Catalan

The Catalan opening looks as if it should be relatively harmless, combining as it does the Queen’s Gambit with the modest fianchetto development of White’s king’s bishop. But various endgame virtuosi, notably Petrosian, Korchnoi and Kramnik, have demonstrated that the Catalan can be dangerous. In particular, the nagging pressure exerted at first by White’s light-squared bishop may persist long into the middlegame and endgame. The following notes are based on those by Neil McDonald in The Catalan: Move by Move (Everyman Chess)
 
Grischuk-Potkin: Villarrobledo 2009;
Catalan Opening
 
1 Nf3 d5 2 c4 e6 3 d4 Nf6 4 g3 dxc4 5 Bg2 a6 6 0-0 Nc6 7 Bg5 Other moves for White leading to a sharp game are 7 Nc3 and 7 e3. 7 … Be7 8 e3 Bd7 9 Nc3 0-0 10 Rc1 Rb8 At first glance it looks like Black is doing well as he is ready to support his extra pawn with … b7-b5. The way Grischuk gains control of the position will therefore come as a surprise to those not acquainted with this type of pawn structure. 11 Bxf6 Bxf6 12 Ne4 b5 (see diagram 1) Black holds on to his pawn, but now Grischuk’s plan is revealed. 13 b3 White is going to attack everywhere: on the queenside, in the centre and on the kingside. 13 … Be7 14 bxc4 bxc4 15 Rxc4 Nb4 16 a4 Qe8 17 Nc3 Nc6 Black goes passive at the wrong moment. He should have persevered with his attack on a4 with 17 … Nd5. Then after 18 Nxd5 exd5 19 Rxc7 Bd6 20 Ra7 Bxa4 21 Qa1 Rb6 22 Ne5 an unbalanced situation arises. White is attacking d5 and has the initiative in the centre, but Black’s bishop-pair shouldn’t be underestimated. 18 d5 exd5 Black can’t prevent a white knight taking up a commanding centre position, as if 18 … Nb4 19 Ne5! follows.