My brother has a nice history of playing this opening from 1800+. I haven't had as much luck with it because my opponents usually got an early advantage and never looked back. I feel like I always was better defending against it (or rather attacking those who did).

I've played a couple of Catalans on Gameknot - both against strong opposition as well, I see from my archives. One win - one loss.

For jkarp, to win sometimes in chess requires a sense of patience in yourself. Often times I had opponents who jumped the gun on winning positions and turn them into drawn or even lost positions due to knee-jerk reactions like what you're describing.

I think it is reasonable to suggest why White might choose not at once to recover the pawn. The line is, after all, playable. But on c4, the Queen is apt to become a target enabling Black quickly to expand on the Q-side: 5.Qa4ch Nbd7 6.Qxc4!? a6 7.Bg2 b5 8.Qd3 Bb7 and Black has a fine game. Even so, both sides in that line have something to play for. +++++++++++++++ But the fact is, White usually prefers to continue developing, and won't be so very unhappy if Black decides at once to make something of his Q-side majority. For example: 5.Bg2 b5?! 6.Ne5 Nd5 7.0-0 Bb7 8.a4 c6 9.e4 Nf6 10.d5!? ... Note that White is using in this line his central pawn majority to combat Black's Q-side army of pawns.

6...Bb4ch is worth a serious look!

And the final book move (I think)

I was about to ask why take the scenic route to c2. But then...

Nice little tactic! But having seen this (as White ought to have done) he would probably have played 8.Qc2 and saved himself a tempo.

'Thematic' - not an easy word to explain. You may have found in your games there develops a 'theme' which might be attack on the King, or pressure on a weak point, expansion on the wing, or in the centre. These are long-term ideas that might emerge as the game proceeds. In this game, White still has the makings of a big centre, not realised (made real) just yet, but the potential is there. So Black will be interested in undermining or attacking that centre, if possible even before it gets fully built up and dangerous.. So the move is 'thematic' in the sense that it goes towards that idea - that 'theme'. If White were now to play 10.e4!?, that too would be 'thematic' in the sense of his ambition to build his centre. Would it be good here? Premature perhaps? A judgement call: it seems to me playable enough. In this game White plays more circumspectly. He would like to play e4 soon, make no doubt about that!

10.e4 was in my view playable - IF a little risky! Now, continuing from my previous remark, castling is by no means 'anti-thematic' as it still goes towards a central build-up. Now, 10.dxc5?! probably would be 'anti-thematic', but 'themes' aren't always the only thing going on. Here, I think Black might as well have followed through on his previous move and played the - yes, thematic - 10...cxd4.

As per my previous comment, it seems to me 10...cxd4 more in keeping.

I would certainly have given 11.e4 more than a passing glance! 11.e4 Nf6 12.d5! Nxe4 13.dxe6 fxe6 14.Ne5 Nf6 15.Re1 looks fairly good for White, I think.

It's not a terrible move outright, it does remove the only protection on that knight. And the position looks relatively equal at this point.

Thematic...   But it saves Black a tempo. After 11...0-0 12.dxc5 Bxc5.

Black might decide that a pawn is a fair price to pay to rid the board of White's light-square bishop (LSB), especially if he gets to keep his own. So: 12...0-0 13.Bxd5 Nxd5 14.Qxd5. Unfortunately the attack on the bishop at d7 forces 14...Be6 15.Qxd8 Rfxd8, which rather devalues the positional advantage offered Black by White's weakened K-side.

?? - Quite a lemon. Though I don't like playing this opening, I do know the value of the Catalan Bishop and it's strength. Oh how the game has turned.

Well thought out, Joe! Black's King is anchored to the d7-bishop, so he can't castle out of the situation. Nor will 13...g6 be any good on account of 14.Nxd7 Kxd7 15.Bxd5, and Black's pinned e-pawn cannot recapture. 13.Qg4 is an easy move to overlook, too.

! - Not to difficult to read even for a class A player (Not quite sure how each country's rating system translate to FIDE ratings in each country, especially England's) I would think. Definitely the best move on the board now.

This move is not hard to find, but easy to overlook, as it wrenches the game out of its thematic channels. Now it is Black's centre that is under attack, not White's. Joe, the attack on g7 was part of the Qg4 package, but there was a whole deal more riding on it!

How about 13...Bc6, though?