Any Catalan Opening players?

https://www.chess.com/tournament/rs2-catalan-opening

In response to 1.d4...Nf6 2.c4...e6, I've been playing 3.Nc3 for quite a while.

Now I'm thinking of getting into the Catalan Opening with 3.g3 instead. Any opinions on that particular opening?

For anyone who wants to practice it or try it out, I've created a tournament (link above).

What, nobody? Has the Catalan been found to be unsound or sonething? In which case, why wasn't I informed? Or, is there some kind of stigma attached to it, so that nobody is willing to admit using it?

I'm a "former" Catalan player.  You have to be willing to play a Reverse Fianchetto, and the White side of the Slav Defense because the whole point behind the Catalan is that Black's Bishop is behind the pawn chain.

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6, you can play the catalan via 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6, you have 3.g3 here, as stated before

1.df4 d5 2.c4 c6, you need a line for the Slav.  Catalan is not good here as Black gets the Bishop outside the pawn chain

However, in the case of that middle line, and the one you post in post 1, you have to be willing to play a Fianchetto Benoni or Anti-Benoni lines of the English.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3, in addition to 3...d5, Black also has 3...c5.  You also have to watch out for Transpositions to the Tarrasch Defense, and make sure that you know which transpositions are legit, and which have a flaw for Black tactically.

I quit playing it because of the annoying lines like the Benoni that Black can play, and in the Catalan proper, it has a high draw ratio, even at the amateur level, and not many openings have a high draw ratio at the amateur level.

Thanks TF, some good food for thought there. I'm only looking to enter the Catalan via 1.d4...Nf6 2.c4...e6 3.g6. I don't mind playing against the Benoni, and sometimes find myself doing that after 1.d4...Nf6 2.c4...c5 3.d5. The Slav, too, is something I'm used to playing, via 1.d4...d5 2.c4...c6. No plans to play 3.g3 here atm. Basically, I'm just trying to avoid 1.d4...Nf6 2.c4...e6 3.Nc3...Bb4, because I'm a bit bored with it.

The other major third move for white after 1.d4...Nf6 2.c4...e6 (apart from 3.Nc3 and 3.g3) is 3.Nf3. I'll probably experiment with that a bit too.

As for the alleged drawishness, I'm thinking that can be a positive sometimes, when playing a much higher rated opponent, for example. The stats in the opening explorer over at 365chess don't make it look all that drawish, though, tbh.

So, I can see how these factors could deter some players from adopting it as a main weapon. It has enough positives to keep me interested in adding to my opening arsenal though, like the fianchettoed king's bishop.

You can play 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3! allowing Bb4 * Nimzo Indian) and still, play a Catalan position after 4.g3 followed by 5.Nf3 most of the times. It's the Romanishin variation of the Nimzo Indian which many of its mainlines lead to a Catalan territory position. At a club level, it's hard to find someone with Black's to know theory and deviate from main lines...so you will play a Catalan from a different move order.

Now you will tell me what kind of a Catalan is that with a knight on c3 , but if Magnus Carlsen prefers to play Nc3 from an original Catalan move order then i think it's fine to trust and play it from a Nimzo position.

Here a video by GM Alex Delorme (when he was IM) explain a few things about the line with Nc3.

The benoni can be played in your move order, and often is to avoid the flick knife attack.  They will play 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 or 3.g3 c5 while after 3.Nc3, they will play the Nimzo-Indian.

Thanks Bishop_g5. That variation looks interesting, but as a matter of personal taste, I want to avoid lines where black can exchange the b4 bishop for the knight on c3, even though that gives me the two bishops. After 1.d4...Nf6 2.c4...e6 3.Nc3...Bb4, I play 4.Qc2 (classical variation). I might try a few games with this Romanishin to test drive it

Thanks. Interesting game. Black did okay there, considering he had isolated tripled pawns for a while...

Thanks TF. I've never heard of the flick knife attack, so something else for me to check out.

Some books call it the flick knife attack, others the Taimanov variation.

It is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.f4 Bg7 and now 8.Nf3 would transpose to the Kings Indian Defense, Four Pawns Attack, but instead, White has the more disruptive 8.Bb5+ and many find this move so strong that so few play the Modern Benoni in its purest form and only play it via the nimzo move order, answering 3.Nc3 with the Nimzo-Indian and 3.Nf3 (f4 no longer possible)  or 3.g3 (a committal pawn move that does not fit in with the flick knife attack/Taimanov Variation of the Modern Benoni) with the Benoni.

When black has played d5 it is not really valid to dislike black playing BxN for "stylish" reasons. White is nearly always getting a much better position with two bishops, and can get rid of the double pawns, when feel like it, by exchanging on d5, and playing c4. The main disadvantage of Nc3 is black can play d5xc4 when it isn't easy to regain pawn, so white has to be comfortable playing a gambit.

The "game" in catalan with 9Na3 is in arguably the main line of catalan, were it is quite hard for white to get any advantage.  One of the triple pawns is an extra one, the front one is passed, can be tactical tricks with Ba6, the knight can be established on d5. From 12e4 e5 or so, it is so far unplayed software lines.

I play the first six moves of that line. Will look at maybe changing to 7.f4. Thanks. Very helpful input.

I agree there is probably nothing objectively wrong with the position.

Get out a board and pieces and make the moves.

Those that don't need a diagram versus those that do is what distinguishes the motivated from the lazy!  The hard working from those that expect to be spoon fed.  Gen X (and prior) from Millenials (and later).  Etc.

If one decides to play the Catalan as White, you should expect that Black is going to play _dxc4, usually sooner rather later, because with the light-squared bishop on g2, White has to get creative on how to regain the pawn on c4 - or resign himself to simply be down a pawn. Ironically, it is easier for White to recover this pawn if Black plays _dxc4 early. It's more difficult if Black delays it. For instance, if Black has not yet castled, White can often play Qa4+ and grab the pawn on c4 with his queen. There are also opportunities for White to play Ne5-c4 to capture the pawn. There are some variations where White has his queen-knight on d2 which also attacks the c4 square. I've played the Catalan a lot and I have found the capture on c4 can be a problem if Black prepares it. Black can often play b5, Bb7 and a6. White playing a4 doesn't disrupt this attempt on Black's part to hold on to the c4-pawn as much as in variations where White has his bishop on the f1-a6 diagonal. All I'm saying is just be prepared to work to get that pawn back in the Catalan.  

Trying to recover the pawn, however, really plays against the spirit of the Catalan. White should probably just building a huge center.

The Catalan is very interesting. It's like a Queen's Gambit Declined but with more theory and positional aspects. Essentially, as white, you try to get pawns in the center and put a knight on e5, etc. Black has lots of ways to play, whether he wants to go for Be7 or Bb4. I don't really play the Catalan but it seems interesting enough to try.