The Catalan Powerbook 2025 is based on over 415,000 games from analysis engines and approximately 55,000 human-played games, totaling over 470,000 games. With the minimum Elo threshold per game being 2300, the Powerbook also offers reliable statistics on rarely played minor variants.
Here's a little discovery from White's point of view: 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 a6 6.0-0 Nc6 – so far, all of these moves are among the most played.
The games on which the Catalan Powerbook is based have an average Elo of at least 2300. Over 415,000 engine games and 55,000 games from Mega 2025 + Correspondence Database 2024 exceed this Elo threshold and form the basis of the Catalan Powerbook 2025.
From White's perspective, the Catalan is an opening where one can always rely on the power of the bishop on g2. For Black, it is a rather uncomfortable opening: one would like to play a Nimzo-Indian or a Queen's Gambit, but then one has to manage the activity of the bishop on g2. However, Black has several systems to choose from (and which White should be familiar with). In addition to the main lines, where one plays either 6...dxc4 or a closed structure, certain early deviations – 4...Bb4+ or 4...dxc4 with various options – have proven effective in practice
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