The Catalan derives its name from Catalonia, after tournament organisers at the 1929 Barcelona tournament asked Savielly Tartakower to create a new variation in homage to Catalonia's chess history. It had been played a few times before Tartakower's usage in the tournament, however: for instance, Réti–Leonhardt, Berlin 1928 transposed into an Open Catalan. The opening cemented itself in the repertoire of leading players of the 1930s and 1940s, such as world champions Jose Raul Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine and Mikhail Botvinnik, as well as top grandmasters such as Salo Flohr, Paul Keres and Samuel Reshevsky.
The Catalan came to prominence at the top level when both Garry Kasparov and Viktor Korchnoi played it in their Candidates Semifinal match in London in 1983: five games of the eleven-game match featured the Catalan.
In 2004, Ruben Felgaer won a tournament celebrating the 75th anniversary of Barcelona 1929 and the birth of the Catalan Opening, ahead of Grandmasters (GMs) Viktor Korchnoi, Mihail Marin, Lluis Comas and Viktor Moskalenko and International Master Manel Granados. Each game in the tournament, which was also held in Barcelona, began with the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.g3 Nf6.
The Catalan is a system against Queen's Gambit Declined structures where White adopts a structure which combines the d4-c4 pawn duo of the Queen's Gambit and the kingside fianchetto. This places pressure mainly on the queenside while hoping to keep the white king safe in the long-term. Do note that while White may employ similar setups in other openings, such as the Fianchetto System against the King's Indian Defense, these setups play differently from the Catalan. The c4-pawn is left vulnerable, however. White aims to sacrifice this pawn in exchange for opening up the h1-a8 diagonal, making the g2 bishop a very active piece.
Black's approaches to play against the Catalan generally fall into two categories: in the Open Catalan, Black plays ...dxc4 and can either try to hold on to the pawn with ...b5 or give it back for extra time to free their game. In the Closed Catalan, Black does not capture on c4; their game can be somewhat cramped for a while, but is quite solid. The classical line of the Catalan can arise from either the immediate ...dxc4, or via a Closed Catalan move order. Black also has several setups in both the Open and Closed Catalan with ...Bb4+, aiming to force White to misplace one of their pieces, usually the dark-squared bishop on d2. Additionally, Black has ways to avoid the Catalan.
To counteract White's g2 bishop, Black can either play ...c6 or the ...Bd7-Bc6 maneuver, contesting the h1-a8 diagonal. In the Catalan, White often has ideas related to Nf3-Ne5, opening up the g2 bishop's line of sight, targeting the c4 pawn, and pressuring the c6 square, and is the standard response to ...Bd7 ideas. Black ideally meets any discovered attack on the a8 rook with ...Nd5. White usually aims for queenside pressure and ultimately aims to push e2-e4, controlling the centre. The white queen is ideally positioned on c2, supporting the e2-e4 advance and pressuring the c4 pawn. If Black chooses to consolidate their extra pawn, White aims to break through their queenside structure with a2-a4 and b2-b3.
The Catalan is usually referred to as a positional opening, but some lines can have tactical or forcing natures. The theory of the Catalan is extensively developed. It is thought to give White a small advantage with precise play.
Move Orders
Move orders for the Catalan
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White can immediately play g3
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White can delay c4
The Catalan can be achieved with multiple move orders. Against 1...Nf6 and 2...e6, 3. Nf3 gives Black the option to enter the Queen's Indian Defense or Bogo-Indian Defense. 3.g3 avoids these possibilities, but gives Black the option to play an improved Modern Benoni, as White's kingside fianchetto systems against the Benoni are not very critical for Black.
White can also delay c2-c4, which allows the Catalan setup to be reached more consistently. For example, against 1...d5, delaying c4 allows White to avoid the Queen's Gambit Accepted.
Open Catalan: Alternatives to the Classical Line
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The Open Catalan
With ...dxc4, Black has entered the Open Catalan. At the moment, Black has a pawn advantage. However, this capture has also freed the a8-h1 diagonal for the g2 bishop. Additionally, Black's pawn on c4 is weak and is usually returned to White in exchange for time to develop. In some systems, Black consolidates and keeps the extra pawn, but White receives compensation for the pawn, usually in the form of a weak Black queenside and a lead in development. White usually continues 5.Bg2, but 5.Qa4+, regaining the pawn immediately, is a notable sideline. After 5.Bg2, Black's main option is 5...a6, aiming to prepare ...b5 and consolidate the pawn on c4. Alternatives include:
With 5...a6, the main line of the Open Catalan, Black prepares the advance ..b5. This helps Black consolidate their extra pawn, and often Black manages to keep their pawn advantage for good. The main move for White is the logical 6.O-O. 6.Ne5 has sometimes been tried, but Black equalises easily with 6...Bb4+ 7.Nc3 Nd5. After 6.O-O, Black generally chooses between 6...b5 and the mainline 6...Nc6.
6...b5 immediately defends the pawn. This leads to a forcing line 7.Ne5 Nd5 8.a4 Bb7 9.c3, after which Black sometimes opts for 9...bxc3, which gives White an advantage due to a lead in development after 10.axb5 axb5 11.Rxa8 Bxa8 12.Qxb3, but Black's main option is 9...c3, leading to the forced line 10.axb5 axb5 11.Rxa8 Bxa8 12.e4 b4 13.exd5 Bxd5. White has a minor piece for two pawns, but the strength of Black's pawns on b4 and c3 give ample compensation.
6...Nc6 is Black's main move. This develops Black's queenside knight and frees up the b8 square for Black's rook. Black will then aim for a setup with ...Rb8, ...b5, ...Bd7 and consolidate their extra pawn. 7.Bg5 is sometimes seen, leading to a position where Black has an extra pawn but in exchange, White has more active pieces. White has two main moves, 7.Nc3 and 7.e3.
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Common line in the 7.Nc3 variation: 7...Rb8 8.e4 Be7 9.Qe2 b5 10.Rd1 O-O 11.d4 exd5 12.e5 d4 13.exf6 Bxf6 14.Qe4 Bb7 15.Nd5 Nb4 16.Nxf6+ Qxf6 17.Qf4 c5 18.Qxf6 gxf6
Although less popular than 7.e3,:112 7.Nc3 is much more complex and leads to sharper positions. After 7.Nc3, play continues 7...Rb8 8. e4. After which, Black can consolidate their pawn with 8...b5 or focus on their development with 8...Be7 instead. Against 8...b5, play continues 9.d5 (9.Qe2 is an interesting alternative):116 Nb4 10.b3 cxb3 11.Qxb3 c5 12. dxc6 Nxc6 13. Bf4 Rb7, where White's lead in development and more activity is more valuable than Black's extra pawn. Against 8...Be7, play continues 9.Qe2, sacrificing a second pawn on d4. Black can accept White's gambit with 9...Nxd4, where play continues 10.Nxd4 Qxd4 11.Rd1 Qc5 12.e5 Nd7 13.Ne4 Qb5. White gains sufficient compensation for the two pawns due to piece activity and development. Black can also continue on their plan of consolidating their c4 pawn with 9...b5, and theory continues 10.Rd1 O-O (10...Nb4 is also seen) 11.d5 exd5 12.e5 d4 13.exf6 Bxf6 14.Qe4 Bb7 15.Nd5 Nb4 16.Nxf6+ Qxf6 17.Qf4 c5 18.Qxf6 gxf6. This leads to a complex endgame where black had three extra pawns for a piece.
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5...a6 Open Catalan, main line, 6.O-O Nc6 7.e3 Bd7 8.Qe2 b5
However, 7.e3 is the most popular move. White aims to prepare e3-e4 slowly with moves like Qe2, Rfd1 and Nc3. The immediate 7...b5 loses to 8.Ne5, so Black's two responses are 7...Rb8 and 7...Bd7, both of which prepare ...b5. Against 7...Rb8, White responds with 8.Nfd2. This opens up the g2 bishop's diagonal, supports e4, attacks c4 while reserving the option to develop the b1 knight to c3. Black usually continues 8...e5 as other moves let White continue with Nxc4 with a slight advantage. Play continues 9. Bxc6+ bxc6 10.dxe5 Ng4 11.Nxc4 Be6 12.Nbd2 Bb4 13.b3 h5 with a slight edge for White. 7...Bd7 is Black's main choice against 7. e3. After 8.Qe2, black can respond with 8...Bd6, giving back the pawn to develop. However, the main move is 8...b5, consolidating the extra pawn, and arriving at a tabiya of the Open Catalan. White has a variety of ninth moves here. White could play slowly with 9.Nc3, 9.Rd1 or aggressively with 9.e4. However, White's main move in 9.b3, letting Black keep the extra pawn permanently after 9...cxb3 10.axb3. To compensate, White has the open a-file and many other open lines for their pieces. Black's b5 pawn also tends to be weak and Black's pieces are not active.
5...b5
5...c5
5...c6
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5...Be7
Open Catalan, Classical Line
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Open Catalan, Classical Line
The Open Catalan, Classical Line (ECO code E05) consists of the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Nf3 Be7. White sacrifices the pawn for a lead in development. Without a black pawn on d5, White's kingside bishop hinders Black's queenside development. The Open Catalan line has been a favourite of Anatoly Karpov and Efim Geller as Black and of Oleg Romanishin as White. Usually, White will recover the pawn with Qc2 and then a4, Ne5, or Qa4+. In order to hold the pawn, Black will have to seriously weaken the queenside with ...a6 and ...b5.
