When Extra Tempo Meets Modern Defense: The Catalan's Final Chapter
The Catalan is a positional opening, yet its subtlest battles are decided by a single tempo. When Black plays 4...Bb4+ before retreating the bishop to d6, White's bishop lands on d2 instead of staying on c1. This seemingly modest difference—one extra tempo with an already developed piece—creates a web of tactical and strategic nuances that separate preparation from improvisation. GM Alexey Dreev and GM Pier Luigi Basso's Play the Catalan - Part 4 completes their comprehensive White repertoire by addressing precisely these modern defensive setups that have become the weapon of choice for elite players in recent years.
The Modern Challenge
What makes this course essential is its focus on the lines modern grandmasters actually play. The classical 5...Be7 retreat has largely been replaced by 5...Bd6, while completely independent systems like 4...Bd6 (bypassing the check entirely), 4...Nc6 with the Caruana Rb8 idea, and 4...g6 fianchetto structures have gained significant attention at the highest level. These aren't sidelines—they're the main roads of current Catalan theory, and they demand precise understanding of how White's extra tempo on d2 translates into concrete advantage.
The course systematically demonstrates how this bishop placement affects White's plans across the entire spectrum of Black's responses. In the 7...c6 main lines, the d2-bishop supports different pawn breaks and piece placements compared to when it sits passively on c1. Against 7...Nc6, the tactical point that White's queen no longer protects d4 creates fresh challenges that require accurate calculation. The ambitious 6...Nbd7 7.c5!? space-grab, the solid 5...a5 system, and even the Bogo-Indian-style 5...Qe7 all receive targeted treatment that respects Black's resources while maintaining White's opening advantage.
Course Structure
Dreev and Basso organize their material focusing mostly around structural themes rather than move-order nuances, making the repertoire both learnable and flexible:
Chapter Map:
- Chapter 1: 4...Bd6 sidelines and 6...c5
- Chapter 2: 4...Bd6 5.Bg2 O-O 6.O-O Nbd7 7.c5!?
- Chapter 3: 4...Bd6 main line with 6...c6
- Chapter 4: 5...Bd6 6.Bg2 O-O 7.O-O c6 8.Bc3!?
- Chapter 5: 4...Bd6 5.Bg2 O-O 6.O-O Nc6 (Dardha's line)
- Chapter 6: 5...Bd6 6.Bg2 O-O 7.O-O Nc6
- Chapter 7: 5...a5 – the critical solid system
- Chapter 8: 5...Bxd2+ (simplified positions)
- Chapter 9: 5...Qe7 (Bogo-Indian approach)
- Chapter 10: 4...Nc6 5.Bg2 Rb8 (Caruana's setup)
- Chapter 11: 4...g6 (fianchetto structures)
Technical Features:
- 11 Chapters
- 20 test positions
- Memory Booster
- To Go Version of every chapter
- Video instruction
- Multilingual PGN availability (English, German, French, Spanish)
This course completes the authors' comprehensive Catalan series, which began with Play the Catalan - Part 1 (2025 Edition) covering Open Catalan structures, continued with Play the Catalan - Part 2 (2025 Edition) exploring Closed Catalan main lines, and was further developed in Catalan for White - Part 3 addressing classical setups. Together, these four courses provide a complete, engine-tested repertoire against every significant Black response.
Staying Ahead of Preparation
The collaboration between Dreev—a former World Championship Candidate with decades of elite experience—and Basso—a modern theoretician deeply versed in modern engine evaluations—produces analysis that balances classical understanding with cutting-edge preparation. Their treatment of recently popular lines like Daniel Dardha's 6...Nc6 in the immediate 4...Bd6 variation, or the increasingly common 5...a5 solid system, ensures you're prepared for what opponents are actually playing in 2025 and beyond.
If you've built your repertoire on the Catalan's positional foundations, this course arms you with the tactical precision needed when Black's check on b4 shifts the entire landscape by that single tempo. Explore Play the Catalan - Part 4 and complete your understanding of White's opening advantage in this enduringly popular system.