Catalan defense

The Catalan Opening is a 1. Instead of a direct kingside attack, White will aim for long-term positional pressure in the center and on Black's queenside, catalan defense.

The Catalan Opening has been one of the most fashionable systems in recent years. White fianchettos the light-squared bishop and gains space on the queenside and the center with the pawns. This strategy puts Black under serious pressure and often leads to a risk-free advantage for White. Later he also successfully used it in the Tata Steel The opening can arise on the board via different move orders, one of the most common ones being 1.

Catalan defense

The Catalan Opening is a chess opening where White plays d4 followed by c4 and then fianchettoes, the White bishop on the g2 square. The opening usually follows the following sequence:. The Catalan Opening derived its name from Catalonia, an autonomous community in Spain. The opening was played frequently by leading players of the s and s, 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 Here, five games of the eleven-game match featured the Catalan. In , Ruben Felgaer won a tournament celebrating the 75th anniversary of Barcelona and the birth of the Catalan Opening. Every game at the tournament, which was also held in Barcelona, began with the Catalan Opening. Now, the idea behind d4 and c4 is to gain space and control over the centre, followed by g3 to allow the White squared Bishop to come to the g2 square. This may lead to White having to even sacrifice the c4 pawn. An early castle keeps your king safe, and you can now expand on the opening to further take control of the board, set the tempo of the game, and slowly chip away at your opponent. The Catalan is considered a strategic opening that relies more on controlling the board and position of pieces than on the use of tactics.

Catalan defense does seem to be at a slight disadvantage positionally in some variations of this opening which can be converted into a significant advantage for White. For Black, it is hard to free the b7-bishop with the …c6-c5 pawn break, catalan defense.

The starting moves may be 1. Nf3 Nf6 4. The Catalan Opening is often considered to be a positional opening where white plays for long-term pressure rather than an immediate attack. White can now finally defend their loose c4 pawn with 7. Qc2, which also prepares a future e2-e4 central pawn break. After 7…Nbd7 8.

The Catalan Opening is a 1. Instead of a direct kingside attack, White will aim for long-term positional pressure in the center and on Black's queenside. These positions can lead to small and nagging edges with very technical endgames. The Catalan usually begins 1. Nf3 Nf6 4. The main idea is White fianchettoing on the kingside after playing the standard queen pawn opening moves d4 and c4, while Black plays If Black instead also fianchettoes the kingside bishop, it's a King's Indian Defense. There are three main ways for Black to meet the Catalan: playing

Catalan defense

The Catalan Opening is a chess opening where White plays d4 followed by c4 and then fianchettoes, the White bishop on the g2 square. The opening usually follows the following sequence:. The Catalan Opening derived its name from Catalonia, an autonomous community in Spain. The opening was played frequently by leading players of the s and s, 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 Here, five games of the eleven-game match featured the Catalan. In , Ruben Felgaer won a tournament celebrating the 75th anniversary of Barcelona and the birth of the Catalan Opening.

Mossad commentary

The open nature of the position often leads to massive trades, but the arising endgames are still tricky. Authority control databases : National Germany. Almost every famous modern-day player has the Catalan Opening in their repertoire. Later he also successfully used it in the Tata Steel Na3, but then black can play …a6 to double-down on the idea — an exciting battle is sure to follow! The opening cemented itself in the repertoire of leading players of the s and s, 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. Accept Deny View preferences Save preferences View preferences. Black can respond to the Catalan Opening in two main lines —. When Black does not play Black may also choose to transpose into a completely different line in order to avoid the Catalan Opening entirely. Instead, they slowly build a strong position and exert long-term pressure on Black. Each game in the tournament, which was also held in Barcelona, began with the moves 1. So play it against weaker opponents but avoid it against stronger ones, not because the opening is bad, but a stronger player will have a better understanding of the complexity of the middle game. Note, that White trades the pawns on d5 only after Black played …c7-c5.

The Catalan Opening has been one of the most fashionable systems in recent years. White fianchettos the light-squared bishop and gains space on the queenside and the center with the pawns.

Email Us support thechessworld. Catalan statistics can be viewed globally number of wins, draws, or losses or on the results of individual moves. Black can play an early …dxc4, freeing up the center for piece play. Download as PDF Printable version. Instead, the Catalan is designed for patient players looking for an advantageous opening that can be played as a closed game or an open one depending on how Black responds. Instead 9…Bb7 is the main move, allowing white to advance with If Black gets to play …c7-c5, they will get a comfortable position. White opens up their strong bishop, and it becomes hard for Black to complete the development of the queenside. Here Black chooses not to capture the c4 pawn and instead pushes White into a cramped position. Bd2 with 7…Nd5. White combines the space-gaining moves d4 and c4 with g3, preparing to fianchetto the king's bishop.