Download PGN of November ’24 1 d4 d5 2 c4 games
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Catalan with 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 c5 [E01]
First, let’s look at the issue of move order. The point behind 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 c5 5.cxd5 cxd4 is to meet 6.dxe6 with 6...Bxe6, but this is only going to be possible when White has put his knight on f3 rather than his bishop on g2. After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 White needs to introduce the Catalan with 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Bg2, it’s not good to play 3.g3 because of 3...dxc4 followed by 4...c5, regardless of whether White plays 4.Nf3 or 4.Bg2. On the other hand if a Catalan that comes about via 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2, it will not be good to play 4...c5 5.cxd5 cxd4 because of 6.dxe6, and Black cannot recapture with the bishop because b7 would hang.
This does leave him with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 but this is more of a typical Catalan after the further 6.Nf3 cxd4 7.0-0 Bc5 8.Nxd4 0-0. This position can also be reached after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 c5 5.cxd5 cxd4 6.Nf3 Nxd5 or 5.Nf3 cxd4 6.cxd5 Nxd5, but in both these cases Black can complicate with 6...Bb4+. So essentially, we are looking at a weapon against the Catalan in which White’s knight is on f3.
Catalan with 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 c5 5.Bg2 cxd4 6.cxd5 Nxd5/6...Bb4+ [E10]
Let’s begin with this line and the game Nepomniachtchi, I - Dubov, D which went 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 c5 5.cxd5 cxd4 6.Bg2 Nxd5 7.0-0 Bc5 8.Nxd4 0-0:
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It should already be clear that we can arrive at this point via multiple move orders, this particular one allowing Black to play 6...Bb4+ which I mentioned in the notes. Nepomniachtchi played 9.Nc3, playing for activity at the expense of split pawns. This was a rapid time limit game and Dubov's dynamic style seemed unsuited to role of just neutralizing White’s initiative.
In Yoo, C - Hardaway, B Black varied from Dubov’s 10...e5 with the more restrained 10...Qe7, which he had played a few days earlier against Alice Lee.
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Yoo’s 11.e4 surprised me a lot, but when he followed up with 12.e5 it became clear he wanted to land a heavy blow on Black’s kingside.
An even more remarkable idea was 9.Qd2, as played in Caruana, F - Aronian, L:
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This reminded me of Caruana’s 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 Nxe4 4.dxe5 d5 5.Bd3 Qd7 in the Petroff, here too he is blocking his queen’s bishop in for very concrete reasons. Aronian played rather brilliantly to neutralize White’s pressure, but I’m not sure that many other players would have been up to the task.
Catalan with 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 c5 5.cxd5 cxd4!? 6.dxe6 [E01]
The main line of 5...cxd4 is 6.dxe6, where White accepts the challenge and tries to win a pawn. After 6...Bxe6 7.Qxd4 Nc6 8.Qxd8+ Rxd8:
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Black has a lead in development as compensation, but can it possibly be enough with the queens exchanged?
After 9.Bg2 Black played 9...Bb4+ in Giri, A - Aronian, L:
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but this was later replaced by 9...Nb4:
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After the further 10.Na3 Black has tried 10...Bxa2 (Sjugirov, S - Zviagintsev, V ), 10...Nxa2 (Lazavik, D - Abdusattorov, N ) and 10...Bc5 (Mikhalevski, A - Gorodetzky, D ), the engines appearing to favour this latter move.
White has also tried defending b4 with 9.a3:
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but here Black gets compensation with both 9...Bc5 (McPhillips, J - Karamazonda, E ) and 9...Bd5 (Lazavik, D - Carlsen, M ). I think it’s fair to say that Black has pretty good compensation and the position is by no means easy for White to play.
What would be my own preference as White? I would be rather unwilling to take the pawn and instead prefer Nepomniachtchi’s play or maybe Caruana’s. Meanwhile I would say that 5...cxd4 adds a new weapon to Black’s arsenal.
See you next month! Nigel Davies
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