Decide
Step 1 · Find the piece with no future
White to move
r1bqkb1r/pp3ppp/2n1pn2/2pp4/3P4/2PBPN2/PP3PPP/RNBQK2R w KQkq - 0 6White has played five sensible moves: pawn, pawn, bishop, pawn, knight. One White piece already has nowhere to go.
Which White piece has no future?
Quick check
- The bishop on c1
- The knight on f3
- The bishop on d3
Show the correct answer
Correct answer: The bishop on c1 — The bishop on c1 can only step to d2. Its own pawns on b2, c3 and e3 block every diagonal. e3 was played before the bishop moved, and the door closed on it.
- The knight on f3 — The knight on f3 has five squares and a job on e5. Look for the piece whose own pawns have blocked its diagonals.
- The bishop on d3 — The bishop on d3 came out through the gap e3 left. It is the other bishop that never got out.
Watch
Step 2 · Same pawns, different order
White to move
rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1Watch the London order: 2.Bf4 first. Then 3.e3 closes the door behind the bishop, not in front of it. The pawn chain d4–e3 now stands behind an active piece.
The line: 1.d2-d4 d7-d5 2.Bc1-f4 Ng8-f6 3.e2-e3
Your move
Step 3 · Bishop first
White to move
rn1qkbnr/ppp1pppp/8/3p1b2/3P4/5N2/PPP1PPPP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq - 2 3Black copied the idea and got their bishop out to f5. Do it yourself: get your bishop outside before e3.
Hint: Your c1 bishop is still at home. Get it out before the e-pawn moves.
The move: 3.Bc1-f4
3.Bf4. The bishop is out on the c1–h6 diagonal and eyes c7. Now e3 can come whenever you like; it closes nothing.
Also good here
3.Bc1-g5— That works too: same rule, different diagonal. The bishop is out before e3. The London square is f4, where it also watches c7 and e5.3.c2-c4— Strong, and a different opening: 3.c4 is the Queen’s Gambit. Your bishop is still free to come out next move; in the London it goes to f4 now.
Why not another move?
3.e2-e3— e3 first, and now your bishop can only reach d2. Undo: in the London the bishop leaves home before the pawn.3.Bc1-d2— d2 is a home square, not a diagonal. From f4 the bishop watches c7 and e5; from d2 it watches nothing. Undo.
Watch
Step 4 · The reply you must expect
Black to move
rnbqkbnr/pp2pppp/8/2pp4/3P1B2/5N2/PPP1PPPP/RN1QKB1R b KQkq - 1 3This is Black’s most direct answer to the London: 3…cxd4, hitting your d-pawn before you have played c3. Your bishop is out; now you need the right recapture.
The reply: 3…c5xd4
Decide
Step 5 · Which recapture?
White to move
rnbqkbnr/pp2pppp/8/3p4/3p1B2/5N2/PPP1PPPP/RN1QKB1R w KQkq - 0 4Three ways to get the pawn back. One of them loses time; one loses a pawn.
Which recapture keeps White comfortable?
Quick check
- 4.c3, offering the pawn back
- 4.Qxd4, taking with the queen
- 4.e3, taking next move
Show the correct answer
Correct answer: 4.c3, offering the pawn back — 4.c3. If Black takes, 5.Nxc3 develops with tempo. If Black declines, cxd4 rebuilds the centre with the bishop already outside it.
- 4.Qxd4, taking with the queen — 4.Qxd4 invites 4…Nc6: the queen must move again and Black develops for free.
- 4.e3, taking next move — 4.e3 runs into 4…Qa5+. After the block, …dxe3 leaves Black a pawn up.
Decide
Step 6 · Why the bishop before e3?
White to move
rnbqkb1r/ppp2ppp/4pn2/3p4/3P1B2/4P3/PPP2PPP/RN1QKBNR w KQkq - 0 4The pawn chain is closed now, and the bishop is outside it.
Why did the bishop go to f4 before e3?
Quick check
- e3 would have shut it in
- To attack e5
- To prepare castling
Show the correct answer
Correct answer: e3 would have shut it in — Because e3 shuts the c1–h6 diagonal. Bishop first, and the pawn closes nothing; pawn first, and the bishop has one square, d2.
- To attack e5 — The bishop does watch e5 from f4, a bonus rather than the reason. The order exists because e3 would have shut the bishop in on c1.
- To prepare castling — Castling is not the point; the f1 bishop and the knight still have to move. The order is about the c1 bishop’s diagonal.
Your move
Step 7 · Not now
White to move
rnb1kbnr/pp2pppp/1q6/2pp4/3P1B2/4P3/PPP2PPP/RN1QKBNR w KQkq - 1 4Black’s queen attacks your b2 pawn. The set-up has to wait: find the move that deals with the threat.
Hint: b2 is attacked. Guard it, or make a threat that is bigger than a pawn.
The move: 4.Nb1-c3
4.Nc3. The knight develops and threatens Nb5. If Black grabs b2 now, 5.Nxd5 punishes it: Nc7+ is threatened and the queen has no good square.
Why not another move?
4.Bf1-d3— You continued the set-up, and Black took b2 for free with a1 next. Undo: when a pawn hangs, the set-up waits. What follows:4…Qb6xb24.c2-c3— c3 does not guard b2: the queen takes it. Undo. What follows:4…Qb6xb24.b2-b3— b3 guards the pawn and is playable. There is a stronger answer, though: a developing move that lets Black take b2 and punishes it. Undo and look at the queen’s knight.4.Qd1-c1— Qc1 guards b2 but ties your queen to a pawn. A developing move does the job better. Undo and look at the queen’s knight.
On your own
Step 8 · On your own
White to move
rnbqkb1r/pppp1ppp/4pn2/8/3P4/5N2/PPP1PPPP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq - 2 3No pawn chain yet, and no threats. Put your queen’s bishop where it will stay active.
Hint: Your queen’s bishop is still on c1. Develop it before the e-pawn moves.
The move: 3.Bc1-f4
3.Bf4. The bishop is outside before e3 is even played. Now e3, Bd3 and c3 can follow in any order.
Also good here
3.Bc1-g5— Bg5 also gets the bishop out before e3, the Torre set-up. Same rule, different diagonal.
Why not another move?
3.e2-e3— e3 is playable, but it just closed the c1 bishop’s diagonal: right now it can only reach d2. In the London the bishop leaves first. Undo.3.c2-c4— A strong move in its own right, the Queen’s Gambit. But the task is the bishop, and it is still on c1. Undo and develop it before e3.3.g2-g3— A fianchetto system is a different opening, and the c1 bishop is still at home. Undo.
A quick refresher
In the app this position is not part of the lesson itself: it comes back later, as a review, to check that the idea stuck.
Your move
Keep the bishop alive
White to move
rnbq1rk1/ppp1ppbp/3p1np1/8/3P1B2/4PN2/PPP1BPPP/RN1QK2R w KQ - 0 6Black’s knight is eyeing h5, where it would attack your bishop. Give the bishop a home before that happens.
Hint: Which square will the black knight use to hit your bishop? Prepare a retreat for it.
The move: 6.h2-h3
6.h3. Now if …Nh5 comes, the bishop drops back to h2 and stays on its diagonal.
Also good here
6.Nb1-c3— Also fine, a developing move. Note, though, that after …Nh5 your bishop still has no h2 square; h3 first keeps it.6.O-O— Castling is fine too. But after …Nh5 the bishop must go to g5, and …h6 and …g5 chase it again; h3 first gives it h2.
Why not another move?
6.c2-c3— c3 is useful, but after …Nh5 the bishop has no retreat that keeps it on the diagonal. Undo and give it h2. What follows:6…Nf6-h5
What you learned
Bishop out, then e3. A pawn chain closed in front of a bishop is closed for the whole game.
In your next game
In your next 1.d4 game: bishop to f4 before e3. When Black hits d4 with …c5 and …cxd4, answer c3. When …Qb6 attacks b2, deal with it before continuing the set-up. When a knight heads for h5, play h3 so the bishop can drop to h2.