# Week 100: the London System vs Qb6, and a week under 1300 again

> Week 100: 17 games (6 wins, 10 losses, 1 draw), 1328 → 1295. Against Qb6 in the London System I lost b2 and then my rook on a1.

- URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w52/
- Updated: 2026-10-22
- Author: Ignacio Soler

Week 100 of the diary, and not a week to celebrate. From December 22 to 28, 2025 I played **17 games:
6 wins, 10 losses and 1 draw**, and my rating fell from **1328 to 1295** (−33). It was the first time
I'd been under 1300 since November 19. The game that set the tone was a classic London System vs Qb6
position: Black's queen jumped to b6, I didn't take care of my b2 pawn, and two moves later the same
queen was eating my rook in the corner.

## The week in numbers

| | |
|---|---|
| Games | 17 |
| Wins / losses / draws | 6 / 10 / 1 |
| Rating | 1328 → 1295 (−33) |
| Average accuracy | 78.7 % |
| Blunders | 45 |
| Most played openings | Queen's Pawn Zukertort (3), Indian Game (2), Pirc Geller System (2), London System (2), Queen's Pawn Zukertort Chigorin (2) |

My accuracy was higher than in the two previous weeks (78.7 %), yet I lost more. The engine still found
45 blunders, 37 of them in the middlegame. The split by colour says a lot: with White, always my d4
and Bf4 setup, I scored 2 wins, 6 losses and 1 draw. With Black I went 4–4. My wins averaged 91.9 %;
my losses 73.1 %.

## The London System vs Qb6: game 1907

On Monday I had White against **putasv (1351)**. After 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 c6 3.Nf3 Bf5 4.e3 Black played
4...Qb6, the queen move every London player knows: it attacks b2. I answered 5.c4, the engine called it
only an inaccuracy, and Black took the pawn, 5...Qxb2. The engine still had the game about equal
(−0.31). Then I had to make one careful move.

> **Move 6: Black's queen sits on b2, next to my rook on a1**
> Position (FEN): `rn2kbnr/pp2pppp/2p5/3p1b2/2PP1B2/4PN2/Pq3PPP/RN1QKB1R w KQkq - 0 6`
> Played: cxd5 — cxd5 — pawn takes on d5, starting a trade
> Better: Nbd2 — Nbd2 — knight comes out and clears the back row

I took on d5, and the engine's first line is the one that happened: 6...Qxa1, the queen takes the rook
in the corner (−5.00, "black is winning"). With 6.Nbd2 the knight leaves b1, so my queen on d1 and my
rook on a1 see each other, and the position stays about equal (−0.39). Two other moves the engine
looked at, 6.Bd3 and 6.g4, were already clearly worse for me. I lost a rook on move 6, fought on
until move 43, and the game ended by abandonment
([game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147040966748)).

The idea is simple once you see it. The engine's own description of 5...Qxb2 says it: the queen
attacks my rook in the corner, which has no defender, and my knight on b1. So every move after that
has to keep both of them covered. Before I make "my" move, I have to ask what her next capture is.

## A bishop trade near my king: game 1909

On Christmas Eve I had Black against **XDXDXDLOLXDLOL (1351)**, who played the same kind of d4 and
Bf4 system against my g6 setup.

> **Move 13: my bishop on g7 sits next to my castled king**
> Position (FEN): `r2qr1k1/pppb1pbp/2np1np1/8/3P1N2/2PB1PB1/PPQN2PP/R4RK1 b - - 4 13`
> Played: Bh6 — Bh6 — bishop attacks the knight on f4
> Better: Ne7 — Ne7 — knight repositions towards the centre

13...Bh6 attacks the knight on f4 (with the knight on d2 behind it). It looks active, but the engine
rated it a blunder (+0.05 → +1.87); with 13...Ne7 the game stays about equal (+0.11). In the game White
answered 14.Rfe1, I took 14...Bxf4, and from then on my king had no dark-squared bishop next to it.
Two moves later 16...Qh4 was another blunder (+1.28 → +3.63), 20.Nf6+ forked my king and rook (21.Nxe8
followed), and on
move 36 White's queen mated me on g7 ([game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147121598512)).

## The other games

Five of my losses and the draw came from positions the engine had me winning, and they look alike: a long fight, a
clear advantage, then one move that hands it back. Against **Scooby_Dooo7 (1337)** I was +5.73 when
31.Ra8 turned it into −7.98, with 91 seconds on my clock. Against **richy1963 (1332)** the game went 76
moves and I was mated with 5 seconds left. The bright spots were short: a 9-move win against
**YY6999 (1257)** at 93.8 %, and two clean wins with Black on December 27, at 95.2 %
and 94.3 %.

## The lesson of the week

Pawn grabs by the enemy queen are only half the story; the danger is the *next* capture. In game 1907
the b2 pawn didn't lose the game — leaving a1 undefended did. My new rule for the London: when Black's
queen reaches b6 or b2, I check every piece on her diagonals and files before I play anything else,
and I prefer the developing move (Nbd2) that also protects.

## All games this week

| Game # | Date | Colour | Opponent (rating) | Result | Opening | Accuracy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | 2025-12-22 | White | putasv (1351) | Loss | Queen's Pawn, Zukertort | 85.5 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147040966748) |
| 1908 | 2025-12-22 | White | michael_zaslavski (1323) | Win | Indian Game, East Indian London | 84.8 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147051323976) |
| 1909 | 2025-12-24 | Black | XDXDXDLOLXDLOL (1351) | Loss | Indian Game | 86.5 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147121598512) |
| 1910 | 2025-12-25 | Black | Ivankromski (1333) | Win | Pirc, Geller System | 94.6 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147168742998) |
| 1911 | 2025-12-25 | White | Allaabr (1327) | Loss | London System | 78.3 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147176014076) |
| 1912 | 2025-12-26 | White | Scooby_Dooo7 (1337) | Loss | Dutch Defense | 59.8 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147210875746) |
| 1913 | 2025-12-26 | White | Kslavov (1324) | Loss | Queen's Pawn, Zukertort Chigorin | 58.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147215427136) |
| 1914 | 2025-12-27 | Black | syae_rozi (1280) | Win | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 95.2 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147245053410) |
| 1915 | 2025-12-27 | Black | salidlilic (1317) | Win | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 94.3 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147245837940) |
| 1916 | 2025-12-27 | White | richy1963 (1332) | Loss | Queen's Pawn, Zukertort | 79.0 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147246618378) |
| 1917 | 2025-12-27 | Black | wjpuguh89 (1310) | Loss | Indian Game | 82.1 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147248398934) |
| 1918 | 2025-12-27 | Black | WeiboMirko (1291) | Loss | Pirc, Geller System | 54.7 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147257976528) |
| 1919 | 2025-12-28 | White | Asafa-12 (1317) | Loss | Queen's Pawn, Zukertort Chigorin | 63.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147277223350) |
| 1920 | 2025-12-28 | White | YY6999 (1257) | Win | London System | 93.8 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147278892390) |
| 1921 | 2025-12-28 | Black | username5676 (1317) | Loss | Pirc, Byrne Variation | 83.3 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147280454406) |
| 1922 | 2025-12-28 | White | 4doors_more_h03s (1291) | Draw | Queen's Pawn, Zukertort | 54.8 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147292548014) |
| 1923 | 2025-12-28 | Black | Zafranzafran543 (1262) | Win | Réti, King's Indian Attack | 88.9 | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/147299931978) |

Previous: [week 99](/journey/week-2025-w51/) · Next: [week 101](/journey/week-2026-w01/) ·
[Journey hub](/journey/) · Curious how these reviews are made? [AI chess analysis in Claude](/features/ai-chess-analysis/)

## FAQ

### How do you handle Qb6 in the London System?

Protect b2 or make sure the rook on a1 is covered before you open lines. In my game 1907 I played 5.c4, Black took 5...Qxb2, and 6.cxd5 let the queen take my rook on a1 (−0.29 → −5.15). 6.Nbd2 kept it about equal.

### Is it bad to let the queen take b2?

Not by itself: after 5...Qxb2 the engine still rated my game about equal (−0.31). The problem was my next move, which left the rook on a1 with no defender.

### How did my White games go this week?

Badly: 2 wins, 6 losses and 1 draw with White, all with my d4 and Bf4 setup. With Black I scored 4 wins and 4 losses.

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