Catalan Opening: Closed 4…Be7 5. Nf3
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Statistics from Lichess
1,616,532 games: White 51.3% / Draw 7.5% / Black 41.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,307,0001.3M | ||
| 111,319111K | ||
| Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line | 61,71462K | |
| 36,79837K | ||
| 36,46236K | ||
| 19,61020K | ||
| 9,7139,713 | ||
| 9,5609,560 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.14 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qa4 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2
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% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 59% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 19K | |
| 1400–1799 | 192K | |
| 1800–2199 | 874K | |
| 2200 and up | 599K | |
| Masters, over the board | 18K |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Carlsen, M.
- Kramnik, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Aronian, L.
- Ding Liren – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Firouzja, A.
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 E06, 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 (5 moves).
In 1,616,532 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.3%, Black 41.1% and 7.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…O-O, in 81% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations. In all, 9 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 5. Nf3
The most played answer, 5…O-O, also scores best for Black: 45.5%, with Black winning 41.6% and White 50.6% of 1.3M games. Of the main answers, 5…c6 scores lowest: 42.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…O-O.
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
This line has gained ground since 2016: 0.071% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.041%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.041% | 14,816 |
| 2017 | 0.051% | 27,877 |
| 2018 | 0.064% | 50,456 |
| 2019 | 0.061% | 75,840 |
| 2020 | 0.059% | 171,619 |
| 2021 | 0.052% | 204,139 |
| 2022 | 0.063% | 236,661 |
| 2023 | 0.064% | 240,360 |
| 2024 | 0.066% | 236,455 |
| 2025 | 0.071% | 245,412 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.077% | 84,464 |
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 (3)
Transpositions
All 9 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Catalan Opening: Closed (E06)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/catalan-opening-closed-2