Closed, Main Line

The position after 8. Nbd2 is the central tabiya of the Closed Catalan. With the queen on c2 and the knight on d2, White prepares e2-e4 to gain space in the center. Because the knight on d2 also covers c4, a capture with ...dxc4 can be met by recapturing with the knight, so the c4-pawn needs no other defense. Black keeps the d5-pawn in place against the g2-bishop and must solve the usual Queen's Gambit Declined problem of the c8-bishop.

The most popular answer by a wide margin is 8...b6, the Traditional Variation, which prepares ...Bb7 or ...Ba6. One branch of it, the Sokolsky Variation 9. b3 a5 10. Bb2 Ba6, puts the bishop on a6 to press on c4. Other options are 8...Re8, the release 8...dxc4, and the Rabinovich Variation 8...b5, which gains space on the queenside. Engines also favor the immediate central break 8...c5. The engine rates the position as roughly balanced, but White scores well in practice. The play is slow and maneuvering.