← Jobava London

Practice: Jobava vs French Setup

Handling the French e6

When Black adopts a French-type structure with e6 and d5, the Jobava London develops naturally and aims for a slight space advantage with active piece play.

1. d4 e6
2. Nc3 Nf6
3. Bf4 d5
4. e3 Bd6
5. Bg3 O-O
6. Nf3 c5
7. Bd3 Nc6
8. O-O cxd4
9. exd4
♟

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Key strategic ideas

  • White plays Nc3 instead of Nf3, keeping the f-pawn free for an aggressive f3-e4 push or a later f4 break.
  • The bishop on f4 supports the d4 pawn, while the knight on c3 can jump to b5 or put pressure on d5.
  • After 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4, White invites Black to play ...c5 and enter sharp, unbalanced positions early.

Common mistakes & traps

  • After 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 g6 4.e3 Bg7, White can surprise Black with 5.h4! pushing the h-pawn aggressively to disrupt the kingside.
  • If Black plays ...c5 (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.d5), the game turns into a sharp Benoni-style position where both sides attack on opposite wings.

Pawn structure notes

White has d4 and e3, same as the traditional London, but with the knight on c3 instead of f3. The f2 pawn is free to advance, and White often plays f4 or f3-e4 to claim space.

Tips

  • The Nc3 and Bf4 setup works well against Black's French-style e6 d5 formation
  • After Bd3 and O-O, White has a solid position with the bishop pair and central control
  • The resulting positions resemble a reversed French Defence with extra tempo

About this line

This line is rated intermediate. Practice it repeatedly until you can play the entire sequence without thinking. The in-app trainer tracks your perfect streaks and celebrates milestones.