Best response to the London System, by the numbers (840 top-player games)
Quick answer
What's the best response to the London System? No single reply wins on both sites. On Chess.com, 1...d5 did best: 65% in 65 games (2 points below the 67% Black average). On Lichess, 1...Nf6 did best: 65% in 143 games (3 points above the 62% Black average). The plan that held up on both sites was an early ...c5: 63% in 65 on Chess.com and 62% in 98 on Lichess.
The London System (1.d4 and an early Bf4) is one of the most common things you'll face as Black, and it's annoying to beat. We counted a game as a London when White played 1.d4 and Bf4 within the first three moves without c4, on both sites. That gave 361 London games among the top 50 Chess.com blitz players (about 15% of the 1.d4 games they had as Black) and 479 among the top 100 titled Lichess players (12% of 1.d4 games). Score means points per game for the top player (win 1, draw ½). Compare with their Black averages, 67% on Chess.com and 62% on Lichess, not with 50%.
Short answer
- The London is hard to beat, even at the top. As Black against it, the top Chess.com blitz players scored 62% in 184 games (5 points below the 67% Black average). Titled Lichess players scored 62% in 275 games (right on the 62% Black average).
- 1...Nf6 or 1...d5? The two sites disagree. Chess.com: 1...Nf6 60% in 100 games (7 points below the 67% Black average), 1...d5 65% in 65 games (2 points below the 67% Black average). Lichess: 1...Nf6 65% in 143 games (3 points above the 62% Black average), 1...d5 55% in 87 games (7 points below the 62% Black average). With samples this size, pick the structure you like.
- Most consistent plan: ...c5 early. 63% in 65 games (4 points below the 67% Black average) on Chess.com, 62% in 98 games (right on the 62% Black average) on Lichess. It was also the most common anti-London plan on both sites.
- Hints only (under 50 games): ...Bd6 to trade the bishop scored 73% in 35 on Chess.com but 53% in 45 on Lichess; ...Qb6 against b2 scored 72% in 39 on Lichess and 63% in 26 on Chess.com. Too few games, and the sites point in different directions.
1. Black's first move against the London
Games where the top player had Black and White went 1.d4 with an early Bf4. Chess.com rows need 30+ games and Lichess rows 80+; smaller rows are shown as hints.
| Black's first move vs the London | Chess.com top 50 (Black avg 67%) | Lichess top 100 titled (Black avg 62%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1...Nf6 | 60% in 100 (-7) | 65% in 143 (+3) | |
| 1...d5 | 65% in 65 (-2) | 55% in 87 (-7) | |
| 1...e6 | 68% in 11 (+1), hint | – | – |
| anything else | 8 games, too few | 64% in 45 (+2), hint |
Lichess groups 1...e6 with the other rare moves, so its 1...e6 row is blank.
2. The anti-London plans, in practice
Plans overlap (a game can have ...c5 and ...Qb6), and almost all of these are fast games, so read them as tendencies.
| Black's plan | Chess.com top 50 | Lichess top 100 titled |
|---|---|---|
| ...c5 early (by Black's 4th move) | 63% in 65 (-4) | 62% in 98 (+0) |
| ...g6 fianchetto (by move 3) | 70% in 22 (+3), hint | 61% in 47 (-1), hint |
| ...Bd6 to challenge the bishop (by move 5) | 73% in 35 (+6) | 53% in 45 (-9), hint |
| ...Nh5 to hit the bishop (by move 5) | 6 games, too few | 61% in 9 (-1), hint |
| ...Qb6 hitting b2 (by move 6) | 63% in 26 (-4), hint | 72% in 39 (+10), hint |
3. Playing the London as White
The other side of the same games: the top Chess.com blitz players scored 73% in 191 games with the London as White (right on their 73% White average), titled Lichess players 69% in 219 (2 points above their 67% average). Chess.com's own “London System” label covers only 127 games in the sample, because it files many Londons under other names, which is why we count by moves.
4. How to choose your anti-London
- You play the Queen's Gambit Declined or Slav: 1...d5 with ...c5 and ...Nc6, then ...Qb6 if White plays c3 and Bf4 early. Same pawn structures you already know.
- You play the King's Indian or Grünfeld: 1...Nf6 and ...g6. The bishop on f4 often bites on granite, and you keep your usual plans.
- You want to take White out of the system: ...c5 early, before White has c3 and e3 in place. It was the most consistent plan in both samples.
- See the full plans and a line to play in how to beat the London System, and the Jobava London (with Nc3) if your opponent plays that version.
5. What matters more than the reply
- Your opponent's London. London players repeat themselves: same set-up, same move order. Check before the game: the free opponent preview shows any Chess.com or Lichess player's most-played openings with each colour, and the $5 report shows the exact lines where they score worst.
More from the same data: the best chess openings for Black, the best Sicilian variation, the best chess openings for beginners and the most popular chess openings.
Method: Chess.com sample is the top 50 of the Chess.com live blitz leaderboard on 2026-10-20, each player's most recent rated standard blitz games (up to 150, at most six monthly archives) from the public Chess.com Published-Data API, 6,843 unique games played 2026-03-21 to 2026-10-20. Lichess sample is the last 150 rated games of the top 100 titled players on the Lichess leaderboards (2026-10-18), 13,865 games. London = 1.d4 and Bf4 within White's first three moves, without c4 (includes the Jobava London). Rows under 30 games (Chess.com) or 80 (Lichess) are hints; headline claims need 50+ games except where marked. OpeningSpy is independent and not affiliated with Chess.com or Lichess.