Catalan opening

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

other names

Catalan

Trains

1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 e6
3. g3

ECO key

E00-E09

NIC key

CA

Named after

Catalonia region

Oldest source

1929

c4. e6. g3. d5.Bg2 & nodes = 10703.11482.11470.75542.75876.75877.82431 Replay on Chessgames.com

The Catalan Opening (or Catalan for short ) is an opening system in the game of chess . Catalan is traditionally one of the closed games , but has a hybrid character: if Black decides to capture the white pawn on c4, the result is a game with a lively, open character. A distinction is therefore made between the open and the closed Catalan game.

Game setup

The main variant of Catalan starts with the trains

1. d2 – d4 Ng8 – f6 2. c2 – c4 e7 – e6 3. g2 – g3

Train changes and transitions from and to other opening systems are very common in Catalan. A characteristic feature is the placement of the white bishop on g2, also known as the Catalan bishop . From g2 the bishop acts on the important white main diagonal of the chess board.

Open variant

The open variant is characterized by the moves 3.… d7 – d5 4. Bf1 – g2 d5xc4 .

Then White can decide between immediately recapturing the pawn with 5. Qd1 – a4 + Bc8 – d7 6. Qa4xc4 Bd7 – c6 or moving on with 5. Ng1 – f3. In the latter case the game is played by 5.… Nb8 – c6 6. Qd1 – a4 Bf8 – b4 + 7. Bc1 – d2 Nf6 – d5, or 6.… Nf6 – d7 7. Qa4xc4 Nd7 – b6 8. Qc4 – d3 e6 –E5 or 6. 0–0 Ra8 – b8 quickly tactically .

Closed variant

The closed variant is characterized by the moves 3.… d7 – d5 4. Bf1 – g2 Bf8 – e7 5. Ng1 – f3 0–0 .

Here Black does not immediately take on c4, but first develops his kingside .

Minor variants

Black is not obliged to play 3.… d7 – d5. He can also play 3.… Bf8 – e7 or 3.… c7 – c6 and delay the counter-attack d5.

Or he plays 3.… Bf8 – b4 + with a possible transition to the Bogolyubov-Indian defense . After 4. Bc1 – d2 Black can either protect the bishop with 4.… Qd8 – e7, 4.… a7 – a5 or 4.… c7 – c5 or simply move it back to e7. It is also possible to exchange 4.… Bb4xd2 +, White can develop a piece with 5. Nb1xd2 or take it back with the queen on d2 in order to develop the knight b1 to the more central square c3.

With 3.… c7 – c5 Black is ready for White to advance to d5 with his d-pawn and thus steer into a variant of the Modern Benoni Defense . If White covers with 4. Ng1 – f3 instead, Black can switch to the English symmetry variant with 4.… c5xd4 5. Nf3xd4 or switch to the open variant with 4.… d7 – d5 along with d5xc4.

Example variants:

3.… Bf8 – e7 4. Ng1 – f3 0–0 5. Bf1 – g2 c7 – c6 6. 0–0 d7 – d5 7. Qd1 – c2 Nb8 – d7
3.… c7 – c6 4. Ng1 – f3 d7 – d5 5. Bf1 – g2 Bf8 – d6 6. b2 – b3 0–0 7. 0–0 Qd8 – e7 8. Bc1 – f4
3.… Bf8 – b4 + 4. Bc1 – d2 Qd8 – e7 5. Bf1 – g2 (5. Ng1 – f3 Bogolyubov-Indian defense )
3. ... Bf8-b4 + 4. L c1-d2 a7-a5 5. L f1-g2 (5 g1-f3 Bogo-Indian Defense )
3.… Bf8 – b4 + 4. Nb1 – d2 c7 – c5 5. a2 – a3 (5. d4xc5 Bb4xc5 6. Bf1 – g2 0–0 7. Ng1 – f3 d7 – d5 8. c4xd5 e6xd5 Tarrasch defense ) Bb4xd2 + 6 Dd1xd2 c5xd4
3.… c7 – c5 4. d4 – d5 ( Modern Benoni Defense ) b7 – b5 ( Volga Gambit )
3.… c7 – c5 4. Ng1 – f3 d7 – d5 5. c4xd5 Nf6xd5 (5.… e6xd5 Tarrasch defense )
3.… c7 – c5 4. Ng1 – f3 c5xd4 5. Nf3xd4 English symmetry variant

From this you can easily see that train changes are very common in Catalan.

history

The opening owes its name to the 1929 chess tournament in Barcelona . The organizers of this tournament asked Grand Master Savielly Tartakower to create an opening and name it after the region of Catalonia . Nevertheless, Tartakower can hardly be considered the author of this opening. He is given the credit for systematically investigating this style of play and making it socially acceptable.

Probably the first traditional Catalan game was played in 1894 between Joseph Henry Blackburne and John Washington Baird at the 9th DSB Congress in Leipzig . Long before 1929, Catalan positions often arose, mostly through the change of train from the English or the Reti opening. Earlier Catalan games with notable participation, which arose from the move order 1. d4 with early g3, were e.g. B. Edward Lasker versus José Raúl Capablanca , Lake Hapatcong 1926, and Milan Vidmar versus Aaron Nimzowitsch , New York 1927.

The opening was given its modern appearance in the 1937 World Championship rematch between Alexander Alekhine and Max Euwe .

The Catalan opening proved robust and successful. World champions and world-class players such as Alexander Alekhine , Michail Botwinnik , Samuel Reshevsky , Vasily Smyslow , Anatoli Karpow , Garri Kasparow and in the present Alexander Khalifman , Boris Gelfand , Wladimir Kramnik , Levon Aronian , Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen have played them with success. For example, Kramnik scored two wins and one draw in the 2006 World Cup match against Wesselin Topalow from three games with the Catalan opening . Also in the competition against Deep Fritz 10 in 2006, Kramnik used it twice and achieved a draw both times. In the World Cup match against Wesselin Topalow, Anand achieved two wins and two draws with the Catalan opening from four games.

literature

Alexander Raetzki, Maxim Tschetwerik: The Catalan opening. Schachverlag Kania, Schwieberdingen 2002, ISBN 3-931192-19-9 .
Nick de Firmian (Ed.): Batsford's Modern Chess Openings. Batsford, London 2000, ISBN 0-7134-8656-2 , pp. 497-510.
Angus Dunnington: Winning with the Catalan. Batsford, London 1997, ISBN 0-7134-8021-1 .
J. Neistadt : Catalan opening. 2 volumes. Schachverlag Rudi Schmaus, Heidelberg 1988.
Eric Schiller: How do you play Catalan? Rau-Verlag, Düsseldorf 1986, ISBN 3-7919-0249-0 ( Modern opening knowledge ).