Master the Catalan, an Opening that stands the test of time and style

♟️ Strategic Depth – Offers rich, long-term positional play with strong central control.

♖ Top-Level Endorsement – Played by elite grandmasters like Kramnik, Carlsen, and Giri.

🔒 Solid and Safe – Builds a strong, stable structure with minimal risk in the opening phase.

🧠 Outplay Opponents – Ideal for players who enjoy quiet pressure and deep middlegame plans.

🎯 Target Black’s Weaknesses – Constant pressure on Black’s queenside and long diagonal (g2–a8).

♜ Flexible System – Effective against multiple defenses (1…d5, 1…Nf6), allowing transpositions.

🧩 Easy to Learn, Hard to Crack – Concepts-driven rather than theory-heavy; great for building a repertoire.

Challenge the French Defense with the Exchange Variation

Simplify the position early

Maintain central tension

Use piece activity to exploit symmetrical structures

Create imbalances

The Carlsbad Pawn Structure is one of the most important and instructive pawn structures in chess. It commonly arises from the Queen’s Gambit Declined, Exchange Slav, and other 1. d4 openings, offering a wealth of strategic ideas for both sides. This structure has been studied extensively by many world champions, including Capablanca, Karpov, and Petrosian, due to its rich positional themes.

Beauty in chess manifests itself in different ways. For chess players who are not sophisticated enough, one of the leading aesthetic criteria is probably the value of the offered piece. An experienced player will primarily value the originality and purity of the idea.

The primary goal of this work is not to recount a story or to acknowledge the creative efforts of a friend, although those are satisfying perks I allow myself. This is a theoretical book about a chess variation that (it could not be otherwise) 

A Solid and Reliable Opening: The Petrov’s Defense

The Petrov’s Defense (also known as the Russian Defense) is an underrated gem in classical chess, offering solid play and excellent counterattacking opportunities. While it might not enjoy the same spotlight as the Ruy Lopez or Sicilian Defense, it’s a highly respected opening for players who seek consistency, strategic depth, and resilience.

Bird’s Opening is currently in that ‘goldilocks’ zone of the great arbitrages in life. The majority of chess players have dismissed it overlooking its inherent value and this allows for adopters of the Bird to take advantage of this asymmetry. As of this writing, it is played 9% of the time in online databases and this drops to 2% (!) in the master’s database of OTB games. 

I was pleased to become acquainted with the endgame chess workbook by the young creative duo from Serbia. Endgame technique is often a stumbling block not only for beginner chess players but also for experienced professionals.

Chess Informant 163 “Treasures” presents:

Nikola Sedlak is a renowned chess player known for his expertise in the London System. He is a grandmaster from Serbia who has been considered one of the strongest players in the country for many years. Sedlak is also a well-known chess trainer and author, who wrote several books on the London System and other chess openings.

Are you ready to shock your opponent on move 3?

The Reti Opening is a dynamic opening invented by Richard Reti more than a century ago. It has since been featured in the repertoires of countless grandmasters and world champions, including Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Garry Kasparov, Tigran Petrosian, Vassily Smyslov, and many others.