rezzy wrote on 07/11/26 at 16:06:07:

rezzy - You might want to try Countering the Queen's Gambit by GM Michael Prusikin (New in Chess, 2022). As the title indicates, the book mostly presents a Black repertoire against the Queen's Gambit. However, it also has a fifteen-page chapter on the Closed Catalan for Black. Prusikin follows the traditional Catalan move order1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 c6. Now he covers 7.b3, 7.Nc3, and his main move 7.Qc2. He answers 7.Nc3 with 7...Nbd7.

Regarding your request for a universal approach, Prusikin notes, "White can try to muddy the waters with a different move order, such as castling first and delaying c2-c4. In the move order with 4...Be7, Black may, to put it in a somewhat exaggerated way, play his first 6 moves 'blind' without worrying about White's antics".

Although Prusikin doesn't state it explicitly, this insensitivity to White's move order would also seem to apply to the Nf3 + Nc3 combination that concerned you. For example, After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7, White can play 5.Bg5, which produces a normal QGD. Prusikin recommends the Tartakower Variation here, but since you're already playing the QGD you can substitute your usual way of meeting the Queen's Gambit. If White instead goes for 5.g3, Black can transpose to Prusikin's Closed Catalan line with 5...0-0 6.Bg2 c6 7.0-0 Nbd7.

To be precise, Prusikin devotes an entire chapter to meeting 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 with 4...a6, so his chapter on the Tartarkower solely follows the move order 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 and now 4.Bg5, with Nf3 being played later.

A bit more on universality: the book also recommends meeting the English and Reti with some combination of ...d5, ...e6, and ...Nf6, so transpositions to the Catalan from these openings are also in the repertoire. (Prusikin also gives recommendations for those English and Reti lines that don't transpose).

Finally, I haven't mentioned it before, but the Closed Catalan is generally regarded as solid.  In fact, his book PCO: Practical Chess Openings, GM Martyn Kravtsiv describes it as "very solid". One problem with adopting the Closed Catalan is that you'll have to learn it in addition to or instead of your current line with 4...dxc4. However, as you note yourself, that line doesn't have the same universality with respect to move order.

Hello,

I recently picked up the Queen's Gambit declined as black with a FIDE rating at 1900.

Arriving at the Catalan'ish via the QGD move order:

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. g3 

Against proper Catalan move order, I use a simple line:

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 c5 6. O-O Nc6 

Is there some universal way of handling the Nf3, Nc3 and Nf3+Nc3 move order into the Catalan that is solid? Perhaps a book that would cover this? 

Thanks.