Alex Ivanov: Level 11 Chess Rival (1430 ELO)

Knight tier · Tactical Sharp · plays the London System

How Alex plays

Alex is fourteen and plays as if every position hides a combination. His answer to the London is the most confrontational one available: ...c5 at once, ...Qb6 to tie your b-pawn down, and ...c4 to gain space as soon as your queen comes to b3. He likes these lines because they give him early targets and force White to react instead of setting up a comfortable system.

He is at his best in open positions with loose pieces and diagonal tricks, and his eyes go straight to b2 and f2. He struggles when a position asks him to wait. Once the queenside is closed by ...c4 and play moves to the centre, Alex tends to manufacture activity with pawn moves that weaken his own king. At 1430 he still overlooks quiet defensive moves, and he sometimes calculates his own tactic without checking yours. Make him play the slow part of the game.

At 1430 ELO, Alex plays like a real club player at that rating: he sees simple threats but still leaves pieces hanging and misses tactics two or three moves deep. Check every capture he offers, and look for loose pieces after each of his moves. Most games at this level are decided by the first clean tactic, not by the opening.

London System: the line Alex plays

Against the London System (1.d4, Nf3 and an early Bf4) Alex answers with ...d5 and ...Nf6, then hits the centre with ...c5. The plan is the most direct one Black has: pressure d4, bring the queen to b6 to eye b2, and push ...c4 to gain space on the queenside once White's queen has gone to b3.

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 Nc6 5.c3 Qb6 6.Qb3 c4

Learn it move by move: London System walkthrough

How to beat Alex

  1. Once he has played ...c4, prepare the e4 break with Nbd2, Qc2 and Re1. Opening the centre while his pawns are committed on the queenside punishes the early expansion.
  2. Be wary of grabbing his b7 pawn with your queen. His rooks and queen love the open b- and c-files, and a pawn won there often costs two tempi and lets his tactics start.
  3. Keep the position closed when you can: pawns on c3 and d4, no open long diagonal for his bishop. Bored of waiting, he tends to loosen his kingside with ...g5 or ...f5, which gives you targets.
  4. If you play the London into the book, finish development calmly with Nbd2, Be2 and castling, then aim at the e5 square with Ne5 and f4. The ...c4 advance closes the queenside, so the game is decided in the centre and on the kingside.
  5. The book only answers 1.d4. Open 1.e4 or 1.c4 and he is on their own from move one.

What beating Alex teaches you

Alex trains prophylaxis: seeing what a tactical opponent wants before he gets it, and steering the game into slow positions where tricks run dry.

Neighbours on the ladder