Markovich wrote on 10/14/10 at 15:20:57:
It took me some days to realize it, but I think that with 5...a6 6.O-O Nc6 7.a4, Black has the significant resource 7...Na5!?, e.g. 8.Nbd2 c5 9.dxc5 Bxc5 10.Ne5 c3 with what seems to me to be a rather reasonable game.
In that specific move order white can and should head for Avrukh's analysis instead of playing 7. a4.
5...Nc6 6. 0-0 Rb8 is the continuation that 7. a4 works against.
Quote:Incidentally, 7...Na5 was Palliser's recommendation in his book "Tango!" (transposing from... the Black Knights' Tango). He even seemed to say White is struggling to equalize there. White's best according to him is 8.Nbd2 c5 9.Qc2!? cxd4 10.Nxc4 d3!? 11.exd3 Nd5 and "The d5-steed is pretty strong and d3 is isolated, but White enjoys the better development". He also finds 8.Nc3!? interesting and eventually equal, quoting Inkiov-Van der Wiel, 1983.
Tango! uses 6...Rb8, not Markovich's mentioned move order.
Marin claims a white initiative in your first line with 12. Bg5 Qc7 (12...f6 weakens e6) 13. Rfc1.
Quote:There is also 7...b6!? intending usually Bb7 and Na5, given by Raetsky and Chetverik in their Catalan book (at least in the 2001 German edition which is the only one I have). Their main line follows this game:
7...b6 isn't best met by 8. Na3 according to Marin, he dismisses it as just allowing equality. He likes white after the immediate 8. e4.
The Marin database has games up to February of '04, but has analysis that is actually deeper than a lot of newer resources in numerous lines. Anyone that's interested in the Catalan needs to get it, even more so since Marin is one of the biggest Catalan experts around.