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 should stay 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 walks into 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+ and 5…Nh5 gives up the bishop for structure.
- 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 grabs space with tempo, 3…cxd4 4.Qxd4 brings the queen out with an open centre and a lead in development.
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), and Black has to spend a tempo on …a6 or park the knight on a6.
- Meet …Bd6 with Nxd6+: when Black offers to trade off the f4-bishop, take on d6 and saddle Black with doubled d-pawns and a bishop pair that never gets open lines.
- f3 and e4 against …Bf5 and …c6: nothing sits on f3, so play f2–f3 and break with e4 — the bishop on f5 becomes a target for g4 and h4 as the centre opens.
- 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 — with the d4-pawn already challenged, 3.Bf4 scores poorly and 3.e4 opens the position while Black is behind in development.
Performance by rating
White win / draw / Black win across rated games, by average rating.
Practice the Jobava London System
An interactive course for this opening is coming soon.
Coming soonFrequently 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 should stay 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. Falling in with …e6 or …Nc6 and ignoring Nb5 is how most games below master level are lost in the opening.
Why do strong players choose Bf4 over Bg5 after 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6?
Both are played. Bg5 is the Richter-Veresov Attack, and among titled players the two moves split the vote almost evenly. Below that level 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.