The Opening Concept

The main line runs: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Ne4!?

Instead of developing the bishop to e7 first (the standard Catalan), Black immediately places the knight on e4, creating immediate central pressure.

Strategic Ideas Behind 4…Ne4

For Black:

• Active piece play – The knight occupies a strong central square immediately
• Disrupts White’s smooth development – White must decide how to handle the centralized knight
• Prepares …f7-f5 – A key thematic push, creating a Dutch-like pawn structure with aggressive kingside intentions
• Prevents easy piece coordination – White’s standard Catalan setups are disrupted

Key continuations after 5.Bg2:

• 5…Be7 6.O-O f5! – This is the critical position. Black creates a strong pawn chain and prepares aggressive play
• 7.Nc3 – The most natural developing move, but allows Black comfortable play
• 7.Ne5 – More critical, challenging the knight directly

The Games Show:

1. The first theoretical file is deeply annotated, showing multiple branches where Black achieves dynamic counterplay with moves like …f5, …h5-h4, and even …g5-g4
2. The practical games (Reimanis-Williams, Van Rootselaar-Sharan, etc.) demonstrate Black’s attacking potential:
   • Aggressive pawn storms (…h5-h4, …g5-g4)
   • Tactical opportunities arising from the unbalanced structure
   • Black scoring well in practice