Catalan Opening

ECO E01-E09intermediate

The Catalan — 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 — fuses the Queen's Gambit with a kingside fianchetto, and the g2 bishop's pressure on the long diagonal defines everything: in the Open Catalan (...dxc4) it bears down on b7 and the queenside, letting White regain the pawn with lasting pressure; in the Closed, White's extra space accumulates quietly. It is the squeeze weapon of modern champions — Kramnik, Carlsen and Ding have won countless 'nothing' positions with it.

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Main line

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Diagram shows the position after 6 half-moves of the main line. On SpeakChess you can drill this line move by move — the trainer plays the other side and corrects you instantly, then spaced repetition schedules each variation so you review it right before you would forget it.

Move by move

The first 12 moves of the main line, explained one at a time. Every move of every variation is annotated like this inside the trainer — this page shows the opening moves so you can judge the explanations before signing up.

White advances the pawn to d4, staking a claim in the center and giving the bishop and queen room to develop.
Black brings the knight to f6, a great central square where it attacks the d5 and e4 squares and gets ready for action early.
White pushes the c-pawn to c4, grabbing more space in the center. Together with d4, these two pawns form a strong central pair.
Black moves the e-pawn to e6, opening a path for the dark-squared bishop and making the center more solid.
White nudges the g-pawn to g3, making room for the bishop to slide to g2. This is the start of the famous Catalan setup!
Black advances the d-pawn to d5, striking right at the center and fighting for equal space with White.
The bishop glides to g2, sitting powerfully on the long diagonal and pointing all the way toward the queenside. This is the heart of the Catalan.
Black captures the white pawn on c4 with the d-pawn — a common Catalan trick to grab a free pawn and make White work to win it back.
The knight hops to f3, a strong central square. It supports the d4 pawn and keeps an eye on important squares in the middle of the board.
Black develops the knight to c6, bringing another piece into the game and putting pressure on the d4 and e5 squares.
White castles kingside, tucking the king safely behind the pawns and bringing the rook to f1 where it can be active.
Black moves the rook from a8 to b8, getting it off the corner and preparing to support queenside pawns along the b-file.

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Win rates by rating

Results from real online games, measured after the line shown in each row. Most opening sites show one aggregate number — how an opening scores depends heavily on who is playing it.

Rating	Games	White wins	Draws	Black wins	Position after
400-600	69	47.8%	1.4%	50.7%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4
600-800	75	64%	4%	32%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.O-O
800-1000	590	55.6%	2.9%	41.5%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.O-O
1000-1200	154	52.6%	3.9%	43.5%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.O-O
1200-1400	3,033	59.2%	3.1%	37.6%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.O-O
1400-1600	36	41.7%	2.8%	55.6%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.O-O Rb8
1600-1800	494	59.3%	4.3%	36.4%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.O-O
1800-2000	29	48.3%	3.4%	48.3%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.O-O Rb8
2000-2200	100	51%	1%	48%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.O-O Rb8
2200-2400	164	45.7%	6.1%	48.2%	1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.O-O Rb8

Most played continuations (1200-1400 rating)

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

Bd6 — played 36.4% of the time (White wins 59.9%, draws 2.6%, Black wins 37.5%)
Bb4 — played 15.7% of the time (White wins 57.6%, draws 3.4%, Black wins 39%)
Be7 — played 14.9% of the time (White wins 56.9%, draws 4.2%, Black wins 38.9%)

Frequently asked questions

Why is the Catalan so popular at the top level?

Low risk, persistent pressure, endgame-proof. White's edge is small but extraordinarily durable — the g2 bishop remains strong through every simplification, and there is no forcing line that liquidates the pressure. For players strong in technical positions it converts at a remarkable rate.

How should Black play against the Catalan?

The two healthiest recipes: the Open with ...dxc4 followed by quick ...a6/...b5 or ...c5 returning the pawn for activity, or the Closed ...Bb4+ and ...c6 setups keeping the wall intact. The one thing Black cannot do is drift — passive setups are exactly what the Catalan grinds down.