London System, with Bd3
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Statistics from Lichess
777,699 games: White 43.3% / Draw 4.7% / Black 52.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 504,364504K | ||
| 81,51982K | ||
| 46,54147K | ||
| 38,73939K | ||
| 35,22335K | ||
| 18,69519K | ||
| 13,70714K | ||
| 12,40412K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 10, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.09 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. c3 O-O 8. Bg3 cxd4 9. cxd4 Qb6 10. Qe2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 45% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 353K | |
| 1400–1799 | 675K | |
| 1800–2199 | 408K | |
| 2200 and up | 18K | |
| Masters, over the board | 14 |
Master games
- Brumen, D. – Martinovic, S.
- Hove, E. – Epishin, V.
- Olejarczyk, B. – Socko, B.
- Gal, J. – Boros, D.
- Gubajdullin, A. – Logashov, S. Y.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
London System, with Bd3 (ECO A48, Flank Openings) is a variation of the London System, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bf4 Bg7 4. e3 d6 5. Bd3 (5 moves).
In 777,699 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 43.3%, Black 52.1% and 4.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…O-O, in 65% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the London System, with Bd3
The most played answer, 5…O-O, also scores best for Black: 55.3%, with Black winning 52.9% and White 42.4% of 504K games. Of the main answers, 5…Bg4 scores lowest: 51.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…c5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The London System, with Bd3 is played more than twice as often as in 2016: 0.031% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.014%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.014% | 5,111 |
| 2017 | 0.02% | 10,745 |
| 2018 | 0.024% | 18,964 |
| 2019 | 0.024% | 29,951 |
| 2020 | 0.032% | 92,487 |
| 2021 | 0.032% | 127,052 |
| 2022 | 0.031% | 117,314 |
| 2023 | 0.031% | 114,979 |
| 2024 | 0.03% | 107,853 |
| 2025 | 0.031% | 107,730 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.032% | 34,708 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “London System, with Bd3 (A48)”. Lichess data as of 10 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/london-system-with-bd3