# Qf6 against the London System: the bishop Black didn't take in game 1679 > Qf6 against the London System hit my undefended bishop on f4 on move 2 of game 1679. Black didn't take it, and I won the endgame. Five verified boards. - URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/opening-lesson-game-1679/ - Updated: 2026-11-04 - Author: Ignacio Soler Qf6 against the London System is a small, early trick, and on move 2 of game 1679 it worked against me. I put my bishop on f4 before playing e3, **215Raj (1259)** brought the queen to f6, and my bishop had no defender. I played 3.Nf3 as if nothing had happened. Black didn't take the bishop. After a messy middlegame, where both sides missed a pawn fork on e4, I won the endgame with my a-pawn and Black resigned on move 48. ## The recorded game I played this game on **September 16, 2025** as **White**, on my Chess.com account **nacsol3**. The rating recorded for this game was **1253**. It was a ten-minute rapid game without increment, part of the [From 631 to 1385 journey](/journey/). | Detail | Saved record | |---|---| | Game | 1679 | | Opening | Queen's Pawn Opening, Horwitz Defense (A40) | | Result | Win (1-0), by resignation | | My accuracy | 64.9% (Black 61.3%) | | My blunders / mistakes / inaccuracies | 7 / 4 / 5 | | Accuracy by phase | Opening 57.7%, middlegame 56.6%, endgame 96.6% | | My best winning chance in the game | 97.5% | | Original score | [Chess.com game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/143183399596) | I came into this game after a loss to **Sliklas (1273)** in game 1678, and the next one, game 1680, was a loss too. The [weekly diary](/journey/week-2025-w38/) has the full week. ## Position 1: move 3, the bishop with no defender The Horwitz Defense is 1.d4 e6: Black keeps the options open for the next move. I played 2.Bf4, the London idea of bringing the dark-squared bishop out before the e-pawn. Black answered 2...Qf6, which the engine marks only as an inaccuracy for Black. The problem was mine. > **Game 1679, White to move on move 3** > Position (FEN): `rnb1kbnr/pppp1ppp/4pq2/8/3P1B2/8/PPP1PPPP/RN1QKBNR w KQkq - 2 3` > Played: Nf3 — Knight from g1 to f3 > Better: Bxc7 — Bishop takes the pawn on c7 and attacks the knight on b8 Black's queen on f6 looked straight down the f-file at my bishop on f4. Nothing defended the bishop: the e-pawn was still on e2, and there was no knight on h3 or pawn on g3. I developed my knight to f3 anyway, and the saved analysis marks it as a blunder, from **+0.93 to -7.10**. Stockfish's choice was 3.Bxc7, moving the bishop out of the attack and taking a pawn. In today's check 3.Qd2 and 3.e3, which both defend the bishop, are close behind. ## Position 2: move 3 for Black, the bishop that stayed on the board > **Game 1679, Black to move on move 3** > Position (FEN): `rnb1kbnr/pppp1ppp/4pq2/8/3P1B2/5N2/PPP1PPPP/RN1QKB1R b KQkq - 3 3` > Played: d6 — Pawn from d7 to d6 > Better: Qxf4 — Queen takes the bishop on f4 and attacks the knight on f3 Black played 3...d6, and the saved evaluation went back to **+1.43** for me. Today's check rates 3...Qxf4 as "black is completely winning": a whole bishop for nothing. After 3...d6 I played 4.e3, and the bishop was protected from then on. Two moves into the game I had been lost, and I hadn't noticed. ## Position 3: move 10, a pawn capture that attacked the queen The opening continued with my pieces developing and Black's pawns marching: 4.e3 c5 5.c3 h6 6.Nbd2 g5 7.Bg3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Nc6 9.Qb3. The saved analysis marks 5.c3 and 6.Nbd2 as mistakes and 8.cxd4 as a blunder, so I was missing chances too. Then Black pushed 9...e5, a blunder: **+5.40** for me. > **Game 1679, White to move on move 10 (a good move)** > Position (FEN): `r1b1kbnr/pp3p2/2np1q1p/4p1p1/3P4/1Q2PNB1/PP1N1PPP/R3KB1R w KQkq - 0 10` > Played: dxe5 — Pawn takes the pawn on e5 and attacks the queen on f6 > Better: dxe5 — The same move was Stockfish's choice This one I got right, and the review keeps it as a good moment. My d-pawn took on e5 and attacked Black's queen. Today's check rates it "white is winning" and shows why it works: after 10...dxe5 11.Bb5, my bishop pins the knight on c6 to the king, so it can't defend the pawn on e5 any more. A pin is when a piece can't move without exposing a more valuable piece behind it. ## Position 4: move 15, the pawn fork both of us ignored The advantage didn't last. On move 13 I avoided the queen trade Stockfish wanted (13.Qxe6+), and on move 14 I blocked a bishop check with my knight. From move 13 to move 15 my queen on d3 and my knight on f3 stood on the same row with Black's e-pawn in front of them, and twice Black could have pushed it. > **Game 1679, White to move on move 15** > Position (FEN): `r3k1nr/pp1b1p2/2n1q2p/1B2p1p1/8/2bQPNB1/PP3PPP/R3K2R w KQkq - 0 15` > Played: bxc3 — Pawn takes the bishop on c3 > Better: Qxc3 — Queen takes the bishop on c3 and attacks the knight on c6 I recaptured with the pawn. Today's check rates it "black is winning" and shows the reason: 15...e4 16.Qd2 exf3. The pawn on e5 steps to e4 and attacks both my queen on d3 and my knight on f3; this is a fork, one piece attacking two at once, here done by a pawn. Stockfish's choice was 15.Qxc3, taking the bishop with the queen so that it left d3. The saved evaluation after my move was **-4.63**. Black castled queenside instead and missed the fork. On move 16 I moved my queen to e4, a blunder of my own (to **-4.24**), and Black missed that too. Over the next few moves the queens came off and I won the pawn on e5 with my bishop. ## Position 5: move 33, the endgame I played well From move 22, when Black gave a bishop for my knight on f3, I was ahead again. Black's 29...h5 was a blunder (to **+4.13**), and by move 33 my rooks were working on the b-file. > **Game 1679, White to move on move 33 (my move matched Stockfish)** > Position (FEN): `2k1r3/8/6r1/1p1nBp1p/5Pp1/4P3/PR3PKP/1R6 w - - 2 33` > Played: Rxb5 — Rook takes the pawn on b5 and attacks the knight on d5, which has no defender > Better: Rxb5 — The same move was Stockfish's choice Today's check rates 33.Rxb5 "white is completely winning". Black gave the rook for my bishop on e5 (33...Rxe5 34.fxe5), and the endgame was two rooks against a rook and a knight. My accuracy in the endgame phase, 14 moves, was **96.6%**. I pushed the a-pawn from a2 to a7 over moves 39 to 46, traded my rook for Black's on g6, and after 48.Kf3 Black resigned with my pawn one square from promoting. I had 91 seconds left. ## The lesson of game 1679 The opening lesson is short. In the London System, the bishop on f4 is a loose piece until e3 is played: no pawn and no piece defends it. Any black queen move to f6 (or a later attack on f4) has to be answered first. Moving it, taking something with it or defending it are all fine. Developing another piece is not. The middlegame lesson is the e4 fork. For three moves my queen and knight stood side by side on d3 and f3, with an enemy pawn on e5 that could attack both. I fixed nothing, and Black never pushed. When two of my pieces sit on squares that one enemy pawn can attack at once, I now try to move one of them before doing anything else. The [guide to stop hanging pieces](/guides/how-to-stop-hanging-pieces-in-chess/) has the routine I use for that check, and my [very first rapid game](/journey/game-1-my-first-rapid-game/) was also about an opponent's queen coming out early. ## Where this sits in the journey The recorded ratings go 1244 for game 1678, 1253 for this game and 1245 for game 1680. They say what happened next; they don't show that the review changed anything. My earlier Horwitz game is [game 465](/journey/opening-lesson-game-465/). If you want to find your own loose pieces, the [beginner game-review guide](/guides/how-to-analyze-chess-games-as-a-beginner/) shows how I review, and [Chess Coach in Claude or ChatGPT](/connect/) puts these boards and arrows on any finished game. The rest of the series is on the [journey hub](/journey/). ## FAQ ### Why is an early Qf6 dangerous for the London System? In my game 1679 the London bishop went to f4 on move 2, before e3, so nothing defended it. Black's queen on f6 attacked it along the f-file, and my 3.Nf3 didn't help: Stockfish rates 3...Qxf4 as 'black is completely winning'. ### What should I have played on move 3? Stockfish's first choice was 3.Bxc7, moving the attacked bishop and taking a pawn at the same time. 3.Qd2 and 3.e3 were close behind in today's check; both defend the bishop. ### Who won game 1679? I did, with White, by resignation on move 48. My a-pawn was one step from promoting, and my endgame accuracy over the last 14 moves was 96.6%. ### What opening was game 1679? Chess.com called it the Queen's Pawn Opening, Horwitz Defense (A40): 1.d4 e6. I answered with the London-style 2.Bf4, and Black played 2...Qf6. ## Related - [From 631 to 1385: my chess journey in 2,117 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey.md) - [Week 86 (Sep 2025): how my opponents beat the Modern Defense](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w38.md) - [How to stop hanging pieces in chess: a safety routine](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/guides/how-to-stop-hanging-pieces-in-chess.md) - [London System vs Stonewall Dutch: the bishop I gave for a pawn](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/opening-lesson-game-465.md)