The Catalan is a promise that the g2-bishop will matter long after the first exchanges. You do not need a quick attack to make that promise pay. Learn the Open and Closed roads, drill the two pawn breaks and the c4-pawn traps, then play positions where a small long-diagonal edge has to become a real decision.
Eight lines, one at a time: five played as White and three met as Black. Work through the Open and Closed Catalan first, then the two Anti-Catalan move orders, the poisoned c4-pawn, and Black's c-file plan. The shared board provides the move-by-move context.
Keyboard: ← → step through the moves. Click any move chip to jump.
Source trail: the Catalan guide and recorded position bank supply this course’s lines, drill boards, and coaching triggers. Its five Test Yourself boards carry the guide’s answers: Bxc6 (+0.13), Bd7 (-0.33), a4 (+0.55), Bd2 (+0.79), and e4 (+0.30).
Sixteen board decisions revisit the long diagonal, the c4-pawn, central breaks, and tactical c-file moments. Each line receives two drills; shuffled order makes the position—not a memorized sequence—do the teaching.
Keyboard: Enter next drill · H hint · R reset the position.
Pick one of six positions, set the bot from 600 to 2500, and play. The coach card speaks when the game reaches an Open or Closed Catalan decision, an Anti-Catalan, the a4 break, or the c-file tactic. Run the review when the game ends.
Six Catalan starting points: the base setup, the four seeded book variations, and the poisoned c4-pawn position. Each gives both colors a mirrored, board-checkable target.
Three directions, each with a reason. Everything below links to a page that exists today.
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