Catalan Opening: Closed
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
1,063,701 games: White 51.3% / Draw 6.8% / Black 41.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 291,889292K | ||
| 253,209253K | ||
| 141,887142K | ||
| Catalan Opening: Open Defense | 138,100138K | |
| 104,492104K | ||
| 40,24240K | ||
| 24,50525K | ||
| 18,52719K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.17 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... Bb4+ 5. Nd2 O-O 6. Nf3 b6 7. O-O Bb7 8. b3 c5 9. Bb2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 55% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up and 55% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 51K | |
| 1400–1799 | 271K | |
| 1800–2199 | 600K | |
| 2200 and up | 284K | |
| Masters, over the board | 11K |
Master games
- Ding Liren – Carlsen, M.
- Kramnik, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Firouzja, A.
- Ding, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Ding, L. – Carlsen, M.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Catalan Opening: Closed (ECO E01, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Catalan Opening, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 (4 moves).
In 1,063,701 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.3%, Black 41.9% and 6.8% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Be7, in 27% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played is Catalan Opening: Open Defense. In all, 16 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Catalan Opening: Closed
The most played answer, 4…Be7, also scores best for Black: 46.8%, with Black winning 43.0% and White 49.4% of 292K games. Of the main answers, 4…c6 scores lowest: 44.0%. Stockfish's first choice is 4…Bb4+.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Catalan Opening: Closed has gained ground since 2016: 0.045% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.026%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.026% | 9,283 |
| 2017 | 0.03% | 16,632 |
| 2018 | 0.036% | 28,020 |
| 2019 | 0.035% | 43,551 |
| 2020 | 0.033% | 97,422 |
| 2021 | 0.037% | 144,901 |
| 2022 | 0.046% | 173,105 |
| 2023 | 0.045% | 169,310 |
| 2024 | 0.044% | 156,720 |
| 2025 | 0.045% | 155,186 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.048% | 52,269 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (2)
All 16 named lines that continue from here
- E06 Closed 5 moves
- E02 Catalan Opening: Open Defense 4 moves
- E06 Closed 9 moves
- E07 Closed 6 moves
- E08 Closed 9 moves
- E03 Open Defense 6 moves
- E04 Open Defense 5 moves
- E08 Closed 7 moves
- E07 Botvinnik Variation 8 moves
- E03 Alekhine Variation 7 moves
- E05 Classical Line 5 moves
- E04 Modern Sharp Variation 6 moves
- E08 Closed 8 moves
- E08 Closed 10 moves
- E09 Sokolsky Variation 10 moves
- E08 Closed 8 moves
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Catalan Opening: Closed (E01)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/catalan-opening-closed