After 1.d4 d5: Colle, Trompowsky, Torre, London and the Preparation Gap Black Cannot Ignore

In the VTC commentary booth on an evening in 2026, I fell silent for a few seconds. On the board, a young player with the black pieces was facing the position 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 — the London System. He thought for nearly twenty minutes about his fourth move. Not because the position was too complex. But because he had never prepared for it. I remember that feeling. When I was a young athlete, I sat on the other side of the board with the same confusion. You know you are not playing badly. But you also know you are walking through territory no one taught you. That was the moment I understood something that has stayed with me for years: most amateur players do not lose because they calculate poorly. They lose because they walk into territory they have never mapped. And in chess, the forgotten territories often lie right after the second move. A player's pressing block is not on the tactical board; it lies in a heart no one has yet dared to believe in. In chess the same holds true: the real strength of a system is not in the theory book, but in the preparation of the person sitting across from you. After 1.d4 d5, classical theory teaches that White will play 2.c4. From there opens an entire forest of variations: the Queen's Gambit Declined, the Queen's Gambit Accepted, the Slav, the Semi-Slav, and hundreds of sub-branches. This is territory every player is trained in from their teenage years. Black has books, databases, and thousands of model games to consult. But over the past two decades, another trend has appeared at club level and even in some professional events. More and more players with the white pieces decide not to play 2.c4. They sidestep that enormous body of theory with a simpler move. For them, it is a pragmatic choice. Why memorize variations twenty moves deep when you can build a solid, low-risk setup and force the opponent to solve the problem themselves? In modern chess, where every main line has been analysed to exhaustion by engines, avoiding theory becomes a rational strategy. It is also a way to protect rating: a club player who knows the London System well can beat an opponent stronger in classical theory, simply by dragging them out of their comfort zone. Four systems have emerged from this trend. The Colle System (1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3), whose idea is to build a solid pyramid and then strike with e4. The London System (2.Bf4 or 3.Bf4), where White places the bishop on f4 before completing the setup. The Trompowsky Attack (1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5), an early pin aimed at the f6 knight. And the Torre Attack (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5), Trompowsky's close cousin but from a different move order. The list goes further. The Catalan (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3), with a kingside fianchetto. The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.e4), a fiery pawn sacrifice. And the Richter-Veresov (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bg5), a rare system. These are names anyone playing Black after 1.d4 d5 will meet, sooner or later. The problem is this: most chess literature focuses on the main lines. The theory-avoiding systems are treated as a sideshow, worth only a cursory look. But when you actually sit at the board and your opponent plays 3.Bf4, you cannot tell them that their system is not in your book. Let us go through each system, and more importantly, how Black should respond. The Colle System begins with 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3, then Bd3, c3, Nbd2, and finally e4. The idea is clear: build a wall, then break the centre with e4. A typical move order might be 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Bd3 c5 5.c3 Nc6 6.Nbd2 Bd6 7.O-O O-O. Black has several ways to respond. The first is to play ...e6, ...Bd6, ...Nbd7, aiming to control the e4 square and be ready to answer with ...c5 or ...e5. The second is to play ...Bf5, getting the bishop outside before White locks the structure. The third is to play ...c5 early, striking at the centre before White completes the setup. The key point of the Colle: it is only dangerous if Black allows White to play e4 comfortably. If Black actively controls the e4 square, the system loses most of its power. This is a position where Black can reach equality, even a slight edge, by understanding White's intentions. The London System is different. White plays Bf4 early, usually 2.Bf4 or 3.Bf4, along with Nf3, e3, Bd3, Nbd2, c3. A typical move order: 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 e6 4.e3 c5 5.c3 Nc6 6.Nbd2 Bd6 7.Bg3 O-O. This is perhaps the most popular system in this group at club level. White builds an extremely solid setup, hard to attack, and waits for chances. Black has several options. The most common is ...e6, ...Bd6, trading bishops to reduce pressure on the kingside. Or ...c5 early, striking at the centre. Or ...Nbd7, ...Be7, ...O-O, playing slowly and waiting. A modern idea is ...g6 and ...Bg7, turning the position into a kind of King's Indian structure. The weakness of the London lies in its slowness. White spends many moves completing the setup, and during that time Black can gain space or create threats on the queenside. If Black only waits passively, the London will show its strength. If Black is active, the system becomes harmless. The Trompowsky Attack begins with 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5. White immediately pins the f6 knight and threatens Bxf6, damaging Black's pawn structure. Black's main response is 2...Ne4, bringing the knight to the centre and attacking the g5 bishop. After 3.Bf4 d5 4.f3 Nf6 5.e4, the position becomes complex, with White holding a strong centre but Black having a flexible structure. Another way is 2...e6, accepting doubled pawns if White trades bishops, but compensated by a strong centre and open diagonals. Or 2...d5, playing directly into the centre. Or 2...g6, fianchettoing and accepting a flexible position. The interesting thing about the Trompowsky: it does not threaten to gain an advantage immediately. It threatens to make the game uncomfortable for Black. It is a psychological weapon more than a tactical one. And in chess, a psychological weapon can be just as dangerous as a tactical one. The Torre Attack is 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5. Similar to the Trompowsky but with Nf3 added. Black usually replies with ...d5, ...Be7, ...h6, and ...O-O. A typical move order: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5 h6 4.Bh4 d5. This system is less popular than the Trompowsky at the top level, but still appears regularly at club level. An important difference: with Nf3 already out, White is more flexible in choosing the pawn structure. Black must watch for White's ability to transpose into other systems, such as switching into a London or a Colle depending on the course of the game. The Catalan begins with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3. This is a kingside fianchetto system. A typical move order: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O dxc4. Unlike the systems above, the Catalan can genuinely give White a small edge if Black plays inaccurately. Black needs to control the centre and develop harmoniously. The Catalan is not a theory-avoiding system in the ordinary sense. It is a system with its own theory, and those who play it usually understand very well what they are doing. That is why it is more dangerous than the other three. The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit is 1.d4 d5 2.e4. White sacrifices a pawn to open lines. A typical move order: 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3. Most theory judges that Black can reach a good position with accurate play. But if Black does not know the variations, it can become a disaster. The Blackmar-Diemer appears very rarely at the top level. But at club level, it is a frightening surprise weapon. Black needs to know a few main variations to neutralize it. The Richter-Veresov is 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bg5. A rare, little-studied system. White aims to pressure the centre and develop quickly. Black can reply with ...Nbd7, ...e6, or accept a complex position. While these theoretical questions play out at club level, another event draws the chess world's attention. At the US Championships, Wesley So and Awonder Liang both started with a perfect score. Wesley So is a veteran Grandmaster, a former US Champion, who has maintained a rating above 2700 for many years. His perfect start is no surprise. He is one of the most thoroughly prepared players in the world. Awonder Liang is younger. He represents the next generation of American chess. If Liang sustains this form, it will be the most trackable signal of the tournament. Caution is warranted when reading these result lines. A perfect score in the early rounds of a tournament is a small sample. It does not predict the final outcome. In chess, a perfect start can be wiped out by a single loss. What is notable is that both So and Liang are products of an American chess scene in a thriving phase. With names like Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, and Leinier Dominguez, the United States holds one of the strongest lineups in the world. The depth of American chess, from the top players to the youth development programmes, is one reason their national championship is always of high quality. This is a model financed by online platforms and the media ecosystem, different from the traditional federation model of many countries. Now, let us talk about what few dare to admit. Promotional material about defensive systems against the Colle, Trompowsky, Torre, and London often uses dramatic language. It calls these systems extremely dangerous, a threat Black is obliged to prepare for. Much of that is marketing, not objective technical assessment. The nature of these systems is far simpler. The Colle, London, Trompowsky, and Torre are all solid systems that do not give White a large advantage. They are designed to avoid risk, not to win by force. At the highest level, Grandmasters rarely play them because they are not ambitious enough. The real danger lies elsewhere: Black's lack of knowledge about them. A 2100-rated player with the black pieces can lose to a 2026-rated player with the white pieces simply because he has never faced the London System in a serious game. That is an interesting reversal: the value of theory-avoiding systems lies in the knowledge gap they create. And that gap can be filled by preparation. A recent training product by International Master Valeri Lilov attempts to do exactly that. He offers six instructional videos, each focused on a plan for Black after 1.d4 d5. This is a reasonable approach: instead of teaching all the theory, he teaches the plans. It should be placed in proper market context. This is a commercial product in a mature market: the chess instructional content market. Its value depends on whether the buyer actually needs it. For a club player who regularly faces the London System, these six videos can save dozens of hours of independent study. For a player who already has his own defensive system, they may be redundant. Another point worth noting: including both the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit and the Richter-Veresov in the list is a sign of scope greed. These are rare systems, of low practical value, and with a high study cost relative to their encounter rate. A serious player could spend that time on more important things. Do not, however, underestimate the importance of preparation. In modern chess, the gap between the top players has narrowed to the point where preparation becomes the decisive factor. It is no coincidence that Wesley So, one of the most thoroughly prepared players, can start a national championship with a perfect score. At club level, the same holds true, only on a different scale. The player who understands the theory-avoiding systems will have an edge. The player who does not will suffer. The forgotten queens of chess are not the queens on the board. They are the systems taken lightly, the variations overlooked, the gaps in preparation no one wants to admit. I have seen a generation of players ready to prepare for what others ignore. And I believe they will never retreat. Picture an evening when a young player with the black pieces sits down at the board, faces 3.Bf4, and smiles. Not because he is certain to win. But because he knows where he is going. That is the change taking place. Not loud. Not glamorous. But it is happening, one game at a time, one training room at a time.