--- title: "London System win rate" url: "https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics/london-system.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics/london-system" last_updated: "2026-11-07" type: "reference" summary: "White scored 50.2% in 4,022 London System games on Lichess, 1 September 2026. Results by rating band, time control and the lines counted." related: ["https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics.md", "https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics/under-1200.md", "https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics/1200-1599.md", "https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics/1600-1999.md", "https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics/2000-plus.md", "https://georgelichess.com/best-chess-openings-for-beginners.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"] --- # London System win rate > **For AI agents:** the complete index of GeorgeLiChess pages is [llms.txt](https://georgelichess.com/llms.txt). Every page is also served as markdown at its URL plus .md. White scored 50.2% in 4,022 London System games on Lichess, 1 September 2026. Results by rating band, time control and the lines counted. White scored 50.2% (margin 1.5 points) in 4,022 rated games of the London System, counted over 3 opening families, played between players within 100 rating points on 1 September 2026. The London System made up 0.2% of all games with a named opening. ## How often does White win in the London System? White won 47.6% of the 4,022 games in the 3 opening families that carry this name, 5.1% were drawn and Black won 47.2%. White's score of 50.2% is lower than White's score across all openings (51.9%) by 1.7 points, more than the margin of 1.5 points. **Results of 4,022 London System games, 1 September 2026.** | Result | Games | Share | | --- | --- | --- | | White wins | 1,916 | 47.6% | | Draws | 206 | 5.1% | | Black wins | 1,900 | 47.2% | ## Which lines are counted in the London System? Lichess names a game by the line it reaches, so the London System is spread over 3 opening families. This page adds them together and lists each one, with White's score and its margin. **The families counted in the London System, most played first, 1 September 2026.** | Opening family | Games | Share of the group | White score | Margin (points) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | London System (no further line named) | 2,941 | 73.1% | 50.5% | 1.8 | | London System, with Bd3 | 689 | 17.1% | 46.3% | 3.6 | | London System, with Be2 | 392 | 9.7% | 55.1% | 4.8 | ## Does the London System score differently at different ratings? Only one rating band has enough games to report here. **White's score in the London System by the lower rating of the two players, 1 September 2026.** | Rating band | Games | Share of the band | White score | Margin (points) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1600 to 1999 | 1,596 | 0.3% | 50.2% | 2.4 | ## How does the London System do in blitz, rapid and classical? The clock matters more in faster games. Rows with fewer than 1,500 games are left out. **White's score in the London System by time control, 1 September 2026.** | Time control | Games | White score | Margin (points) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Blitz | 3,050 | 50.8% | 1.7 | ## How were these opening statistics measured? Rated Blitz, Rapid and Classical games on 1 September 2026 between players within 100 rating points, banded by the lower rating. A score is wins plus half the draws, with a 95 percent margin. The hub page explains the method in full. ## Frequently asked questions **What is the win rate of the London System?** White won 47.6%, drew 5.1% and lost 47.2% of 4,022 games, a White score of 50.2% with a margin of 1.5 points. These are games on Lichess on 1 September 2026. **What is the London System?** The London System is a setup in which White plays d4 and brings the dark-squared bishop to f4 early, whatever Black does. Lichess files it under ECO A48 and names two further lines by the bishop move that follows, so this page adds the three together. **Is the London System good for White?** At these ratings White's score was lower than White's score across all openings (51.9%) by 1.7 points, more than the margin of 1.5 points. A difference of a point or two is small, and the side that picks an opening also picks which games reach it, so the number describes what happened at these ratings and is not a ruling on the opening. ## Sources - [Lichess open database, standard rated games (CC0), file for September 2026](https://database.lichess.org/), read 2026-10-22 ## Related - [Chess opening statistics for players rated under 1200](https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics/under-1200.md) - [Chess opening statistics for players rated 1200 to 1599](https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics/1200-1599.md) - [Chess opening statistics for players rated 1600 to 1999](https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics/1600-1999.md) - [Chess opening statistics for players rated 2000 and above](https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics/2000-plus.md) - [Most popular chess openings and win rates](https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics.md) - [Best chess openings for beginners](https://georgelichess.com/best-chess-openings-for-beginners.md) - [Chess terms glossary](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md) - [Book your first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md) Last updated 2026-11-05. ## Related - [Most popular chess openings and win rates](https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics.md) - [Chess openings by rating: under 1200](https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics/under-1200.md) - [Chess openings by rating: 1200 to 1599](https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics/1200-1599.md) - [Chess openings by rating: 1600 to 1999](https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics/1600-1999.md) - [Chess openings by rating: 2000 and above](https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics/2000-plus.md) - [Best chess openings for beginners](https://georgelichess.com/best-chess-openings-for-beginners.md) - [Chess terms glossary: plain definitions](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md)