[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2007.08.25"]
[Round "-"]
[White "sdo1"]
[Black "John3v16"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A40"]
[WhiteElo "1969"]
[BlackElo "1807"]
[Opening "Queen's pawn"]
[NIC "QO.17"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bf4 c5 4. e3 Be7 5. c3 b6 6. h3 Bb7 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. Bd3 d6 9. O-O Nbd7 10. Re1
This is the setup the London player wants as White against almost any defense.
10 ...h6 11. e4 cxd4 12. cxd4 a6 13. Qe2 b5 14. a4 b4 15. Rac1 Nb6
16. a5 Na4
I thought Black's 16th was a positional mistake. I would have favored Nbd7 instead. His Knight is on the rim away from the action and will not be able to escape to re-enter the game. The attacks on the Knight will draw Black's pieces away from the action, and I don't see how Black could avoid losing material in the Knight's defense, anyway.
17. Bc2 Bc6 18. Qc4 Qd7 19. Qb3 g5 20. Bxd6
Black's 19 ...g5 allows White to win the d pawn and possibly remove a defender (Bishop) of b4. Black's choice to keep the Knight instead of the Bishop (on 21. e5 Nd5) is also a poorer choice. The Bishop had more range and is needed in defense more than the Knight.
20 ...Bxd6 21. e5 Nd5 22. exd6 Qxd6 23. Ra1 Nf6 24. Ne5
The Knight at a4 is en prise. Ne5 attacks the defenders, but more importantly, clears the way for the Queen to enter the King side to attack the King's open position and unsecured f6-Knight.
24 ...Bb5 25. Qf3 Qxd4 26. Qxf6 1-0
Black falls for the trap with 25 ...Qxd4. After 26. Qxf6 Black resigned, as he pointed out 26 ...Qxd2 27. Ng6! wins for White. Black must either sacrifice his Queen at f2, or be mated.
Interesting. It's very similar to the Colle/Colle-Zukertort, which is my main weapon.
ReplyDeleteThat is why I have been studying it. I have used the Colle OTB with very satisfactory results. The London uses the same positional principles and, it seems to me, eliminates the problems after Blacks' ...Bf5 to defend against the Colle.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as with the Colle, I am finding that the London gives up White's natural initiative to easily for correspondence play where Black has the time to find the best defense. OTB, the London is working as well or better as the Colle for me.
My experience is that no one will let me play the Colle. :D They for the game into some anti-Colle system, like KID.
ReplyDelete