CanadianClub wrote on 05/10/22 at 14:59:07:


The Catalan deserves a lot of respect, as do the exchange variation, QGD Bg5, and QGD Bf4. Black certainly has many responses for you to consider. I'm not actually recommending:

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 c5

I've looked at it in some depth. I find it intriguing, perhaps even bizarre. It may not be the best line. It might be the hardest line to learn. On the plus side, it may take white out of his comfort zone by introducing a little chaos and discord into the position.

I find the following Catalan line to be interesting:

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 dc4 5. Bg2 Bb4 6. Bd2, and now 6...c5!?
This was recommended by GM Delchev at modern-chess.com. It was also covered in two games at ChessPub: Bang-Oosterom 2006 analyzed by Max Illingworth, and Dzagnidze Zatonskih 2011 analyzed by John Bartholomew.

6...c5 looks a little odd to me. I rejected it at first, then became intrigued. Clearly it holds the bishop, and pressures the center. However it looks like the black c pawn is overloaded and cannot perform both functions. Delchev analyzes 7dxc, 7Bxb4, 7Qc1, and 7a3. He also mentions 7.0-0, but it mostly transposes to one of the four moves above.

I think many players will play 7Qc2, not mentioned by Delchev. I think that Black is absolutely good after a sequence that is not absolutely obvious: 7.Qc2 Bd2! 8.Nbd2 cd4 9. Nc4 Nc6 10. O-O d3. 10...d3! is the key move to equality. Black returns the pawn, but inflicts white with an isolated and easily blockaded queen pawn.  If the queen were on c1 instead, White could respond with Rd1 with advantage.

Delchev says of 7a3 "In my opinion, this is the most dangerous line."

7. a3! Bd2 8.Nbd2 cd4 9. Nc4 Nc6 10. O-O O-O Delchev analyzes alternatives and concludes that 11. Rc1! is best. Here Delchev chooses 11...a5! Max Illingworth at ChessPub also analyzes 11...Rb8!?

After 11...a5 Delchev covers a few moves for white, concentrating on 12.Nfe5. Illingworth likewise analyzes 12Nfe5.

Delchev also looks at
12. Qd2 Ne4!
12...d3!? was played in the game Vishnu Prasanna (IND)-Raja Rithvik R (IND) 2021 AICF World Cup Qualifier won by Black. White played 13. exd, but might have done better with 13. e3.

After 12. Qd2 Ne4, Delchev continues with with 13Qc2. More aggressive is 13Qf4!?

13. Qf4! f5!? 14.Nfe5
The game Gnusarev Pavel (KAZ)-Barsov Alexei (UZB) It (open) Pavlodar (Kazakhstan) Round 6, 2014, was agreed drawn in this complex position. I suggest 14...g5!?

14Nce5 Qf6 is likewise interesting.

So to recap:

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 dc4 5. Bg2 Bb4 6. Bd2 c5!? 7. a3!? Bd2 8.Nbd2 cd4 9. Nc4 Nc6 10. O-O O-O 11. Rc1! a5!? 12. Qd2 Ne4 13. Qf4!? f5 14.Nfe5 g5.

leads to complex play and is as critical as any other line in this variation.

Thanks all to those who took the poll, made comments, or simply viewed the discussion. Additional comments are welcome.

I consider these five ...Bb4ch Catalan lines worthy of discussion. That said, there are also many interesting lines that Black can choose that do not include ...Bb4ch. I don't think the check is a panacea for Black. While some authors of black repertoires play ...Bb4ch, some do not.

The five lines I identified generally lead to very different play. The same could be said of the many lines Black can choose that omit the check.

Kyuken wrote on 03/27/22 at 06:57:10:


I just loaded the Short and Sweet Catalan Lifetime Repertoire. GM Narayanan answers 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Bb4ch with 5Nbd2. However after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 dc4 5. Bg2 Bb4ch he plays 6Bd2.

You are right of course that Bb4ch, on either move 4 or 5, can be answered by Nbd2 and this must be considered. For that matter, white can also block the check with Nc3.

I should clarify something I wrote earlier. When I mentioned my games data base, I was referring to the the Chess Assistant database of more than 7 million games, not a database of games that I have played.

ErictheRed wrote on 03/25/22 at 21:22:19:


They have to be looked at also.

Blocking with the bishop is most common by far in my games data base and, I think, most often recommended. Viewed from the black perspective, I thought I'd start there.

One day and 6 hours left to the poll in case you want to vote or comment.

Not sure what the point of the poll is - chess isn't a democracy, after all 

FreeRepublic wrote on 03/21/22 at 11:59:51:


P.S. I have not voted yet myself! I don't think I will be able to see a tally until I vote. The tally will not be visible to all until the vote comes to an end.

Anyone wishing to offer opinions or discussion, should feel free to do so. As the person who set up this poll, I will try to keep my mouth shut until it has concluded 

CanadianClub wrote on 03/21/22 at 11:24:31:

Did you scroll the screen so that you saw the radio buttons and select one? I cannot vote for you and that is the only way to get a correct official tally. 

A little discussion.

I have studied the Catalan and can truly say that I have an incomplete and superficial knowledge of many variations. Here is an overview of the ...Bb4ch lines as I understand them.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Bb4ch 5. Bd2 Be7.
With this sequence Black argues that the bishop is misplaced on d2. Play may continue 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 Nbd7 8.Qc2 c6 9.Rd1 b6, or 9...Ne4 as advocated by IM Rodi at Modern-chess. These are closed lines and somewhat less interesting to me. However I have to admit that strong-pointing the pawn on d5 limits the scope of the Catalan bishop.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Bb4ch 5. Bd2 a5.
I believe this is the newest and least explored line. It receives favorable mention at ChessPub. After 6. Bg2 O-O 7. Qc2 I think black does best to continue energetically with 7...c5!? 8. cd5 cd4!? 9. Nd4 Qb6! 10. e3 ed5 11. O-O Nc6. I think this is a pretty good isolated queen pawn line for black.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Bb4ch 5. Bd2 Bd6.
This was recommended by IM Richard Pert in his book on the Ragozin. It has been called the Ukrainian variation. Black thinks the black squared bishop will be more useful on d6 than on e7. It has been studied some, but I think it is far from mapped out. It leads to distinctive play.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 dc4 5. Bg2 Bb4ch 6. Bd2 a5
This was recommended by IM John Cox in his 2011 book on the Queen's Gambit Declined. The critical line may be 7. Qc2 Bd2
8. Qd2! (8Nbxd2 is natural and I think that is the move many players will choose.) 8...c6 9. a4 b5 10. axb5 cxb5 11. Qg5! This fork of the g and b pawns is the reason white played 8Qxd2. 11...O-O 12. Qb5 Ba6! White has played both 13Qa4 and 13Qxa5. White has the better ending but Cox thinks Black will hold the balance.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 dc4 5. Bg2 Bb4ch 6. Bd2 c5.
This has been recommended by GM Delchev at Modern-Chess. Black holds the bishop and strikes in the enter. The play can go off in many different directions. Here is one. 7. Bb4 cb4 8. Ne5 O-O 9. a3 Nd5 10. Nc4. Here black can consider 10...b5, 10...Qc7 or 10...Nc6. To the naked eye, the position is a bit of a jumble but Black's game looks reasonable. Engines like White but playing on, engines reconsider and admit equality.

Insofar as white has alternative lines regardless of black's choice, it would be better for black to know one line well, than to have the smattering of knowledge across variations indicated above. But which line should black study?