The Catalan is a modern positional opening: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2. White combines Queen's Gambit ideas with the g2 fianchetto, whose bishop rakes the long diagonal. The main branches are gathered here: the Open and Closed Catalan, the ...a6 variation and the Qa4+ variation. At each branching point, choose which line to play.
The dimmed moves are the rest of the main line, and the dots mark branching points. Click any move to jump to that position.
The thin arrow on the board shows the next move.
You can also play the move on the board: pick the piece up and put it on the square.
The starting position. Choose your moves - at a branching point several continuations are available.
The Catalan (named after Barcelona, where it was introduced at a tournament in 1929) combines two powerful weapons: a Queen's Gambit structure and the g2 fianchetto. That bishop is the soul of the opening: it presses down the a8-h1 diagonal, above all against d5 and Black's queenside.
The main idea is long-term positional pressure with minimal risk. White does not go looking for early tactics but improves his position calmly, relying on the g2 bishop and his space. He will often even give up the c4 pawn temporarily for the initiative.
The Catalan is a favourite weapon of the modern elite: Kramnik, Carlsen and other champions who value a squeezing game have used it brilliantly.
In the Open Catalan Black takes the pawn with 4...dxc4. White either wins it straight back with 5.Qa4+ or develops with 5.Nf3, giving up the pawn temporarily for the initiative and the g2 bishop's pressure - and Black often finds ...a6 and ...b5 insufficient to hold it.
In the Closed Catalan Black holds the d5 pawn with 4...Be7 and gets a solid but somewhat cramped position. White presses slowly while Black looks for the moment for the freeing ...c5 or ...dxc4.
The Catalan combines the Queen's Gambit with a fianchetto: c4, d4 and the bishop on g2. That bishop is the opening's main piece: it rakes the long diagonal right through the opponent's queenside and creates pressure that exchanges do not relieve.
The main choice is between the Open and the Closed. In the Open, Black takes on c4 and White wins the pawn back with Qa4+ or Ne5 and a strong initiative. In the Closed the game runs slower: Qc2, Rd1, e4 at the right moment, and pressure that builds gradually.
Its practical value is that the Catalan hardly ever loses: the structure is healthy, there are no weaknesses, and the g2 bishop works all game. That is exactly why it is so popular at the top.
The first route is to take the pawn and give it back in good time: ...dxc4 and then ...a6 with ...b5, returning the material in exchange for queenside development and an active c8 bishop. Holding the pawn at any cost is the standard mistake.
The second is the closed set-up with ...Be7, ...0-0, ...c6 or ...Nbd7, preparing ...dxc4 at a convenient moment or the ...c5 break. The main thing is to solve the c8 bishop, or it stays a spectator.
The key guideline: as long as the g2 bishop presses down the diagonal, Black can hardly breathe. Any exchange that relieves that pressure is worth considering, even at the cost of simplification.
The typical set-ups this opening leads to - learn them, and the plan follows by itself.
Black has taken the c4 pawn and holds it with ...a6. White is in no hurry to win the material back: the g2 bishop presses down the long diagonal and the compensation is positional.
These are the main named variations. Click any one of them and it loads straight onto the board above, where you can play it out move by move. The trainer itself holds more lines than this: it also covers main-line continuations and transpositions that have no name of their own.
What to avoid, and what catches an unprepared opponent.
Black tries to keep the material and falls behind in development. White plays a4 and opens the queenside, where the opponent has nothing ready.
A mistake for White: the g2 bishop is the Catalan. Trade it off without a good reason and White is simply a pawn down with no compensation.
Traps in other openings - the 12 most common opening traps.
The key difference is the fianchetto with g3 and Bg2. White combines a Queen's Gambit structure with a powerful bishop on the long diagonal pressing on d5 and the queenside. That gives the opening its distinctive squeezing, positional character.
It is unpleasant above all because of the sustained pressure: with almost no risk White slowly squeezes the opponent with the g2 bishop. Black needs precise defence and needs to know when to return the pawn and how to trade off the dangerous bishop - otherwise White's edge grows by itself.
It is a deliberate gambit treatment: for the temporarily sacrificed pawn White gets a lead in development and very strong pressure from the g2 bishop. Black often finds clinging to the material unprofitable and gives the pawn back to finish developing.
The Catalan is the calling card of the modern positional school. Vladimir Kramnik and Magnus Carlsen have handled it brilliantly, as have many elite grandmasters who like a low-risk squeeze.
Want the tactics that decide these positions? Start with the 12 most common opening traps and tactics for beginners. If you are just starting out, read the rules of chess and how to set up the board.
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