Rapport-Jobava System

The Rapport-Jobava System, also called the Jobava London, arises after 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bf4. It can also be reached by the order 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Bf4. The setup combines the London System bishop with an early queen's knight on c3. This rules out c4 and the Queen's Gambit structures, but makes the development more active. The bishop on f4 and a knight jump to b5 both hit c7, so the threat of a fork on that square often appears around the fourth or fifth move. Black has to address it early.

Black's replies fall into a few types. The most frequent is the natural 3...e6, which prepares ...Bd6 or ...c5 and keeps the position compact. A related line, 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 e6 3. Bf4, delays ...Nf6. The immediate central counter 3...c5 strikes at d4 at once and typically ends with Black's c-pawn traded for White's e-pawn. 3...a6, sometimes called the Anti-Jobava, simply takes b5 away from the knight. 3...g6 aims for a fianchetto.

3...Bf5 develops the light-squared bishop before ...e6, mirroring White's setup. The drawback is that the bishop can become a target. Once White has covered g4 with f3 or Ne5, the advance g4 gains a tempo and can begin a kingside pawn storm. 3...Nc6 also blocks the c-pawn, and White scores notably well against it in online play.

The opening is common on Lichess, and results there favor White by a moderate margin overall. The engine regards the starting position as roughly balanced. The system's practical value lies in its early, concrete threats rather than in any objective advantage. Accurate defense neutralizes the c7 pressure, and many games then settle into London-type middlegames. There White plays for e3, kingside play or central expansion, while Black seeks counterplay with ...c5 and queenside activity.