1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bf4
The Jobava London System is an aggressive chess opening for White defined by 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bf4. It borrows the London System’s bishop on f4 but replaces the quiet c3 with the knight on c3 — and that one change transforms the opening’s character. The knight eyes the b5-square, where it attacks c7 in tandem with the f4-bishop, creating concrete threats as early as move four. Where the classic London builds a fortress, the Jobava London picks a fight.
The starting position arises after 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bf4, and the move order matters: 2. Nc3 comes before the bishop develops, blocking White’s own c-pawn on purpose. White is not planning a slow c3 pyramid — the plans are Nb5 hitting c7, e3 with Bd3 aiming at h7, or f3 and g4 launching the kingside pawns. Black’s third move sets the agenda: 3... e6, 3... c5, 3... c6 and 3... Bf5 are the main tries, and against each one White has a forcing, well-mapped response rather than a universal setup. The same position can also come from 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. Nc3, but starting with 2. Nc3 makes an immediate ...c5 unattractive — it would leave d5 loose — whereas the bishop-first order allows independent ...c5 lines.
1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bf4 e6 4. Nb5 Na6 5. e3 c6 6. Nc3 Nc7 7. Nf3 Bd6 8. Ne5 O-O 9. Bd3
Against the natural 3... e6, the knight jumps to b5 immediately: c7 is attacked by both knight and bishop, and ...Na6 is the standard defense. White happily retreats after ...c6 — Black’s knight is misplaced on a6/c7, and White switches to the attacking scheme with Nf3, Ne5 and Bd3. The bishop and knight battery aimed at h7 generates real mating attacks, including Bxh7+ sacrifices in several course lines.
1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bf4 c5 4. e3 Nc6 5. Nb5 e5 6. Bxe5 Nxe5 7. dxe5 Ne4 8. Qxd5 Qxd5 9. Nc7+ Kd8 10. Nxd5
Striking the center with ...c5 is principled, but it loosens d5 and the queenside. After 5. Nb5 Black’s thematic 5... e5 break runs into a forcing sequence: White grabs the e5-pawn, takes on d5, and the family fork Nc7+ wins the queen back with two extra pawns and a shattered Black position. Black has better fifth moves, but the punishment of the natural line is the heart of this variation.
1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bf4 Nc6 4. Nb5 e5 5. Bxe5 Nxe5 6. dxe5 Ne4 7. Qxd5 Qxd5 8. Nxc7+ Kd7 9. Nxd5
Developing the knight to c6 looks active but walks into 4. Nb5, when c7 is already creaking. The freeing try 4... e5 loses material by force: White captures twice on e5, takes the d5-pawn, and Nxc7+ forks king and queen. Black ends up three pawns down with the king stuck on d7. This is the signature Jobava London trap, and it catches natural-looking play over and over at club level.
1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bf4 Bf5 4. f3 e6 5. g4 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. e3 Bd6 8. Nh3
When Black develops the bishop to f5, White attacks it directly: f3 prepares g4, and the g- and h-pawns charge up the board with gain of tempo. White’s knight comes to h3 and f4 to trade off Black’s light-squared bishop or support the storm, and the long castle follows. Black spends moves saving the bishop while White builds a kingside attack — a completely different game from anything in the regular London.
1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bf4 c6 4. e3 Bf5 5. f3 e6 6. g4 Bg6 7. h4 h6 8. Bd3 Bxd3 9. Qxd3 Bd6 10. Nge2 O-O 11. O-O-O
Against Black’s Caro-Kann-style setup with ...c6 and ...Bf5, White again gains space with f3, g4 and h4, trades the light-squared bishops on d3, then castles long. With kings on opposite wings and White’s g- and h-pawns already advanced, the attack plays itself: g5 pries open the files in front of Black’s king while Black’s queenside counterplay is several tempi behind.
Facing the Jobava London with Black, job one is surviving the opening tricks — the Nb5 jump against c7 and the forced sequences after a careless ...e5 break win material against autopilot play. The cleanest prophylaxis is an early ...a6: it takes b5 away from the knight entirely and asks White to show a constructive plan, which is exactly the question the opening would rather not answer. If you prefer development first, ...e6 is fine, but meet 4. Nb5 with ...Na6 and be ready to spend a tempo on ...c6 — do not allow Nxc7+. A quick ...c5 is the most principled central counter, but follow it up accurately: the thematic ...e5 break loses by force in several lines, so check the d5-pawn and the c7-square before opening the position. Developing the bishop with ...Bf5 or ...Bg6 is natural, but know that White will throw the f-, g- and h-pawns at it; keep ...h5 or ...h6 in reserve so the bishop is never trapped. Positionally, Black’s trumps are real: White’s knight blocks its own c-pawn, so Black can fight for c5 and the queenside light squares without fearing c4. Trade pieces where possible, keep c7 covered, and the Jobava London’s initiative fades into an equal middlegame where White’s setup has no second wave.
Create threats before Black finishes developing. Nb5 attacks c7 the moment it is unguarded; against ...e6 setups, switch to Nf3, Ne5 and Bd3 with a direct attack on h7, often castling long or sacrificing on h7. Against ...Bf5, play f3, g4 and h4 to harass the bishop and storm the kingside, castling queenside behind the e3–f3 chain. The dark-squared bishop on f4 supports almost every plan — keep it.
Neutralize the tricks first: an early ...a6 stops Nb5, and ...c6 or ...Na6 covers c7 if the knight has already jumped. Strike at the center with ...c5 once the tactics are accounted for, since White’s blocked c-pawn cannot fight back with c4. Trade light-squared bishops, avoid the premature ...e5 break, and aim for an equal middlegame where White’s early aggression has spent itself.
The opening is named after Georgian grandmaster Baadur Jobava, who pioneered it at the top level in the 2010s and showed that the strange-looking combination of Nc3 and Bf4 carried real venom against elite opposition. Hungarian grandmaster Richard Rapport became its other leading champion, which is why some sources call it the Jobava–Rapport System. The setup itself is a hybrid: it crosses the London System’s Bf4 with the early Nc3 of the Veresov Attack (1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bg5), keeping the London’s sound structure while abandoning its quiet reputation. Its popularity surged in the online era, where its trap-heavy lines and low mainstream theory make it a favorite surprise weapon from club level up to grandmaster blitz.
Let's play the Jobava London.
Let's learn the Jobava London! If you want a solid opening, this right here is a solid opening. If you want a coin flip, idk go learn the Englund Gambit or something. This course right here is for WINNERS! Now let's begin with pawn to d4.
Let's continue the Jobava London.
Let's develop our knight to c3.
Now let's go bishop to f4.
There's no way Black messed up already omg. Here we can go knight to b5, threatening to fork on c7.
And that's a free pawn. Yum. Bishop takes pawn on e5. You COULD also take with the pawn but in this course I'll stick with the bishop.
We need to avenge our bishop - pawn takes knight on e5.
Did someone say queen sacrifice? I sure did. Queen to d5. Don't worry, we'll win her back.
Knight to c7 forking the king, rook, and QUEEN. I promised you we'd win her back :D
We sacrificed our queen and we won 3 pawns. That's pretty cool.
Well, the black knight ran away, but now it's blocking the black queen! That means we win ANOTHER free pawn :D. Queen takes pawn on d5.
Shoot!! We are forked... or are we? There's only one move here that saved both our pieces: knight to d6 check.
And now we recapture while moving our queen to safety with queen to d6
Two pawns up and ready to castle, woohoo!
Black has no idea what they're doing. Knight hops onto c7, forking the king and rook.
And now knight to a8 winning a rook.
That may seem silly but 100,000+ games have gone exactly like this LOL
Let's reinforce our center with pawn to e3.
Black just lost the game. Knight to b5.
Taking with the bishop or the pawn are both great options. In this course, let's take with the bishop :) Bishop takes on e5.
Now pawn captures knight on e5
OK great, another free pawn. Queen to d5.
We are about to castle queenside and be unstoppable.
Screw it. Queen sacrifice on d5.
I think you know what comes next - knight triple fork on c7.
Aaaand let's take the queen with knight to d5.
Bam.
The Jobava London plays Nc3 instead of the regular London’s c3 — 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bf4. The knight on c3 enables an early Nb5 attacking c7, making the Jobava London a sharp, trap-laden attacking opening, while the classic London is a quiet, repeatable system.
Yes. It is fully sound and was proven at grandmaster level by Baadur Jobava and Richard Rapport. Accurate defense equalizes — as in most openings — but at club level its early threats against c7 and direct attacking plans score heavily.
The Nb5 jump against c7. If Black plays a natural early ...Nc6 or ...c5 and then breaks with ...e5, White can capture on e5 and d5 and fork king and queen with Nc7+, winning material by force. Several course lines drill this exact sequence from both the winning and the defending perspective.
Stop the tricks first: an early ...a6 prevents Nb5, and ...c6 or ...Na6 keeps c7 defended if the knight has already jumped. Then strike at the center with ...c5, which is hard for White to answer because the knight on c3 blocks the c-pawn. Avoid the premature ...e5 break.
Yes. Baadur Jobava, after whom it is named, used it against world-class opposition in the 2010s, and Richard Rapport made it a regular weapon as well. It remains a popular surprise choice in elite rapid and blitz play.
Reading about an opening is step one. The trainer at the top of this page drills all 26 lines against the moves real opponents play — the first lines are free.
Train the Jobava London System now