An Interview with Simon Williams - Grandmaster, ChessBase author and attacking expert

by Johannes Fischer
5/16/2017 – English Grandmaster Simon Williams is a popular commentator and author who recently published a DVD about the London System with 2.Bf4. In an interview with ChessBase he explains why this seemingly quiet line is dangerous and also talks about effective opening study and reveals why it is sometimes a good idea to break rules.

"Simple yet aggressive!" Enjoy this new exciting DVD by Simon Williams. Let the famouns Grandmaster from England show you how to gain a very exciting yet well founded opening game with the London System (1.d4 d5 2.Bf4).

Dear Simon, you just published a DVD on the London System with 2.Bf4. After dealing with the sharp King’s Gambit you now seem to cruise calmer waters. How did you get interested in this system?

Nowadays I have far less time to study all the latest developments that occur in opening theory. I wanted an opening that was perfect for a lazy player with little time to study, enter the London System.

Why does White play the bishop to f4? What are the ideas behind this move?

The main positional idea to Bf4 is to follow with e3 when the bishop will not be trapped in behind the pawn structure. This early move also leads to unique and unexplored territories.

“Knights before bishops”, I was told as a beginner. Is this rule no longer valid?

Rules are there to be broken.  In all seriousness, general rules like this are ok, but as our skills in chess advance we will find numerous examples when it is a good idea to break some of these rules.

Though White develops his bishop before the knight, violating old and established rules, 2.Bf4 does not really seem to be a wild move. But is it really as harmless as it looks?

2 Bf4 has a lot of bite to it. I wouldn't be able to play an opening myself that simply leads to a boring and dull game. Like anything in life, it is what we make of it and the DVD I presented shows just how exciting and dangerous this move can be.

Magnus Carlsen has played 2.Bf4 in a couple of games. But do you think 2.Bf4 will become a regular guest in (top) tournaments or will the move be just a passing fashion?

Magnus Carlsen on the cover of the new Fritztrainer DVD which analyzes the play of the World Champion

I expect that this move will continue to be used at top level. It has a good solid positional foundation so why not play it?

How useful, do you think, is it for amateurs to imitate the opening choices of the world’s top players?

I actually think it is often a stupid thing to do. Why would a lower rated player want to try and play a vastly complicated opening that requires  a tremendous amount of work behind it, when they can play something much more simply, time efficient and easier to play. Like the London System. We should take things example to example and not try to generalise.

And how useful is it for amateur players to follow the latest opening trends?

It can be useful, but I think it is much more important to try and understand the concepts and ideas behind the moves that are being played in the opening. Rather then thinking along the lines, " if he plays 21 Nxd4 then I must respond with ...Nf4" etc a player would improve much more thinking along lines such as, "The idea of playing 4 c3 is to reinforce my centre and allow me the option of playing Qb3. Qb3 can be a good move if my opponent moves his light square bishop on c8 away from the defence of b7." etc - Keep asking yourself 'Why?' - Why play that move, why did my opponent play that move. etc.

With a move like 2.Bf4 White seems to be determined to avoid theoretical lines. And though a lot of players profess an unwillingness to learn concrete lines, knowing your theory gives confidence and saves time on the clock. But with a move like 2.Bf4 that avoids theory you might simply not know how to continue with White, where to put your pieces, which piece to develop first, and so on. What do you think?

The main aim of my DVD is to explain to the viewer just how they should be thinking from the opening. I want them to understand and know the concepts behind the opening, then if they are surprised they will still know how to think in the correct way.

You made DVDs about relatively rarely played openings such as the King’s Gambit, the Evans Gambit, the “Black Lion” but also DVDs on more popular openings such as the Queen’s Indian, the Queen’s Gambit and the Slav. What is the attraction of playing main lines and what is the charm of a rarely played opening?

The Evans Gambit is an attempt to destroy Black in gambit fashion straight out of the opening. Featuring games of old, and numerous new and exciting ideas, this DVD will give you a genuine and more exciting way of playing the Giuoco Piano.

Both approaches have their time and place. I really try to teach what I preach. If it is an opening that I play and understand or an opening that I have spent a long time studying then I am happy to share that knowledge with people. 
I would also like to mention that deciding on the opening depends a lot on the individual, a lot of chess enthusiasts just do not have much spare time to study all the latest theory. In that case it makes a lot more sense to play openings that are sound but also slightly off beat.  Hence why the London System is such a great choice for these players.

Personally, I have always found it tedious and boring to study openings. But judging from your DVDs, you seem to enjoy it. Where’s the fun in studying openings?

Lol! Lets be honest, I find a lot of opening work boring, but some work on it can be fascinating as well. I try to teach in a manner that explains and helps, but also keeps the viewer awake rather than putting them to sleep.

Do you remember a particular game or a particular moment when your opening study proved to be rewarding and satisfying?

I try to learn openings in a more general way rather then going for a specific 'one move crush'. This helps me in the majority of my games understanding such things as, 'what pawn structure I should be aiming for' 'where my pieces should move to' 'when to attack'. So learning with a very strong foundation, rather than just basing my knowledge on cheap tricks.

How important is it for amateurs to study openings?

It is important, but they must also not forget to keep an eye on other areas of the game. Of course watching my DVDs will automatically help them improve 200 elo points... (smiles)

Last question: what is your favourite game with 2.Bf4 and why?

Let me pick two games for different reasons.

1) Even though not officially starting with 2 Bf4, this only came a move later, the moves often being interchangeable. Carlsen vs Tomashevsky, 2016, was a masterful positional display from the world champion. With Magnus exchanging pieces with perfect timing.

 
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Like in 2015, Magnus had a rather slow start in Wijk, and again had to wander along some dangerous paths to beat Loek van Wely. But like last year, that triggered an excellent streak, both in the number of points, as well as in quality of play. 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4!? The London System. A few years back almost looked at with disgust, and in no way treated as a serious opening, but with Grischuk's and Kramnik's efforts recently the verdict has changed. Even so not to the extent that every professional has a ready-made solution planned against it, and Tomashevsky did spend quite some time on the upcoming moves. b6 Maybe inspired by Magnus' success in this game, both Karjakin and Giri decided also to give the London a try, but now Black seemed tipped off, and we actually saw a theoretical debate in the London System(!). After 3...d5 4.e3 c5 5.c3 Nc6 6.Nbd2 Bd6!? Against Karjakin, but eventually lost. 7.Bg3 0-0 8.Bb5!? Against Karjakin, but eventually lost. 4.e3 Bb7 5.h3 For those caring about the finer points of the move orders, its worth mentioning that Kramnik here seems to have preferred to play 5.Nbd2 first on a couple of outings. It's hard coming up with a strong reason for either move, but maybe Kramnik wanted to avoid Alekhine's idea against Rubinstein? With the knight on d2, instead of the pawn on e3, Alekhine played 5...Bd6!? and went on to win an instructive game, covered in his game collection. So maybe only playing h3, when Black has committed ...Be7 is the point. Be7 6.Bd3 0-0 7.0-0 c5 8.c3 Nc6 9.Nbd2 d5 Both players have developed sensibly, and one could argue that the fact that neither side has obvious plans, but just have to make small common-sense additions to their positions, should be a small success for Black. 10.Qe2!? Bd6 Tomashevsky blinks first, and tries to force concrete action. Waiting with e.g. ...Rac8 would make sense, but White could still improve his position by bringing the rooks to d1 and e1, making it hard for Black to come up with similar useful moves which makes Black's decision easily understandable. 11.Rfe1!? Even so, Magnus do not take the bait, but puts the ball back in Tomashevsky's court. White has many plans, but it is much harder to see positive options for Black, so instead Black tries forcing White to take on d6. Ne7 Taking on f4 looks strategically risky, as after 11...Bxf4 12.exf4 cxd4 13.Nxd4! Nxd4 14.cxd4 White by swapping knights, removed the option of ...Nb4 based counterplay, and despite having doubled pawns, gets a lot in return. f5 might be an option, transferring the knight to e5 too, or maybe Qe3-g3-h4 followed by Re3 and Rae1. 12.Rad1 Ng6 13.Bxg6! hxg6 14.Bxd6 Qxd6 15.Ne5! Yes, White has given a bishop for a knight, and even allowed Black to capture towards the centre. But the black pawn-structure, while looking healthy, actually is a major drawback. Due to the weakness of g6, Black can never realistically push the knight away from e5, meaning White will have a powerful knight, and Black a rather limited bishop. Tomashevsky keeps playing logical and sensible moves, heading for ...Nd7 exchanging the powerful knight, but not wanting 15...Nd7 16 f4! and instead tries to stop White from advancing the f-pawn. g5 16.f4!? Played quickly, almost like saying: did you miss this? But while of course White could still probably be slightly better with like e. g. 16.Qf3, sending an invitation to the following fascinating complications is not only tempting, but also objectively good. gxf4 . 17.Rf1! This is the point. White wants the f-line open, to sacrifice the rook on f6, and deliver mate. Nd7 17...fxe3!? would be the logical way of trying to prove White's concept flawed. After 18.Rxf6 exd2! Does all this mean that Black's position is actually objectively fine? Not really, as the less imaginative, but simply strong 18...gxf6? loses immediately as 19.Qg4+ Kh7 20.Rf1‼ just mates. The threat is to bring the rook into the attack on f4, as a response to 20...exd2 and if 20...fxe5 then the simple 21.Qh5+ Kg7 22.Qg5+ Kh7 23.Rf6 mates. 19.Rf4! does keep an edge. The threat is Qh5 and Rh4 with a mating attack, and Black's only chance is to fight with 19.Qh5 An obvious try, forcing Black to take on f6, but after gxf6 20.Qg4+ Kh8 21.Qh4+ Kg7! however there is no good follow-up as 22.Ng4 and after 22.Qg3+ Black just goes to h7 with the king, not falling for 22...Kh8?? 23. Ng6+ winning the queen. 22...Qf4! protects both f6 and h6, 19.Rdf1!? comes much closer to breaking Black's defences. f7 cannot be defended, and taking on f6 allows a decessive attack along usual patterns. But Black has the fantastic Ba6‼ which exploits the fact that the white queen needs to be on the kingside for the attack to succeed, meaning that 20.Qxa6 gxf6 works, or even better, first 20...d1Q! as pointed out by the computers. After: 20.Qh5 or the more sophisticated d1Q!? The obvious 20...gxf6?! 21.Qg4+ Kh8 22.Rf4 Bd3 23.Nxd3 d1Q+ 24.Qxd1 Rg8 25.Ne5! Kg7 26.Rxf6! is still very promising for White but either the simple 20...Bxf1 21.Nxf7 Rxf7 22.Qxf7+ Kh8! 22...Kh7? 23.Qg6+ followed by Rf7 21.Rxd1 gxf6 22.Qg4+ Kh7 23.Qh4+ Kg7 just leads to a draw. 19...f6 20.Ng6 but it obviously does not look very appealing. 18.Qh5! Not a neccessity, as also 18.Nxd7 Qxd7 19.Rxf4 gives White a promising attack, but somehow keeps the spirit of the 2 previous moves, and continues the direct attack. 18...Nf6 19.Qh4 Qd8?! Again quite logical, trying to swap off queens, in order to stop the white attack. 19...Nh7!? probably was a better chance, even if White has a promising position after 20.Rxf4 or even just 20.exf4 20.Rxf4 Ne4? A blunder, and a decisive one. The same idea would be much better, but with 20...cxd4 21.exd4 interpolated. Then after Ne4 White can not play like in the game, as there is now no dxc5! but instead has 22.Qg4!? when Black has no choice but to play the weakening f5 , where after 23.Qg6 Rf6 24.Qh5 Qe8 does avoid immediate disaster, but after 25.Qxe8+ Rxe8 26.Nxe4 it makes a huge difference having forced ...f5, as the white knight now dominates on e5, leaving him excellent winning chances in the ensuing ending. 21.Nxe4 Qxh4 22.Rxh4 dxe4 23.dxc5! bxc5 24.Rd7 Rab8 25.b3! Black is basically in a zugzwang. playing...f6 allows Ng6 and mate on h8. The f-rook defends f7, the other, the bishop on b7, which can't move, as then a7 would fall. So what is left, is to move the a-pawn. a5 26.Rc7 a4 27.bxa4 Ba8 28.a5 Rb7 29.Rxc5 Ra7 30.Nc4 Here Tomashevsky resigned. Maybe a bit premature, but there is no doubt that White's position is clearly winning with the 2 extra pawns, and while Black certainly could prolong the game for a while, the result is not really in doubt. 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2844Tomashevsky,E27281–02016D02Tata Steel-A 78th6

On a more aggressive level the following Greek Gift idea has occurred on numerous occasions. Again White plays the bishop out one move later, but like I mentioned before it is the idea that is important not the specific move order.

2) Vladimir Kovacevic vs Hans Ree, Maribor, 1980.

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Bf4 e6 4.Nbd2 c5 5.e3 Be7 6.c3 0-0 7.Bd3 Nbd7 8.h4 b6 9.Ne5 Nxe5 10.dxe5 Nd7 11.Bxh7+ Kxh7 12.Qh5+ Kg8 13.Nf3 f6 14.Ng5 fxg5 15.hxg5 Rf5 16.Qh7+ Kf7 17.g6+ Ke8 18.Qxg7 Bf8 19.Qh8 Rg5 20.Qg8 Nxe5 21.Bxe5 Kd7 22.Rh8 Bb7 23.Qh7+ 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Kovacevic,V2510Ree,H25201–01980D02Maribor2

The London System with 2.Bf4 - Sample Video

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A ChessBase feature with Simon Williams

 


Johannes Fischer was born in 1963 in Hamburg and studied English and German literature in Frankfurt. He now lives as a writer and translator in Nürnberg. He is a FIDE-Master and regularly writes for KARL, a German chess magazine focusing on the links between culture and chess. On his own blog he regularly publishes notes on "Film, Literature and Chess".

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