Catalan: beating 2100s with simple positional chess

[@mehmetkaganayan9094]

I love your videos especially about the catalan thanks a lot

[@Sandfox07]

One and a half hours of content? Wow, youre a madman, thank you so much!

[@johnsimmons6136]

At least for myself your actual games of playing the Catalan are the most helpful. I hope that you do more. Thank you for your videos!

[@jasonbraun3149]

Another good Catalan video. I recognized my game in there at 27:25!

[@MartinZanichelli]

You can enter via Reti and then transpose, thus avoiding rare variants. That is how Ribli and Ulf Andersson always entered. 1.Nf3 2.c4 3.g3 4.Bg2 and later d4 instead of the Reti follow up.

[@jamiewalkerdine3705]

The advantage of this is you can also play the Reti :p

[@SamAsakaChess]

Yes, also valid way of playing. You might allow stuff like 1.nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 though, which personally isn't to my taste.

[@MartinZanichelli]

@@jamiewalkerdine3705 Sure, LOL

[@thimojansen5136]

Great video Sam, quite unique in the chess scene. You're not only talking concrete lines or general concepts, but also some more specific concepts which really gives me the impression I'm actually learning. For example in Catalan, if lightsquare bishops are gone c5 makes less sense. Or the stuff about if black pawns are on b6/c7 still. Idea of c5 in that stonewall game that engine mentioned never crossed my mind, with Bx and Rc5 follow up. For sure I will recognize these things if these happen now. Thanks!

[@SamAsakaChess]

Appreciate the kind words.

[@GigaShiv]

Alex Banzea type series, i love this!

[@ChimeMemeh]

you are too good at chess yoh

[@zavalajoseraul]

I think I want to learn the Catalan but I'm not sure which system to use. I saw scielecki's keep it simple where he delays C5 and also shankland's LTR where he delays D5. Does anyone have any recommendations?

[@banihas22]

How do you handle an earlish b5 by black to clamp down on c4

[@SamAsakaChess]

yeah that's a challenging line. Which one do you mean though like ...b5 with ...d5 or ...b5 without ...d5?

[@banihas22]

@@SamAsakaChess with d5

[@SamAsakaChess]

Yeah so I think most critical way to play is with a quick a4, and meet ...b4 with c4

[@Sandfox07]

I would really like a video about the dutch with g6 and d6. Somehow I feel lost in the positions, I always allow some kind of e5 and I just cant figure out what to play for with white.

[@detaildevil6544]

The Catalan is solid but the Bb4+ lines offer nothing but draws for White. I now just go for the Queens Gambit or Slavs instead.

[@SamAsakaChess]

Solid line, but "offers nothing but draws" is just not true at all on a practical level for most non-elite players. Also, move order I recommend in this video avoids ...Bb4+ lines - as I explained in the introduction.

[@detaildevil6544]

@@SamAsakaChess 2:18 It looks like you were about to go into the BB4+ variation. I don't think White can truly avoid it without other disappointing lines. I analyzed the BB4 lines at great depth using Chessify cloud servers. This is what I deem to be the most promising variation if both players play perfectly: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O c6 8. Qc2 Nbd7 9. Rd1 b6 10. Bf4 Bb7 11. Ne5 Nh5 12. Bc1 Nhf6 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. Nc6 Bxc6 15. Qxc6 Rc8 16. Qb5 Ne8 17. Nc3 Nd6 18. Qd3 Nf6 19. f3 Nc4 20. b3 Na5 21. Bb2 Nc6 22. e3 Qd7 23. Rac1

[@piscarys]

New subscriber here :D As a Lichess Bullet 1800 player I might be interested in your private lessons. Any hints on the pricing? Also, we could record and share the lessons on youtube, if you are interested. I would insist on you cropping the board correctly in the video though... :P

[@SamAsakaChess]

Message me on lichess @RoadToInfinity

[@pratyushranjan3913]

did you make your opening repertoire by your own analyses or did you use a book or a course? if yes, please do tell which ones

[@milosjovanovic4218]

Please make a course on Catalan repertoire and take my money!

[@SamAsakaChess]

It's a work in progress.

[@milosjovanovic4218]

@@SamAsakaChess when can we expect it?

[@Jpizzakebab]

I'm having a constant problem when black plays with c6 and d5. Is the Catalan setup only useful against a French type pawn structure? Thank you

[@SamAsakaChess]

Did you watch the video? Game 2 is a Slav setup.

[@Jpizzakebab]

@SamAsakaChess will watch game 2 now. I've been losing games like this at the club but it's how I feel I like to play/learn with positional style rather than all the e4 madness. Thank you!

[@jeremytan739]

What black opening would you recommend against 1.d4 for a casual player?

[@V_ChessGuy]

dutch defense

[@saared6705]

If you are adventurous and tactic, go for the dutch, even the englund at low elo. If you are more positional and strategic, go for london with c5 or slav/semi slav

[@SamAsakaChess]

Depends on your rating and what sort of style you like to play in. If you're just playing casually though, play whatever you find yourself interested in to be honest

[@zonk45]

Thumbnail: "no, its not the london" also the opening he recommends: positional and simple like catalan and london are really similar, just the hate train has gotten so out of hand that even good players ignore that...

[@AP0PT0SIS]

They’re really not though. Completely different middlegame plans.

[@zonk45]

@AP0PT0SIS yeah but i mean the General style which is in both cases slow and positional

[@AP0PT0SIS]

@@zonk45 yeah fair enough