The Catalan Opening - How do I handle this counter?
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You should welcome 2... dxc4. It's the Queen's Gambit Accepted and it leaves White with the better game, I think. After 3.e4, you've got great central control, open lines for your bishops, and you're likely going to get your pawn back unless your opponent wants to hinder his own development to save it. Why would you want to play the Catalan when you can have an even better position? It's important to play the best moves, even if they break away from the original plan. If a different plan benefits you more, it's okay to change.
I didn't think about it that way... I think I like the Catalan opening even MORE now - becuase it's almost as if they either let you do it or end up disadvantaged. The Queen's Gambit Accepted. Thanks for letting me know. Let me play it out...
It can be argued whether the Queen's Gambit Accepted is better for white than allowing the Catalan. That would be mostly a matter of taste.
One 'problem' that playing the QGA gives is having to understand an extra series of opening positions - quite many really - that don't look a whole lot like each other. I think there isn't much wrong with pursuing your Catalan a bit more; anyway in the Open Catalan black captures on c4 so why not try for these positions?
Sure, Black can deviate, for example with 3...a6, forcing you into some Queen's Gambit Accepted lines, but these are more manageable than the whole of QGA theory after 3. e4 (or e3).
No matter what you try, Black can always deviate and not allow a Catalan (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5, for one). So don't worry too much about that. Just try to maximise the number of times you DO get to play the Catalan!
Thank you Marvol, that's enlightening. I'd like a little more information on 3...a6 though. I'm not I understand how that's a good move for black. Would you mind developing that line a bit for me?
Actually, in my Shredder 11 openings book 3...a6 is the second most popular reply (after 3...Nf6).
The idea behind it is that after white recaptures on c4, ...b5 will come with tempo (nudging the bishop away) and black can fianchetto, while also having gained some space on the queenside.
The immediate 3...b5 runs into a4 which puts lots of pressure on black's pawns. However 3...a6 is less committal and if white tries the same idea, a4, this weakens b3 and black reasons that even if he now will lose the c4-pawn the move a4 has done more bad to white than ...a6 did to him.
(There are some variations in the move lists)
Sorry, forgot the lines with 3...b5, which are bad for black (variation in move list).
I'm also a fan of Catalan opening lately.
Black will play dxc4 sooner or later. There are couple of ways to counter.
1. Qc2 and later capture the pawn. If black will try to defend the pawn he will be at a disadvantage because he might weaken his queenside.
2. Nd2
3. Qa4+
4.Ne5.
Qc2 seems to be the most popular lately according to opening books. But since we are not GMs here any of the ideas above might work.
If you want to get the pawn back in the QGA, here is how you do so.
KillaBeez - I really like that solution.
I'll suggest a whole other way to approach the Catalan while avoiding some of the alternatives that come up including the QGA (as well as some gambits, Nimzo, etc). I have been an e4 player my whole life and wanted to learn to play d4. So, I have began opening with 1.Nf3 2.d4 3.g3, 4.Bg2, 5.O-O and only now play 6.c4. This seems to almost always transpose to main line Catalan. Check out my online games to see many of my examples. The hardest "anti-catalan" lines against this move order seems to be those with ....Bf5 prior to ...e6, but a timely Nh4 seems to adequately challenge the bishop and give plenty of play for White. The one point I'll make is that as an e4 player, I can sometimes tranpose back to normal e4 lines when I feel like I am heading into unfamiliar territory. For example, I never face a King's Indian because I transpose to a Pirc.
When I was a Catalan player, I didn't play c4 until after I castled. But I was also prepared to meet the Symmetrical English and the Reversed Gruenfeld.
What's with the strange layout on this page?
One way to put black off is to start with 1. Nf3 and after 1. ... d5 2. d4, Nf6 3. c4, e6 4. g3 set up ur catalan system
dc is more or less better for white. It releases central tension and it allows white to play freeing moves like e4 of the main line, Nf3. Na3 is a big mistake because it goes against basic opening principles- Aim to develop towards the centre and 'A Knight on the rim is dim'
hello chess enthusiast! this is still regarding catalan system. what if black answers is benoni defense?
It won't be possible to get into a Catalan every game when you have white.
You could play 4. g3 and allow 4...cxd4 5. Nxd4 with an acceptable game but less of an advantage than the main line.
Dontaks wrote:
hello chess enthusiast! this is still regarding catalan system. what if black answers is benoni defense?
Hi, in this case I guess you can use a couple of options, both of them valid. You can opt either for the classical advance d5. In most of the cases you're gonna transpose into the Benko gambit, where you can play Qc2 in order to support e4 and then b3, Bb2 might come, Nbd2, etc. However in this case since the a8-h1 is blocked we should consider developing the light-squared bishop to e2 or d3.
The second option, and this is my personal choice, is going on with the Catalan plan of g3 and Bg2, letting black take on d4 in order to retake Nxd4 and centralize the knight, keeping the long diagonal open for our bishop. It's a very playable plan, and white maintains the iniciative and control over the center. This latter set-up could look like this:
Just a matter of taste. Regards.
the catalan is only d4 d5 c4 e6 and now g3 from white
the first post would be kid fiancetto var.
I would appreciate any help with countering ...d5.