London System and Jobava: Ideas, Plans and How to Attack as White

The London answers a very practical question: how do you play with White without studying ten different openings? White sets up the same scheme against almost anything —d4, the bishop on f4, e3, c3, Nf3— and reaches the middlegame with plans that are already familiar.

1.d4 d5 2.Bf4, or also 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 and 3.Bf4.

It takes its name from the London tournament of 1922, where it was played several times. For decades it had a reputation for being dull; today it is played by everyone from club players to world champions in rapid games.

The idea in one sentence

A solid set-up that is built the same way against almost everything, with the dark-squared bishop outside the pawn chain and attacking plans that repeat.

The structure and the plans

The typical set-up is d4, Bf4, e3, c3, Nf3, Bd3, Nbd2 and h3. From there, the most common plans are three:

• The knight on e5, sometimes supported by f4: a strong outpost pointing at the kingside.
• The attack with Qc2 and Bd3 against h7, the classic battery.
• The h4-h5 advance, or expansion with g4, when Black has castled short.

Black has weapons too: the attack on the b2 pawn with ...Qb6, the ...c5 break and ...Bd6 to exchange the f4 bishop. Knowing what to do against these three things is half of the London.

The classical models

What makes the London efficient is that its games resemble each other. Certain attacks, certain manoeuvres and certain endgames come up again and again, and studying those model games pays off more than studying variations: once you recognise the pattern, the move comes by itself.

The Jobava: the aggressive version

1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4. Instead of the pawn on c3, the knight goes to c3, and the system changes character:

• The Nb5 threat, attacking c7 and forcing Black to react.
• Sacrifices on d5, which open the centre while Black's king is not yet fully safe.
• The f4 break and kingside expansion, which turn the position into a direct attack.

It is named after the Georgian grandmaster Baadur Jobava, one of the most creative players on the circuit, and it is an ideal weapon for pulling theoretically minded opponents out of their comfort zone.

Typical mistakes

• Playing on autopilot. The set-up repeats, but not every position is played the same way: against ...c5 and ...Qb6 you have to react.
• Allowing the f4 bishop to be exchanged for nothing. It is the system's signature piece.
• Attacking without a stable centre. London attacks work when the centre is closed or under control.
• In the Jobava, sacrificing without calculating. The blows on d5 work in concrete positions, not always.

Who is the London for?

For players with little time to study who want to reach the middlegame in a position they understand. It works as a main repertoire up to quite a high level and, combined with the Jobava, it has an aggressive version for when you need to win. If strategic pressure with 1.d4 appeals to you, look at the Catalan; if you prefer 1.c4, the English. And if you want to build your whole repertoire, start with how to choose an opening.

How to study it

First the set-up and Black's three awkward replies. Then the attacking models, with complete games. Finally, the Jobava as a second weapon.

The course London and Jobava: Ideas, Models and Attack, with grandmasters Leonardo Tristán and Andrés Rodríguez Vila, follows that path: three lessons on the London —general ideas, classical models and attacking— and three on the Jobava: the sacrifices on d5, the f4 break and kingside expansion.