you're worried about white playing e4-e5 to disrupt your f6 knight (which is why ...d6 is the most popular second move in the Sicilian).

Grunfeld players tend to prefer their d-pawn on d5, anyway.

The London has been catching on some lately but still lacks in PR. 

This should help:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47dtFZ8CFo8

To beat the London System or beat the player Who always plays London. Just use this. I found this line with Stockfish. If White plays 1.d4 black play 1.. d6 then If White plays 2.Bf4 black play g5 3.Bg3 h5 try to trap that bishop. Stockfish beat me easy with this line in 19 moves.