Opening family
Catalan Opening Lines and Variations
The Catalan Opening family contains 30 named lines in this opening book, spanning ECO E00 to E09. Use this page as the map, then open individual lines for exact move orders and diagrams.
How to study this family
White
White should use the move order as a checkpoint: finish development, identify the central break, and compare the continuations below before memorizing moves.
Black
Black should ask what White is threatening in the center, then choose development moves that prepare a clean pawn break or a useful exchange.
Start with the shortest line, then branch to the variations that change the pawn structure or tactical target. Memorizing every branch before understanding the family plan is usually wasted work.
Main named lines
- E00 · Catalan Opening
- E00 · Catalan Opening
- E00 · Catalan Opening: Hungarian Gambit
- E01 · Catalan Opening: Closed
- E02 · Catalan Opening: Open Defense
- E04 · Catalan Opening: Open Defense
- E06 · Catalan Opening: Closed
- E04 · Catalan Opening: Open Defense
- E05 · Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line
- E03 · Catalan Opening: Open Defense
- E04 · Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Modern Sharp Variation
- E05 · Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line
- E07 · Catalan Opening: Closed
- E03 · Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Alekhine Variation
- E08 · Catalan Opening: Closed
- E07 · Catalan Opening: Closed, Botvinnik Variation
- E08 · Catalan Opening: Closed
- E09 · Catalan Opening: Closed, Main Line
- E06 · Catalan Opening: Closed
- E08 · Catalan Opening: Closed
- E09 · Catalan Opening: Closed Variation, Rabinovich Variation
- E09 · Catalan Opening: Closed Variation, Traditional Variation
- E08 · Catalan Opening: Closed
- E08 · Catalan Opening: Closed, Zagoryansky Variation
Deep theory branches
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 c6 8. Bf4 b6 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. e4 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 — Catalan Opening: Closed, Main Line
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Be7 4. Bg2 d5 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 c6 8. b3 b6 9. Rd1 Bb7 10. Nc3 b5 — Catalan Opening: Closed, Spassky Gambit
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 c6 8. Nbd2 b6 9. b3 a5 10. Bb2 Ba6 — Catalan Opening: Closed, Sokolsky Variation
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 c6 8. Bf4 b6 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. e4 — Catalan Opening: Closed
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O c6 7. Qc2 b6 8. Nbd2 Bb7 9. e4 Na6 — Catalan Opening: Closed
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O c6 7. Qc2 b6 8. Nbd2 Bb7 9. e4 Nbd7 — Catalan Opening: Closed, Main Line
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O c6 7. Qc2 b6 8. Rd1 Nbd7 9. Bf4 — Catalan Opening: Closed
- 1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 c6 8. Rd1 b6 9. a4 — Catalan Opening: Closed, Zagoryansky Variation
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O c6 8. Bf4 b6 — Catalan Opening: Closed
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 c6 8. b3 b6 — Catalan Opening: Closed
- 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Qc2 e6 5. Nbd2 Be7 6. g3 Nbd7 7. Bg2 O-O 8. O-O b5 — Catalan Opening: Closed Variation, Rabinovich Variation
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 c6 8. Nbd2 b6 — Catalan Opening: Closed Variation, Traditional Variation
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Nc3 c6 8. Qd3 — Catalan Opening: Closed, Botvinnik Variation
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 c6 8. b3 — Catalan Opening: Closed
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 c6 8. Nbd2 — Catalan Opening: Closed, Main Line
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Nbd7 6. Qxc4 a6 7. Qc2 — Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Alekhine Variation