catalan - tag

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. Magnus Carlsen made the Catalan his main weapon […]

Catalan and its Typical Plans. We live in a time where technology is part of our everyday life. Information is easily accessible to everybody. Those are things that are clearly reflected in the development of the chess theory. With the help of computers, many lines have been refuted, while some openings have been demonstrated to […]

“I don’t believe in fortresses.” – Magnus Carlsen I understand Carlsen’s famous quote, not at face value, but rather as an understanding of chess’s nearly infinite possibilities. Carlsen himself has shown in a lot of his games and how seemingly easily drawn games can be won by finding hidden resources in the position. Still, fortresses […]

Catalan Endgames were very important when I analyzed with my students the game between the Bulgarian Grandmaster Ivan Cheparinov and the Indian Grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna. I then realized a few things about this particular structure that arises from the Catalan opening.

Catalan game is an opening that combines Queen‘s gambit and Reti in one. Catalan was employed by many strong players including ex-world champions Vladimir Kramnik as well as Vishy Anand. It is also popular on the club level and maybe a good opening choice for many. Here are some of the best games on This […]

Catalan Endgame has slowly gained popularity at the top level. It gives white a solid position that he can keep improving and try to play for the win. The bishop on g2 is one of the key pieces in this opening, as it supports white’s main plans: the central break with e4 and the attack […]

Catalan Opening is one of white’s main weapons against the Queen’s Gambit Declined nowadays. The popularity of this opening has increased greatly over the last 10 years thanks to the efforts of players like Kramnik and Gelfand, who used this variation frequently at the highest level with big success. When it comes to the Catalan, […]