- ECO code
- D02
- Moves
- 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4
- Family
- Queen's Pawn Game
- To move
- Black
- Master games
- 306
- Average game length
- 45 moves
- Years covered
- 1892–2026
Queen's Pawn Game: London System is the opening filed under ECO code D02, reached after 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4. It belongs to the Queen's Pawn Game family and is known as the London System; in the resulting position it is Black to move.
Katuranga's collection of 138,070 master games contains 306 games on this line — the 304th most played opening in the collection. The oldest game on this line is from 1892 and the most recent from 2026. The busiest decade in this collection is the 2020s, with 252 games. An average game here lasts 45 moves.
White wins 44% of those games, 25% end in a draw, and Black wins 31%. Compared with the collection average (White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28%), Black scores better here by 3 percentage points. Draws are less common here than usual, by 10 points.
From this position the most popular move is 3...c5, played in 169 games, followed by 3...e6 (77) and 3...Bf5 (41). After 3...c5 White scores 41% and Black 34%.
The name that appears most often on the White side of this line is Grischuk,A (38 games); on the Black side, Shirov,A (33).
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Results in master games
- White 44% (136)
- Draws 25% (76)
- Black 31% (94)
Most played continuations
| Move | Games | White / draws / Black | Leads into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3...c5 | 169 | 41/25/34 | — |
| 3...e6 | 77 | 58/26/16 | — |
| 3...Bf5 | 41 | 36/27/37 | — |
| 3...c6 | 6 | 50/33/17 | — |
| 3...g6 | 5 | 20/20/60 | — |
| 3...Nbd7 | 2 | 50/0/50 | — |
| 3...Nc6 | 2 | 100/0/0 | — |
| 3...Nh5 | 2 | 0/0/100 | — |
How the position is reached
- Queen's Pawn Game · 1.d4 · 45,810 games
- Queen's Pawn Game · 1.d4 d5 · 11,560 games
- Queen's Pawn Game: Zukertort Variation · 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 · 1,968 games
- Queen's Pawn Game: Symmetrical Variation · 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 · 1,390 games
Played most often by
As White
- Grischuk,A 38
- Gukesh,D 23
- Erigaisi,Arjun 22
As Black
- Shirov,A 33
- Abdusattorov,Nodirbek 18
- Carlsen,M 13
Games per decade
- 1890s 5
- 1900s 5
- 1910s 3
- 1920s 2
- 1930s 3
- 1960s 2
- 1970s 1
- 2000s 7
- 2010s 26
- 2020s 252
Master games on this line
| White | Black | Result | Year | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| So,W | Pyrih,Roman | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 14th Apr 2026 |
| Tang,Andrew | So,W | 0-1 | 2026 | Naroditsky Mem Blitz 2026 |
| So,W | Lysyj,I | 1-0 | 2026 | Titled Tue 14th Apr 2026 |
| Murzin,Volodar | Anand,V | 0-1 | 2026 | Tata Steel India Blitz |
| Eljanov,P | Caruana,F | 0-1 | 2026 | Chess.com Open PlayIn1 |
| Mitrabha,G | Abdusattorov,Nodirbek | 0-1 | 2026 | Titled Tue 13th Jan 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Queen's Pawn Game: London System?
It is the opening with ECO code D02, reached after 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4. It belongs to the Queen's Pawn Game family.
Is the Queen's Pawn Game: London System good for White or for Black?
In 306 master games on this line White wins 44%, 25% are drawn and Black wins 31%. The collection average is White 37%, draws 35%, Black 28% — so this line is a slightly better bargain for Black than the field as a whole.
What is the main continuation of the Queen's Pawn Game: London System?
3...c5 — played in 169 of the master games on this line.
Which grandmasters play the Queen's Pawn Game: London System?
On the White side Grischuk,A (38), Gukesh,D (23), Erigaisi,Arjun (22); on the Black side Shirov,A (33), Abdusattorov,Nodirbek (18), Carlsen,M (13).
Every number on this page is computed from Katuranga's master game collection; names and ECO codes follow the lichess opening book (CC0).
Try this line on the board
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