Neutralize The Catalan by IM Tor Fredrik Kaasen

No more sidelines, no more going through the bushes,
Play the mainlines and break free from the Catalan shackles!

Few openings are so oppressing to fight as the Catalan is.

White’s omnipresent light-squared bishop cuts through the board, hindering your queenside play and whether it’s the c7-c5 break or activating your own Bishop, their MVP from g2 seems to be worth almost 5 points. Plus, the slow maneuvering pace gives Black no clear target to hit. That’s why the Catalan is one of White’s safest ways to press for a win.

Now imagine facing the Catalan confidently. Meeting it on equal terms and aspiring to victory every bit as White. No more sidelines, no more going through the bushes of your repertoire: straight mainlines. Imagine you could get healthy positions to fight on equal terms.

It may sound like a dream, but that didn’t hold back International Master Tor Fredrik Kaasen from making it happen.

Tor is the latest budding talent from the rich Norwegian chess scene. The 19-year-old knows the hurdles on his way to the GM title, so he set out to solve the riddle once and for all and neutralize the Catalan.

And with this course, you can copy his formula!

Give White a taste from their own medicine

The Catalan revolves around White’s subtle move-orders and small finesses to ensure a long-lasting opening advantage. We are going to apply the same principle and put in a little Bishop check on b4 to force them to make a move they don’t want to, disrupting their development harmony.

But the effectiveness of Tor’s approach is the subsequent play. So you’ll learn the ‘whens’ and ‘hows’ to:

🔗 Snatch the c4 pawn and stick to it for good, or use it as bait to achieve higher positional goals.

🔗 Clear the long diagonal to make the g2 Bishop hit the air or create a stronghold on d5 and make it bite granite.

🔗 Develop a Kingside attack and turn the position on its head with surprising pawn sacrifices.

🔗 Plant your flag in the center avoiding White’s expansion plans and setting yours in motion.

🔗 Claim your own queenside play and solve your c8-Bishop problems.

🔗 Give away the Bishop pair to kill off White’s hopes for an advantage.

🔗 Blackmailing techniques and move-orders that force White into suboptimal decisions.

Plus, you’ll learn to deal with every setup, react to common ideas, and get theoretical preparation that will hold you against the most booked up of opponents.

This is a repertoire designed to cut up White’s small Catalan pull, get equality, and get ambitious when chances appear. And you are just 23 hours of video and 600 trainable lines away from being that player.

So ensure an equal fight in a balanced but dynamic middlegame.