Jobava London System
The London with teeth: 1.d4, 2.Nc3 and 3.Bf4. One setup for White where the knight on c3 brings Nb5, an early f3–e4 and a kingside attack instead of a quiet e3.
The Jobava London System puts the queen’s knight on c3 before anything else: 1.d4, 2.Nc3 and 3.Bf4 against practically every reply. Named after Baadur Jobava and Richard Rapport, who turned it into a serious weapon, it keeps the London’s trademark bishop on f4 but throws away the London’s calm. With the knight on c3 rather than f3, Nb5 hits c7 the moment Black plays …e6 or …Nc6, the f-pawn is free to support e2–e4, and White often castles long and pushes the h-pawn at a fianchettoed king.
That is the trade-off in one sentence: the same setup every game, but the fight starts on move four instead of move fifteen. It suits players who like the London’s economy and are tired of its comfort: you still know your first three moves before you sit down, yet Black has to solve concrete problems from the opening. This guide covers the main tabiya, White’s plans against each of Black’s setups, the one move order where the bishop stays at home, and how the Jobava London performs across rating levels.
Main lines
- 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4 e6 4.Nb5The main tabiya. Black’s most common reply allows the knight jump; after 4…Na6 5.e3 c6 6.Nc3 the knight is sidelined, after 4…Bd6 5.Nxd6+ cxd6 Black plays on with doubled d-pawns.
- 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4 a6The prophylactic answer: …a6 takes b5 away first. White develops with e3, Nf3 and Ne5, and once Black’s bishop lands on f5 the g4–h4 push chases it across the board.
- 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 c6 3.Bf4 Bf5 4.f3The Caro-Kann player’s setup. With no knight on f3 White plays f3 and e4 at once; after 4…e6 5.e4 the centre opens while the bishop on f5 is still finding a square.
- 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bf4 Nf6 4.Nb5The Chigorin-style …Nc6 hands White the same jump with a real threat on c7. The critical try is 4…e5 5.dxe5, when 5…Ne4 runs into 6.Qxd5 Qxd5 7.Nxc7+, while 5…Nh5 6.e3 Nxf4 7.exf4 takes the bishop pair but leaves White a pawn up.
- 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.Bf4 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Qd2King’s Indian setups are met with the centre pawn and a long-castle attack: O-O-O, Bh6, f3 and the h-pawn. The Pirc and Modern move orders transpose here.
- 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 c5 3.e4The move order where the system bends. 3…dxe4 4.d5 gives up a pawn for space and quick development, with the knight coming round via e2 and f4; 3…cxd4 4.Qxd4 takes the pawn back at once, and after 4…dxe4 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8 Black’s king has lost the right to castle, while 4…Nc6 5.Qxd5 simply wins a pawn.
Key plans & ideas
- Nb5 is the point of the system: with the knight on c3 instead of f3, the jump to b5 attacks c7 after …e6 or …Nc6 (the bishop on f4 already covers it), so Black either spends a tempo on …a6 first or has to meet the jump at once with …Na6, …Bd6 or …Bb4+.
- Meet …Bd6 with Nxd6+: when Black offers to trade off the f4-bishop, take on d6 with the knight instead. White keeps the bishop pair and Black is left with doubled d-pawns.
- f3 and e4 against …Bf5 and …c6: nothing sits on f3, so play f2–f3 and break with e4. White gets the big centre, and the bishop on f5 is pushed back to g6.
- Castle long against …g6: e4, Qd2 and O-O-O, then Bh6 to trade the fianchettoed bishop and an h-pawn march at the king. The setup plays itself, and the attack is faster than Black’s counterplay on the queenside.
- Know the one exception: after 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 c5, leave the bishop at home and hit the centre with 3.e4. Black has already challenged d4, and 3.e4 opens the position while Black’s pieces are still at home.
How Black answers the Jobava London at each rating
Treat 3…Nc6 as a gift: below 2200 White scores far more against it than against anything else, and it fades quickly as the rating climbs. Higher up 3…c6 and 3…a6, which keep the knight out of b5, join 3…e6 near the top of the list, and 3…c5 reaches third at 2200+.
After 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4. Rated Lichess games (blitz, rapid and classical, mostly blitz), June 2025 to May 2026, grouped by the average rating of the two players. Moves under 5% at every rating are left out. You can check any of these numbers yourself in the Lichess opening explorer.
How often each move is played
| Move | 1400–1599 | 1600–1799 | 1800–1999 | 2000–2199 | 2200+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3…e6 | 23% | 24% | 23% | 20% | 19% |
| 3…a6 | 18% | 16% | 15% | 16% | 24% |
| 3…Bf5 | 21% | 21% | 20% | 16% | 10% |
| 3…c6 | 6% | 10% | 17% | 23% | 18% |
| 3…c5 | 5% | 6% | 9% | 13% | 18% |
| 3…Nc6 | 19% | 13% | 7% | 3% | <1% |
| 3…g6 | 3% | 4% | 5% | 7% | 9% |
| Games | 504k | 493k | 383k | 239k | 126k |
How White scores after each move (win 1, draw ½)
| Move | 1400–1599 | 1600–1799 | 1800–1999 | 2000–2199 | 2200+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3…e6 | 51% | 52% | 52% | 52% | 53% |
| 3…a6 | 52% | 52% | 52% | 51% | 52% |
| 3…Bf5 | 53% | 53% | 54% | 54% | 54% |
| 3…c6 | 52% | 53% | 53% | 54% | 56% |
| 3…c5 | 51% | 51% | 52% | 51% | 51% |
| 3…Nc6 | 62% | 61% | 61% | 62% | – |
| 3…g6 | 52% | 53% | 52% | 52% | 52% |
A dash means fewer than 1,000 games.
Performance by rating
White win / draw / Black win across rated games, by average rating.
Practice the Jobava London System
Open the interactive course and study the first line free, no account needed. Choose your level:
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the Jobava London and the London System?
The knight. The classical London develops it to f3 and follows with e3, c3 and Nbd2: a solid setup where the fight comes later. The Jobava London puts the knight on c3 first, which gives White the Nb5 jump against c7, a free f-pawn for f3 and e4, and a natural long-castle attack against …g6. Same bishop on f4, very different game.
Is the Jobava London good for club players?
Yes, with one caveat. You get the London’s economy, the same three moves against nearly everything, and White’s score holds up across rating levels. The caveat is that the tactics start early, so you need to know a handful of concrete lines: Nb5 after …e6 and …Nc6, f3–e4 against …Bf5, and the 2…c5 move order where the bishop stays at home.
How should Black play against the Jobava London?
The three sound approaches are an early …a6 to take b5 away from the knight, …Bf5 followed by …e6 and …Bd6 to challenge the f4-bishop, and a quick …c5 to hit d4 before White has castled. What Black must not do is play …e6 or …Nc6 and then ignore Nb5: the threat on c7 is real.
Should White play 3.Bf4 or 3.Bg5 after 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6?
Both are good. 3.Bg5 is the Richter-Veresov Attack, and in master games the two moves split the vote almost evenly. In online play Bf4 is by far the more common choice: the bishop sits outside the pawn chain without being hit by …Ne4 or …h6, and the plans (Nb5, f3–e4, long castling) are the same every game.