Why don't people accept the open catalan?

The open catalan is the best way to play the catalan for black. But in 80% of my games people play a semi slav structure and in the rest they play king indian vs catalan. Why do players not accept it? Would you accept it as black? Why or why not? Only players who are higher than my level 2200+ accept it ,it seems.

Certain levels play certain opening lines. You have to know what level is going to play what when you're choosing an opening.

@TheKingClash said in #3:

It could be because an open position may benefit the g2-bishop on the long diagonal. As a semi-frequent Meran player I sometimes play ...b5 followed by ...a6, ...Bb7 and ...c5, gaining queenside space, which is just ineffective against the Catalan as it weakens the c6-pawn and the bishop may eventually crash through. And then if he doesn't play ...b5, black still has the problem of his queenside bishop, hemmed in by the pawns.
But the mainline is equal.There are 8 other mainlines, this is the most common one. Also the sidelines offer sufficient play. But no one accepts the open catalan. The engine says its the best way to play as black.

The Catalan isn't exactly common at our level, so most people you play it against will barely know any theory.

I don't play into the Catalan as black, but when I'm playing an opening I know little about and somebody offers me what looks like a free pawn, I usually don't take it. Accepting a gambit without knowing the theory is way too risky...

"The open catalan is the best way to play the catalan for black. "

is it?

i'd be a bit more careful with sweeping statements like "the best way" :o
anyway, the main reason why it's less popular at lower levels is most likely to be a lack of knowledge - you can see that the frequency of dxc4 increases as the average rating increases.

while the closed catalan is a thing that exists, it's likely that most people at your level are just playing c6 "by feel". positions like the most popular line at u2000 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 g3 Be7 5 Bg2 O-O 6 O-O c6 7 Nbd2 Nbd7 8 Qc2 b6 9 e4 dxe4 (or even worse, 8..Re8) really don't inspire confidence for black

@Aery said in #7:

i'd be a bit more careful with sweeping statements like "the best way" :o
anyway, the main reason why it's less popular at lower levels is most likely to be a lack of knowledge - you can see that the frequency of dxc4 increases as the average rating increases.

while the closed catalan is a thing that exists, it's likely that most people at your level are just playing c6 "by feel". positions like the most popular line at u2000 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 g3 Be7 5 Bg2 O-O 6 O-O c6 7 Nbd2 Nbd7 8 Qc2 b6 9 e4 dxe4 (or even worse, 8..Re8) really don't inspire confidence for black
And that usually results in most of the theory of the open catalan that I have learnt coming into no use. Could anyone suggest me what do I learn for these semi slav structures? Is it still a viable option to play the Bg2 idea after 2.c6 or c6 later in the game by black?

ahah well, your question gets closer to matters of the Grand Philosophy of Openings, so i'll try to reply in a way that applies to ANYONE playing ANY opening!!!!11

so well, should you focus on "theory" or "understanding"?
that's a false choice, they are in fact two sides of the same coin.

what are we trying to do in the opening? we want to get our pieces to good squares, and get to a middlegame where we know what to do. if we can also deny the opponent from doing so, that's all the better.
when both sides are trying to impose their ideas (and prevent the opponent's ideas), theory happens. so, basically, the proof of the validity of the ideas is in the theory.

what does that have to do with your question? i could say "yeah Bg2 systems are playable vs c6", but you should try to understand what both sides are doing, and the theory will follow.
like, what's the relationship between c6 and g3? what changes in the g3 dxc4 lines when black has played c6 instead of e6, or has played both? which of white's resources for regaining the pawn work, or what changes in them? can black make use of the fact that e6 wasn't played to develop their Bc8? just a few possible questions to guide your thoughts~

Well, the opening is just that. A way to develop your pieces without getting into major problems.

I do not know the catalan, in any way, shape or form, but i tend to close the game on openings that i do not know or that i am unsure of the outcome.

In other words, i call their bluff. If they think they are better than me in the opening at a closed position, they have to prove it, i trust that my midgame is stronger than theirs.

Half of the time works 100% of the time.