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Catalan Opening

Open Defense, Modern Sharp Variation

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  1. 1.d4Nf6
  2. 2.c4e6
  3. 3.g3d5
  4. 4.Bg2dxc4
  5. 5.Nf3Nc6
  6. 6.Qa4Bb4+

No game statistics for this position yet.

Catalan Open Defense line in which Black meets 6. Qa4 with a counter-check, keeping the extra c4-pawn for now and steering toward forcing, unbalanced play.

Train it in Theoria

About the Modern Sharp Variation

The Modern Sharp Variation arises after 4...dxc4 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Qa4 Bb4+. Black develops the queen's knight to c6 instead of returning the c4-pawn. White's 6. Qa4 pins the knight and eyes c4, and Black answers with a check that White must meet before regaining material. Black stays a pawn up for the moment, at the cost of doubled c-pawns and a loosened queenside. White's compensation rests on the g2 bishop and quicker development.

Popular continuations

No continuations known for this position yet.