Catalan opening is ineffective in lower ELO because no one (including me) plays Nf6 after D4. And trust me you as white can't even remember all 60+ book moves in the opening. The theory is too long. Also I just found out that the SLAV defense completely shuts down the Catalan opening.... I've been struggling to play against Catalan for months... now i know how to defend as black...
@@andik6887 Me neither - however I won against someone - who won against someone - who won against someone and that someone has won over Magnus Carlsson.
This a 1500 rapid, I literally watched this video with a pen and paper, made notes and later played a few games and trust me this opening worked a charm for me! Thanks Gotham. Here's one of the games that I played 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Bd6 6. Bg2 O-O 7. cxd5 exd5 8. O-O Nc6 9. e3 Bg4 10. Qe2 Ne4 11. Nc3 Ng5 12. Nxd5 Nxf3+ 13. Bxf3 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 Ne7 15. Nxe7+ Qxe7 16. Qxb7 Rab8 17. Qxa7 Rxb2 18. Bc3 Re2 19. Rac1 c5 20. Qxe7 Bxe7 21. a4 Ra2 22. a5 cxd4 23. exd4 Rc8 24. Ra1 Rc2 25. Be1 Ra8 26. Kg2 Rc4 27. d5 Rc5 28. Bb4 Bf6 29. Bxc5 Bxa1 30. Rxa1 g6 31. a6 1-0 Literally over in 30 moves jeez
Fun fact: Carlsen is also the highest ranking player that has ever played the Italian, Sicilian, Ruy Lopez, Dragon Sicilian, the Bentoni Brother Variation, the Slime Fox, Hedgehog defense, Rhino, Bongcloud and a little known chinese opening called the Ming Bing sacrifice.
Fun fact: Carlsen is also the highest rated chess player to ever play tic tac toe, tag, hangman, musical chairs, shuffleboard, futbol, rugby, and basketball.
Whenever I hear "this opening is played at the highest levels and Magnus plays it" I actually hear "the gameplan of this opening is to kill all fun and get a 0.1 advantage in a really long endgame and if you're under 2000 you're more likely to blunder than not". Thankfully the Catalan seems to be the exception
the catalan is just one of those super solid openings where you don't lose advantage easily and always have pressure. tbh I find it kind of crazy that an opening like this exists. if black defends against the catalan perfectly, the best they get is drawing chances unless the catalan player blunders. if white plays the catalan well, black is almost certainly going to crack under the pressure and at worst gets a draw.
In the late 1990's, I think Vishy Anand said something like this: "Why would anyone play the Catalan? It's so boring." At one time, the Catalan was considered to yield a tiny advantage which might pay dividends in a long endgame.
To become a grandmaster, a player must achieve both of the following: Favorable results (called norms) from a total of at least 27 games in tournaments. With some exceptions, to receive a norm in a tournament: The player's performance rating at the end of the tournament must be at least 2600. There are also Grandmaster titles for composers and solvers of chess problems, awarded by the World Federation for Chess Composition. refer to the world's elite players. In the past this would refer to players with an Elo rating of over 2600, but as the average Elo rating of the top players has increased it has typically come to refer to players with an Elo rating of over 2700. Super GMs, the number of whom has grown considerably over the years, have some name recognition in the world of sport and are typically the highest earners in chess.
The Catalan is easy to get yourself in trouble if you mess up. Intermediate players like to go for a quick king side attack with black. If you misplace any of your pieces, it can be really hard to defend.
Maybe it's wishful thinking but after watching a few examples I feel like playing the English has been preparing me to play the Catalan if I ever get good enough. I'm currently in the 1500s so maybe not right now, but I feel like the positions can definitely have some of the same ideas.
Started playing the Catalan at 1300-1400 level and am now over 2000. It's my absolute favorite opening to play and I haven't looked back since. Of course I've played the occasional e4 for variety, but the Catalan is always my go to. Games I lose in the Catalan are always from my own lack of understanding, and are really good for my chess as I get to obtain a deeper understanding. There is also a nice trick not shown in the video. Say the game goes 1. D4, D5 2. C4, E6 3. Nf3, Nf6 4. G3, Be7 5. Bg2, O-O 6. O-O, DxC4 7. Ne5, B5 8. Nc3, Nd7 9.NxB5 One of my favorite moves ever, of course this can arise in multiple move orders this was simply what I chose, can't take the knight because you lose the rook and those c pawns will be lost throughout the game with very little effort. I find that even at 2000 NxB5 is available in multiple positions so it's definitely a tactic that you can win games with for a long time.
One small improvement is after BB4+ you don't play Bxd2, you actually plays Be7. The reason behind it is the d2 spot is for the knight to support white to play e4 later, so the bishop is misplaced. I learned it after following a few GMs games
Here's a funny OTB-Game I played in a classical tournament against a 1700-rated Player. 1.d4-d5 2.c4-e6 3.Nf3-Nf6 4.g3-dxc4 5.Bg2-b5 6.a4-c6 7.Ne5-Nd5 8.0-0-Bb7 9.e4-Nb6? 10.axb5-cxb5 11.Qh5!-g6?? 12.Nxg6!! Black is lost after twelve moves! He played on for a little bit but resigned just a few moves later.
Nice to see an opening introduction once again! I wanted to learn the catalan for a while now, so this was quite fitting, finally getting me to stop procrastinating, thanks levy
I've been using this for 1 week now, god it's good. The king is so safe and the non standard opening throws your opponent right off their game.ive been playing the Italian and nothing else for 2 years but I think this is the answer to get to the next level
No matter how bad i am but I never ever have lost a game to magnus. So i challenge magnys to beat opponent with my opening "Hanging queen rook sacrifice variation"
Watched you since 2020 and this really has those opening mini course vibes, I love it. Definitely have to give this a go online and get some experience with it.
FFS. A video missing the WHOLE point of Carlsen's unusual chess openings. He's trying to get people out of study and rote memorization. So naturally Levy invites people to study and memorize...
yeah but levy want us to study and memorize the moove that everybody already know at that lvl ( for the GM lvl). Carlsen’s fight is in a whole deeper lvl of memorization. idk if you understand what im trying to explain
my main openning is catalan and i actually inspire levy on this opening im in egypt and i won a 2000 fide player with this openning extremly recommended for begineers and im 1900 rating fide very strong oppening for intermediates too my children are going to play levys children
Man I stopped playing the catalan because of how much of a razors edge it is for me but that was the best breakdown I've seen on it and now I'm gonna bring it back in again. Please make more like this!!
Catalan player here. Openings rly solid but you must know all the theory to play it in real tournaments. If youre higher rated strongly recommend, but not for beginners who wont put any effort into learning it
Gotham - You are welcome to play this opening if you are 700-800 elo but at that level people just explode” Me - same at 1700- 1800 rated I played someone who blundered a knight on move 5 today and I blundered a piece on move 10.
I love to see new openings videos and adding both master and intermediate level games, hope to see more like this with different opennings! I'll now proceed to blunder on move 4 playing the catalan
Hi Gotham, thank you for making chess fun! I got my first ever brilliant move today, and the other day I found a mate in 5 for the first time. Watching your videos for the past year has played a huge part in my chess development. Thanks again!
I just switched to the catalan because i notices like mostly everytime stockfish is given a catalan opening in CCC, he wins. And the real trigger was a ding (white) vs hans game, hans dude just remembered the 20 firs moves with black, kept it equal down a pawn he didn’t even think, ding thinking from like the 8th move, 70min down on time, still won.
Gotham, might I suggest you use a de-esser plugin on any daw or video editing software to manage the sharp s sounds that peak in the recording. Mixing in videos like this otherwise unnecessary imo just a suggestion for cleaner output. Otherwise fantastic video once again
Saw the title and thought, 'We really going back to 2019 gotham with this one.' Feels nice to have gotham back as a teacher
@@Goo_Gle. Teacher Gotham is peak Gotham
Real!
I thought so too, except I wasn't there in 2019 lol
bot stole your comment :(
@FRBFStudios but can a bot steal the human spirit? I don't think so.
i am catalan (from barcelona) and after watching this vid i must become a master of this opening, fear me 700 elo rapid players
😂
I basically only use the Catalan, I'm a lowly 500 rated rapid player (but I mostly play blitz, which is probably why I'm 200 rated)
Drop your chess id lets battle in chess
Catalan opening is ineffective in lower ELO because no one (including me) plays Nf6 after D4. And trust me you as white can't even remember all 60+ book moves in the opening. The theory is too long. Also I just found out that the SLAV defense completely shuts down the Catalan opening.... I've been struggling to play against Catalan for months... now i know how to defend as black...
@@ianchen9217ur lower rated? because no 500 will no what is catalan
0:01 - 33:59 milking magnus
0:01 - 1:58 intro
1:58 - 6:52 catalan theory
6:52 - 11:54 game 1
11:54 - 18:53 game 2
18:53 - 23:40 game 3
23:40 - 33:59 game with subscriber
33:59 levy stops milking magnus
@@wit-q5k 😭
NAHH BRO
I didnt know levy STOPPED milking magnus. 🤔
Bro there are timestamps already 😂
@@MAD-c2u Magnus milk got drained
Bro thinks he's a psychic
Yesterday, I watched Gotham's 4 year old video on the Catalan and this is the perfect followup
@@kotor1357 bro is lacking content.
Haha so was I maybe he the saw analytics and got inspired? I’m here for it.
Bro's hikaru's sidekick
Levy try act like he so muthafking righteous@@arsongamer1510
Levy please bring back the awkward stare in the beginning, it feels so weird to just start talking (I mean it)
Agreed
no pls dont, see chess not some wierd things unrelated
Based. 😂
Agreed
I'd say it's much more likely for Magnus to crush people with my favourite opening
Technically Magnus crush people with all openings.
@@vetgirig4209 Nah, i have never lost to Magnus Carlsen
@@andik6887 cause u have never played
him
@@goldenlightning-xj4er thats the joke
@@andik6887 Me neither - however I won against someone - who won against someone - who won against someone and that someone has won over Magnus Carlsson.
0:01 Levy starts milking Magnus again.
@@palashgupta2568 yessss, exactly
he stsrts milking that one gentleman 😭
Hot
What is this spamming nonsense?
at least we had a rest
with this opening i will beat magnesium calcium
@@LqwAbidingCitizen 😭🙏
Finally someone used the joke I said first I'm the comment section
@@YourLocalBaconDanceOnTop You are the comment section?
@@vladivascanu108 lol😂
@@YourLocalBaconDanceOnTop neither of us is original lil bro 🙏
No clickbait? Fine I’ll give you a like
This a 1500 rapid, I literally watched this video with a pen and paper, made notes and later played a few games and trust me this opening worked a charm for me! Thanks Gotham.
Here's one of the games that I played
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Bd6 6. Bg2 O-O 7. cxd5 exd5 8.
O-O Nc6 9. e3 Bg4 10. Qe2 Ne4 11. Nc3 Ng5 12. Nxd5 Nxf3+ 13. Bxf3 Bxf3 14. Qxf3
Ne7 15. Nxe7+ Qxe7 16. Qxb7 Rab8 17. Qxa7 Rxb2 18. Bc3 Re2 19. Rac1 c5 20. Qxe7
Bxe7 21. a4 Ra2 22. a5 cxd4 23. exd4 Rc8 24. Ra1 Rc2 25. Be1 Ra8 26. Kg2 Rc4 27.
d5 Rc5 28. Bb4 Bf6 29. Bxc5 Bxa1 30. Rxa1 g6 31. a6 1-0
Literally over in 30 moves jeez
It was over when he blundered d5 pawn. Black can't even get active in this opening. Crazy stuff good game
@@lukablesic8617 thanks!
Bro need good audience. Every one is roasting him on comment section.
0:01 levy starts speaking
he always does
@@ivanbarran7604 he didn't in 0:00
facts
@@LqwAbidingCitizen he did tho :((
What it has to do with me?
How to crush people like Magnus: Step 1 - Be Magnus. Step 2 - Hear the lamentations of their women.
Fun fact: Carlsen is also the highest ranking player that has ever played the Italian, Sicilian, Ruy Lopez, Dragon Sicilian, the Bentoni Brother Variation, the Slime Fox, Hedgehog defense, Rhino, Bongcloud and a little known chinese opening called the Ming Bing sacrifice.
what about the intercontinental ballistic missile gambit?
Fun fact: Carlsen is also the highest rated chess player to ever play tic tac toe, tag, hangman, musical chairs, shuffleboard, futbol, rugby, and basketball.
What is the ming bing sacrifice???
Did you program an AI to write this? It looks like it’s creating new openings based on existing names
0:12 levy said Catalan
@@raja__ojha so?
0:01 Levi jumpscare
I pissed in my pants
@@moynakdas2057proof
BRO!! thanks so much i litterally would ahve pooped my pants if not for this warning!!! god bless
Whenever I hear "this opening is played at the highest levels and Magnus plays it" I actually hear "the gameplan of this opening is to kill all fun and get a 0.1 advantage in a really long endgame and if you're under 2000 you're more likely to blunder than not". Thankfully the Catalan seems to be the exception
the catalan is just one of those super solid openings where you don't lose advantage easily and always have pressure. tbh I find it kind of crazy that an opening like this exists. if black defends against the catalan perfectly, the best they get is drawing chances unless the catalan player blunders. if white plays the catalan well, black is almost certainly going to crack under the pressure and at worst gets a draw.
In the late 1990's, I think Vishy Anand said something like this: "Why would anyone play the Catalan? It's so boring." At one time, the Catalan was considered to yield a tiny advantage which might pay dividends in a long endgame.
0:34 levy starts milking Magnus
💀average vid be like
@@MioszS-cf3lk starts where have you been
@@ChrisBoyle-uy1tuhe probably meant- IN THIS VIDEO. Its good to get the timestamp of events that occur in every video of gotham
That’s on the onlyfans
I like how he admits that those of us
Magnus breathes.
Ladies and gentlemen magnus just inhaled some O2 in a different style
Goth, once you've become a GM, Gotham City is no longer safe because everyone will then know who is the Dark Knight
@@MrGary557 If this Happens we gotta pray to the bishop
@@MrGary557 😂😂
I love when the video is just uploaded and people spam first 😂
Been watching since Covid, back when this hunk of a man had like 10k subs. So cool to see how successful he's gotten.
To become a grandmaster, a player must achieve both of the following: Favorable results (called norms) from a total of at least 27 games in tournaments. With some exceptions, to receive a norm in a tournament: The player's performance rating at the end of the tournament must be at least 2600. There are also Grandmaster titles for composers and solvers of chess problems, awarded by the World Federation for Chess Composition. refer to the world's elite players. In the past this would refer to players with an Elo rating of over 2600, but as the average Elo rating of the top players has increased it has typically come to refer to players with an Elo rating of over 2700. Super GMs, the number of whom has grown considerably over the years, have some name recognition in the world of sport and are typically the highest earners in chess.
ok
no
unsubscribe
The Catalan is easy to get yourself in trouble if you mess up. Intermediate players like to go for a quick king side attack with black. If you misplace any of your pieces, it can be really hard to defend.
That's exactly what happened to me with my first game after watching this video
Maybe it's wishful thinking but after watching a few examples I feel like playing the English has been preparing me to play the Catalan if I ever get good enough. I'm currently in the 1500s so maybe not right now, but I feel like the positions can definitely have some of the same ideas.
33:59 levy stops talking
Bruh
@@inbarharel6538 yo thx man
who thinks levy can become a GM ❤❤
This is my favorite opening! I needed to refresh my memory on the theory this came with a great timing
Going into lines that were not played in the game is really wonderful
Love to see an opening video again. love your videos. Greetings from Switzerland
For a second I thought I was reading my own comment, then I remembered I haven't written on yet.
Make a video on Gukesh vs Fabiano caruana recent match where Gukesh sacrifices his queen
69420 time levi including magnus Carlson in title
Only Indians can get such idea of selecting such number .
Started playing the Catalan at 1300-1400 level and am now over 2000. It's my absolute favorite opening to play and I haven't looked back since. Of course I've played the occasional e4 for variety, but the Catalan is always my go to. Games I lose in the Catalan are always from my own lack of understanding, and are really good for my chess as I get to obtain a deeper understanding. There is also a nice trick not shown in the video. Say the game goes
1. D4, D5
2. C4, E6
3. Nf3, Nf6
4. G3, Be7
5. Bg2, O-O
6. O-O, DxC4
7. Ne5, B5
8. Nc3, Nd7
9.NxB5
One of my favorite moves ever, of course this can arise in multiple move orders this was simply what I chose, can't take the knight because you lose the rook and those c pawns will be lost throughout the game with very little effort. I find that even at 2000 NxB5 is available in multiple positions so it's definitely a tactic that you can win games with for a long time.
15:22 and he sacrifices the ROOOOOOOOK
what do you mean
I just started learning the Catalan about a week ago, thank you so much for this video, the timing couldn’t be more perfect! ❤❤
Please make a catalan course
im glad the opening theory videos are back again!
One small improvement is after BB4+ you don't play Bxd2, you actually plays Be7. The reason behind it is the d2 spot is for the knight to support white to play e4 later, so the bishop is misplaced. I learned it after following a few GMs games
I’ve actually kinda been craving another opening video, ty levy!
pls don't change the title for this video
Levy recommending a solid opening and not some gambit shenanigans is definitely something new
You are that drastic 6:40
Nah an ant wouldnt win 1 Out of 100 Games against a human. Levy could probably win one against Magnus
😂
I was going to ask so Gotham makes a catalan course, and this video just pops up on my fyp. I guess it's a sign to learn it.
Missed opportunity to call this "Crush people with Kramnik's favourite opening. Suspiciously good!!!
More chess learning content please!!! We love it!!
21:29 Levy casually blunders his queen
You mean Magnus
Bro teaching Magnus' Opening to 800s is like a professor explaining Quantum entanglement to a new born
Levy never fails to milk magnus
Pleeease more opening videos they are so good and well made an explained
I think that people should watch the video first before making a comment.
0:00 gedi and leltlemans
Here's a funny OTB-Game I played in a classical tournament against a 1700-rated Player.
1.d4-d5 2.c4-e6 3.Nf3-Nf6 4.g3-dxc4 5.Bg2-b5 6.a4-c6 7.Ne5-Nd5 8.0-0-Bb7 9.e4-Nb6? 10.axb5-cxb5 11.Qh5!-g6?? 12.Nxg6!! Black is lost after twelve moves! He played on for a little bit but resigned just a few moves later.
Every like will be 1 pushup, 1 squat, and 1 sit up. Help me get back in shape!!
Better yourself for you, not likes
If you need likes to better your health, you don't want it bad enough my friend.
@@ricardosimms8548 agreed
@@josephlunn6 best of luck, saitama
Nice to see an opening introduction once again! I wanted to learn the catalan for a while now, so this was quite fitting, finally getting me to stop procrastinating, thanks levy
Poor Anish had been destroyed in the past 3 videos, once by magnus and once by Hans, poor guy just wants to be featured in a win
Levy: 'And you will probably blunder some stuff along the way'
Me: 'That does sound like something I'd do, to be fair'
Magnus is milked in basically every one of Levy's videos. A bit repetitive ngl. I got the pin of shame LETS GO
Magnus of Carlsen 😢
Fr
pin of shame in 12 minutes that's a record
Pin of Gamer
I mean he is the best player of all time so there’s a lot of content off of him
I've been using this for 1 week now, god it's good. The king is so safe and the non standard opening throws your opponent right off their game.ive been playing the Italian and nothing else for 2 years but I think this is the answer to get to the next level
Bro never fails to milk Magnus
No matter how bad i am but I never ever have lost a game to magnus.
So i challenge magnys to beat opponent with my opening "Hanging queen rook sacrifice variation"
Levy: Is the rumor true that a blonde haired chess coach was observed going into your hotel room in the last tournament?
What are you suggesting
They were just having late night chess discussions I think
@@rdlegends3988 Maybe... moving pieces back and forth ... experimenting with positions .... ?
Watched you since 2020 and this really has those opening mini course vibes, I love it. Definitely have to give this a go online and get some experience with it.
0:01 The first sek passed
17:11 Levy : " Are u gonna win this like MAGNUS?? NO, probably not" - This cracks me up :DDD
Levy never forgets to milk Magnus in his videos💀
Very happy that you made this video. Saturday just got better. I am also currently going over your coach's 3 hour video on the Catalan!
00:00 ladies and gentelman
Been looking for a good video on the Catalan for a while. Finally gave up the search and now Levy brings us this!
Levy never fails .... ohh i am tired of this
i am 600 elo can i learn it or its hard?
@@mntzr_ihsanyou can fs
I am going to use this opening at 400 500 elo because my opponents are way to smart they do 0 blunders most of my games
This is peak Gotham here. No clickbait. Nice content. Very Wholesome.
Even the comment section is being nice...
FFS. A video missing the WHOLE point of Carlsen's unusual chess openings. He's trying to get people out of study and rote memorization. So naturally Levy invites people to study and memorize...
yeah but levy want us to study and memorize the moove that everybody already know at that lvl ( for the GM lvl). Carlsen’s fight is in a whole deeper lvl of memorization. idk if you understand what im trying to explain
Levy, noobs are commenting without watching the full video
First
just because no comments showed doesnt mean your first lil bro
No
I commented after 2 sec of upload bozo
@@MinecraftWorlddevjuneja some were fastet
@@MinecraftWorlddevjuneja you literally arent first at all LOOK AT THE NEWEST COMMENTS
I missed the chess lessons from OG Gotham! Thank you for bringing them back, looking forward to more in the future! We appreciate you :)
my main openning is catalan and i actually inspire levy on this opening im in egypt and i won a 2000 fide player with this openning extremly recommended for begineers and im 1900 rating fide very strong oppening for intermediates too my children are going to play levys children
this kind of videos are really helpful please do more
I literally just started studying this yesterday and watched an old Catalan video you made 3 years ago
I learned Catalan from your videos, and really liked it. Recently wanted to expand my knowledge and there it is. Nice timing
Man I stopped playing the catalan because of how much of a razors edge it is for me but that was the best breakdown I've seen on it and now I'm gonna bring it back in again. Please make more like this!!
Catalan player here. Openings rly solid but you must know all the theory to play it in real tournaments. If youre higher rated strongly recommend, but not for beginners who wont put any effort into learning it
Gotham - You are welcome to play this opening if you are 700-800 elo but at that level people just explode”
Me - same at 1700- 1800 rated I played someone who blundered a knight on move 5 today and I blundered a piece on move 10.
I love to see new openings videos and adding both master and intermediate level games, hope to see more like this with different opennings! I'll now proceed to blunder on move 4 playing the catalan
Thank you for bringing back videos like this. It really inspires me to play more chess.
Please make more educational content. We understand that it doesn't do as well, but I personally really enjoy learning from you!♥
Hi Gotham, thank you for making chess fun! I got my first ever brilliant move today, and the other day I found a mate in 5 for the first time. Watching your videos for the past year has played a huge part in my chess development. Thanks again!
Super exciting to see straight up instructional content. Thanks for this primer!
you should really include some of Dings games
jonny was a real one for playing it out
6:01 i feel warm in the heart when he said that. Feel like a real studetn .
I just switched to the catalan because i notices like mostly everytime stockfish is given a catalan opening in CCC, he wins.
And the real trigger was a ding (white) vs hans game, hans dude just remembered the 20 firs moves with black, kept it equal down a pawn he didn’t even think, ding thinking from like the 8th move, 70min down on time, still won.
Love this way this video is done. Would be awesome to see a series with an opening and a famous player that's known for it.
We going back to 2019 with this one 🗣🗣🔥🔥
Please more videos like this again levy! Love teacher Gotham
That just looks like an english but without moving the b knight
"takes a lifetime to master"
Magnus: Hold my beer
0:50 levy says “first”
I think a game where Magnus played against the Catalan would have been informative in this video. Just to display some weaknesses we might face.
Gotham, might I suggest you use a de-esser plugin on any daw or video editing software to manage the sharp s sounds that peak in the recording. Mixing in videos like this otherwise unnecessary imo just a suggestion for cleaner output. Otherwise fantastic video once again