Catalan Opening: Closed 9…Bb7 10. e4
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Statistics from Lichess
5,172 games: White 47.7% / Draw 10.0% / Black 42.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 3,2553,255 | ||
| 673673 | ||
| 523523 | ||
| 368368 | ||
| 193193 | ||
| 110110 | ||
| 2020 | ||
| 1616 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.09 The position is about equal
Best play: 10... Nh5 11. Be3 Nhf6 12. h4 dxe4 13. Nxe4 c5 14. Nxf6+ Nxf6 15. Rad1
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Catalan Opening: Closed (ECO E08, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Catalan Opening: Closed, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 c6 8. Bf4 b6 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. e4 (10 moves).
In 5,172 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.7%, Black 42.3% and 10.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 10…dxe4, in 63% of those games.
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How to answer 10. e4
10…dxc4 scores best for Black: 60.6%, with Black winning 58.1% and White 36.9% of 523 games. The most played answer, 10…dxe4, scores lowest: 44.8% in 3,255 games. Stockfish's first choice is 10…Nh5.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Catalan Opening: Closed (E08)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/catalan-opening-closed-10