diff --git a/compiler/ir/backend.jvm/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/jvm/JvmLoweringPhases.kt b/compiler/ir/backend.jvm/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/jvm/JvmLoweringPhases.kt
index 06c2c2f079a..49e18ca5629 100644
--- a/compiler/ir/backend.jvm/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/jvm/JvmLoweringPhases.kt
+++ b/compiler/ir/backend.jvm/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/jvm/JvmLoweringPhases.kt
@@ -211,13 +211,18 @@ private val TailrecPhase = makeJvmPhase(
     description = "Handle tailrec calls"
 )
 
-
 private val ToArrayPhase = makeJvmPhase(
     { context, file -> ToArrayLowering(context).lower(file) },
     name = "ToArray",
     description = "Handle toArray functions"
 )
 
+private val NegatedExpressionLowering = makeJvmPhase(
+    { context, file -> NegatedExpressionLowering(context).lower(file) },
+    name = "NegatedExpression",
+    description = "Handle negated expressions"
+)
+
 object IrFileEndPhase : CompilerPhase<BackendContext, IrFile> {
     override val name = "IrFileEnd"
     override val description = "State at end of IrFile lowering"
@@ -268,6 +273,7 @@ val jvmPhases = listOf(
 
     TailrecPhase,
     ToArrayPhase,
+    NegatedExpressionLowering,
 
     makePatchParentsPhase(3),
 
diff --git a/compiler/ir/backend.jvm/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/jvm/codegen/ExpressionCodegen.kt b/compiler/ir/backend.jvm/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/jvm/codegen/ExpressionCodegen.kt
index f373df8214e..829bc6764ed 100644
--- a/compiler/ir/backend.jvm/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/jvm/codegen/ExpressionCodegen.kt
+++ b/compiler/ir/backend.jvm/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/jvm/codegen/ExpressionCodegen.kt
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ import org.jetbrains.kotlin.backend.jvm.JvmLoweredDeclarationOrigin
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.backend.jvm.intrinsics.IrIntrinsicFunction
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.backend.jvm.intrinsics.IrIntrinsicMethods
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.backend.jvm.lower.CrIrType
+import org.jetbrains.kotlin.backend.jvm.lower.NegatedExpressionLowering.Companion.isNegation
+import org.jetbrains.kotlin.backend.jvm.lower.NegatedExpressionLowering.Companion.negationArgument
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.builtins.KotlinBuiltIns
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.codegen.*
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.codegen.AsmUtil.*
@@ -19,7 +21,6 @@ import org.jetbrains.kotlin.codegen.inline.ReifiedTypeInliner
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.codegen.inline.ReifiedTypeParametersUsages
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.codegen.inline.TypeParameterMappings
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.codegen.intrinsics.JavaClassProperty
-import org.jetbrains.kotlin.codegen.intrinsics.Not
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.codegen.pseudoInsns.fakeAlwaysFalseIfeq
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.codegen.pseudoInsns.fixStackAndJump
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.codegen.signature.BothSignatureWriter
@@ -645,16 +646,11 @@ class ExpressionCodegen(
         val elseBranch = branch is IrElseBranch
         if (!elseBranch) {
             var jumpIfFalse = true
-            // TODO: there should be only one representation of the 'not' operator.
-            if (condition is IrCall && (
-                        condition.symbol == classCodegen.context.irBuiltIns.booleanNotSymbol ||
-                                classCodegen.state.intrinsics.getIntrinsic(condition.symbol.descriptor) is Not
-                        )
-            ) {
+            if (isNegation(condition, classCodegen.context)) {
                 // Instead of materializing a negated value when used for control flow, flip the branch
                 // targets instead. This significantly cuts down the amount of branches and loads of
                 // const_0 and const_1 in the generated java bytecode.
-                condition = condition.dispatchReceiver ?: condition.getValueArgument(0)!!
+                condition = negationArgument(condition as IrCall)
                 jumpIfFalse = false
             }
             gen(condition, data).put(condition.asmType, mv)
diff --git a/compiler/ir/backend.jvm/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/jvm/lower/NegatedExpressionLowering.kt b/compiler/ir/backend.jvm/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/jvm/lower/NegatedExpressionLowering.kt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..bd28b1b55ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler/ir/backend.jvm/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/jvm/lower/NegatedExpressionLowering.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2010-2019 JetBrains s.r.o. Use of this source code is governed by the Apache 2.0 license
+ * that can be found in the license/LICENSE.txt file.
+ */
+
+package org.jetbrains.kotlin.backend.jvm.lower
+
+import org.jetbrains.kotlin.backend.common.FileLoweringPass
+import org.jetbrains.kotlin.backend.jvm.JvmBackendContext
+import org.jetbrains.kotlin.codegen.intrinsics.Not
+import org.jetbrains.kotlin.ir.declarations.IrFile
+import org.jetbrains.kotlin.ir.expressions.IrCall
+import org.jetbrains.kotlin.ir.expressions.IrExpression
+import org.jetbrains.kotlin.ir.visitors.IrElementTransformerVoid
+import org.jetbrains.kotlin.ir.visitors.transformChildrenVoid
+
+// TODO: This lowering is currently JvmBackend specific because there are multiple
+// definitions of the boolean 'not' operator. Once there is only the irBuiltins
+// definition this lowering could be shared with other backends.
+class NegatedExpressionLowering(val context: JvmBackendContext) : FileLoweringPass {
+
+    companion object {
+        fun isNegation(expression: IrExpression, context: JvmBackendContext) : Boolean {
+            // TODO: there should be only one representation of the 'not' operator.
+            return expression is IrCall &&
+                    (expression.symbol == context.irBuiltIns.booleanNotSymbol ||
+                            context.state.intrinsics.getIntrinsic(expression.symbol.descriptor) is Not)
+        }
+
+        fun negationArgument(call: IrCall) : IrExpression {
+            // TODO: there should be only one representation of the 'not' operator.
+            // Once there is only the IR definition the negation argument will
+            // always be a value argument and this method can be removed.
+            return call.dispatchReceiver ?: call.getValueArgument(0)!!
+        }
+    }
+
+    override fun lower(irFile: IrFile) {
+        irFile.transformChildrenVoid(object : IrElementTransformerVoid() {
+            override fun visitCall(expression: IrCall): IrExpression {
+                expression.transformChildrenVoid(this)
+                return if (isNegation(expression, context) && isNegation(negationArgument(expression), context))
+                    negationArgument(negationArgument(expression) as IrCall)
+                else
+                    expression
+            }
+        })
+    }
+
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/compiler/testData/codegen/bytecodeText/lazyCodegen/negateVarChain.kt b/compiler/testData/codegen/bytecodeText/lazyCodegen/negateVarChain.kt
index 12a68c1e1f2..a618b0b1b23 100644
--- a/compiler/testData/codegen/bytecodeText/lazyCodegen/negateVarChain.kt
+++ b/compiler/testData/codegen/bytecodeText/lazyCodegen/negateVarChain.kt
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-// IGNORE_BACKEND: JVM_IR
 val two = 2
 
 fun test2() {