Jobava London System: Ideas, Plans and How to Play It

The Jobava London is the aggressive version of the London System: White plays 1.d4, brings the knight to c3 and the bishop to f4 before moving the e-pawn. That sets up the jump to b5 against c7, prepares the e4 break and often leads to long castling, with White's kingside pawns thrown at Black's king.

The same position arises after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4. It is named after the Georgian grandmaster Baadur Jobava, several times champion of his country and European Rapid Champion in 2011, who reached the world top twenty with a peak rating of 2734. Many players also call it the Rapport-Jobava, because the Hungarian grandmaster Richard Rapport took it to the elite as well.

The idea in one sentence

The bishop comes out to f4 while the diagonal is still open, the knight on c3 eyes b5, d5 and e4, and White decides later whether to play a positional middlegame or a direct attack with the kings on opposite wings.

Move order matters. If White plays e3 before Bf4, the bishop is shut in and the system loses its point. And if the pawn goes to c3, as in the London, the b5 jump disappears, and that jump is what bothers Black most in the opening moves.

How it differs from the London

In the London System White builds a chain with c3, d4 and e3, and the plan comes later: a knight on e5, the battery against h7, the h4 push. It is a set-up that holds against almost anything and is played calmly.

The Jobava swaps that pawn for a piece, and that changes everything else:

• The c-pawn sits behind the knight, so the structure is less solid. In return, development is quicker.
• The knight controls e4, which makes the e4 break possible in many lines, something the London almost never has.
• Long castling is a real option. With Qd2 and the knight on c3, White can castle queenside in a few moves and push f3, g4 and h4.
• Black cannot set up the usual scheme on autopilot. Against the London, ...c5 and ...Qb6 are annoying; against the Jobava, every Black move has to take the b5 jump into account.

White's weapons

The jump to b5

The c7 pawn is defended only by the queen and attacked by the bishop on f4. If the knight reaches b5, that is two attackers against one defender. That is why 4.Nb5 is the most popular reply to 3...e6 today, and Black has to react. The most common answer is to cover c7 with the knight from a6:

Other answers are 4...Bb4+, which after 5.c3 Ba5 keeps the bishop active, and 4...Bd6, which gives up the bishop pair: after 5.Nxd6+ cxd6 Black has a firm centre but White has the two bishops for the long run. What Black cannot do is ignore the threat. After 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4 e6 4.Nb5 Nc6 the knight does not defend c7, and 5.Nxc7+ wins material.

The e4 break and play with f3

With the knight on c3, the e4 push is always in the air. Sometimes White prepares it with f3, especially when Black has developed the bishop to f5: the pawn takes away e4 and prepares g4 to chase the bishop.

This is an attacking line, not a developing one: White loosens their own kingside to gain space and time, which is why it usually goes together with long castling.

Long castling and the pawn storm

When Black castles short, a typical idea is Qd2, O-O-O and the h4-h5 or g4 advance. The kings end up on opposite wings and whoever arrives first wins. Many club opponents dislike this kind of position, which is why the Jobava scores so well in rapid and blitz.

Sacrifices on d5 and the f4 break

When the centre opens and Black's king is not yet safe, White's pieces can strike on d5: a knight or bishop is given up to open the e-file or a diagonal towards the king. These are not moves to play from memory: they work in concrete positions and have to be calculated. The other attacking idea is the f4 break, once the bishop has moved or been exchanged, to support a knight on e5 or open the f-file against the castled king.

Black's main replies

3...c5: opening the centre

This is the most direct answer. After 4.e3 the normal course is to exchange on d4:

The move 5...a6 has become the standard reply because anything else allows 6.Nb5, with the usual pressure on c7. White ends up with an isolated d4 pawn or something similar and active pieces, and Black with a clear target for the middlegame.

3...e6: solid, with care

This leads to the 4.Nb5 positions we saw above. Black has a firm set-up but has to spend a move covering c7, which gives White time to develop.

3...Bf5: the mirror

Black brings the bishop out before locking it in with ...e6. A quiet continuation is 4.Nf3 e6 5.e3, with a symmetrical middlegame; the ambitious route goes through f3 and g4 to hunt the bishop.

3...g6: the fianchetto

Against a King's Indian or Grünfeld set-up, the Jobava has a very recognisable plan: trade off the g7 bishop with Bh6 and push the h-pawn.

Without the g7 bishop, Black's castled king is weak on the dark squares and the h4-h5 advance gains force. Black has to find quick counterplay in the centre or on the queenside.

3...a6: drawing the sting

This is the practical move against the Jobava, very popular online: it does nothing spectacular, but it controls b5 before the knight gets there. Black can then play ...e6, ...c5 or ...Bf5 without worrying about c7. White still has their development and the e4 break, but the system loses its most awkward blow.

Typical mistakes

• Playing e3 before Bf4. The bishop is shut in and the opening becomes a Colle or a badly placed London.
• Jumping to b5 without a purpose. If Black has already covered c7 and controls a6, the knight on b5 can end up offside and have to retreat.
• Attacking without a stable centre. Long castling and g4 work when the centre is closed or under control; with an open centre, the white king on c1 is a target too.
• Sacrificing on d5 by reflex. The Jobava's blows are tactical and concrete; without calculation, you simply lose a piece. Brush up the motifs in chess tactics and the early pitfalls in chess opening traps.
• As Black, missing Nb5. The most frequent mistake in fast games: a natural move that leaves c7 attacked twice.

Who is the Jobava for?

For 1.d4 players who want positions with initiative without loading their memory with Queen's Gambit theory. It is an excellent second weapon, to surprise an opponent who prepared for the London, and also a main repertoire for anyone who enjoys attacking and is not afraid of opposite-side castling. If you are still deciding what to play, start with how to choose an opening.

How to study it

First, the move order and the Nb5 threat: which replies allow it and which neutralise it. Second, one plan for each Black reply: against ...c5, the structure with a pawn on d4; against ...g6, Qd2 and Bh6; against ...a6, calm development and the e4 break. Third, complete attacking games, to see when the sacrifices on d5 work and when they do not.

The course London and Jobava: Ideas, Models and Attack, with grandmasters Leonardo Tristán and Andrés Rodríguez Vila, devotes three lessons to the Jobava: the sacrifices on d5, the f4 break and kingside expansion. If you want it as a surprise weapon inside a broader repertoire, Off the beaten track includes it among its six openings, and Openings, Tactics and Strategy looks at the Jobava from Black's side.