Lifetime Repertoires: Alonso's Catalan - GM Àlvar Alonso Rosell

Opening course on the Catalan by GM Àlvar Alonso Rosell
Includes video and PGN

Language: English
Lectures: 39
Total Running Time: 27 hours 31 minutes

From the course:

Ramp Up the Pressure with the Multidimensional Catalan

Lifetime Repertoires: Alonso’s Catalan lets you alter the pace and nature of the game on demand. So you reach positions which play to your strengths, while undermining the opponent’s. Dynamic or positional. Uptempo or steady. You decide!

It’s based on the same opening Magnus Carlsen played to dominate the 2021 World Chess Championship.

If the 2784-Elo challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi cannot bear the Catalan’s stifling pressure, imagine the breakthrough results you can achieve against mere mortals!

And when it comes to realizing the Catalan’s full potential, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better mentor than Grandmaster Àlvar Alonso Rosell (peak 2567 FIDE).

He’s not only a 7-time Spanish and Catalonian champion. He’s also a true Catalan specialist, who’s been refining the opening to perfection for over 15 years.

Inside the course, Alonso Rosell goes beyond the main lines, and arms you with secondary weapons so you can…

Dictate The Flow Of The Game


…while your opponents find it nearly impossible to pin you down with targeted prep.

The first four moves are easy to remember: 1.d4, 2.c4, 3.Nf3, 4.g3, followed by Bf1-g2 to take over the long diagonal.

If you’ve been playing chess for a while, you’ve probably seen the Catalan in action more times than you can count. Maybe you’re also familiar with its strategic trumps, which give White a robust and easier game.

The lion’s share of the center. The powerful Catalan bishop. The unrelenting queenside pressure. They provide a solid foundation for people learning the opening.

But that’s just one layer of the repertoire.

Built on top of it are alternative lines and surprising novelties which keep the game within your comfort zone… messes with the opponent’s playstyle… or both.

Case in point:

In this main line position, Alonso Rosell picks the reliable 7.Qc2 as his primary recommendation…

But he also offers three alternatives. One of them heaps positional pressure down the c-file…

…While the other emphasizes piece play, and attacks with the bishop pair.

Throughout the course, Alonso Rosell also gives you practical tips on countering the opponent’s playstyle and level of preparation. Whether you’re facing:

✅ A “bookworm” with a wide repertoire…
✅ A specialist who plays the same variations…
✅ A positional or tactical player…

…you’ll know exactly how to cut across their strategy, and impose your will on the game.

And chances are, you won’t find these nuggets of wisdom anywhere else!

That’s because they transcend theory, and could’ve only come from someone who won strong tourneys, like the 2018 Sunway Sitges Open and the 76th Spanish Championship…

Beat super-GMs Bogdan-Daniel Deac (peak 2710 FIDE), Michael Adams (peak 2761 FIDE), Aryan Tari (peak 2672 FIDE), and Sanan Sjugirov (peak 2712 FIDE)...

By playing the same lines you’re about to learn.

The repertoire covers not only 1…d5 and 1…Nf6. It also has chapters dedicated to less popular first moves, such as 1…c5, 1…e6, 1…f5 and more. So you’ll be ready to quash just about anything Black can throw your way.