Tartakower invented the Catalan

Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players ·

Kibitzing

Tartakower invented the Catalan
Compiled by Pacificknight

Savielly Tartakower created an opening idea at the Barcelona tournament of 1929 as a tribute to the region of Catalonia. Tartakower introduced the idea of a kingside fianchetto by White versus an Indian defence. Later, the Catalan became defined as a specific opening structure:

click for larger view

The Catalan is not only an Indian Opening; it also can be reached from the QGD. The Indian order goes 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 d5 4 Nf3. The QGD order is 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 g3.

Savielly Tartakower plays his fianchetto idea
Tartakower vs J Torres Caravaca, 1929
(E60) King's Indian Defense, 47 moves, 1-0
transposition anticipating Tartakower
T Regedzinski vs M Brody, 1928
(E01) Catalan, Closed, 19 moves, 1-0
transposition anticipating Tartakower
Reti vs P Leonhardt, 1928
(A49) King's Indian, Fianchetto without c4, 41 moves, 1/2-1/2
first occurence of QGD move order
L Prokes vs H Wagner, 1927
(D02) Queen's Pawn Game, 45 moves, 0-1
Carls transposition from English anticipating Tartakower
C Carls vs O Antze, 1922
(E07) Catalan, Closed, 46 moves, 1/2-1/2
Carls transposition from English anticipating Tartakower
C Carls vs Saemisch, 1920
(A14) English, 92 moves, 1-0
earliest game to reach Catalan position
Blackburne vs J Baird, 1894
(D02) Queen's Pawn Game, 37 moves, 1-0
7 games

» View all game collections by Pacificknight
» Search entire game collection library
» Clone this game collection (copy it to your account)
» FAQ: Help with Game Collections