Catalan Opening
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3
An opening for White
Fianchetto the bishop and squeeze from the long diagonal.
Show me the opening
0 / 5 moves
The idea
White combines the Queen's Gambit with a kingside fianchetto, putting powerful pressure on the d5-h8 diagonal. The bishop on g2 targets the queenside while White maintains a strong centre.
The plan
Develop the bishop to g2, castle, and use the bishop's long-range power to press on the queenside. White often gains the bishop pair after Black plays ...dxc4 and tries to hold the pawn.
What to play next
After fianchettoing the bishop to g2, Black plays ...d5 and develops with ...Be7 and ...O-O. When Black takes the c4 pawn, White plays Qc2 to target it. Black's ...a6 prepares ...b5 to hold the pawn. White follows up with a4 or Ne5 to recover the pawn or gain positional compensation.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O dxc4 7.Qc2 a6
Watch the typical continuation
Show me the opening
0 / 14 moves
One tip for beginners
The Catalan is a favourite of top players because the bishop on g2 is permanently active. Castle early and play Qc2 to target the c4 pawn that Black might try to hold.
What to watch out for
If Black takes the c4 pawn and plays ...a6 and ...b5, don't panic. White has excellent compensation with the long-diagonal bishop and open files.
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