Catalan Opening: Closed 6. O-O Nbd7
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Statistics from Lichess
199,581 games: White 51.7% / Draw 7.1% / Black 41.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| E08 | 70,01370K | |
| 61,25261K | ||
| 26,76427K | ||
| 17,36517K | ||
| 10,82211K | ||
| 2,1502,150 | ||
| 1,6841,684 | ||
| 1,6251,625 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.28 The position is about equal
Best play: 7. Qc2 c6 8. Nbd2 c5 9. Rd1 b6 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Nb3 Re8
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 1,664 | |
| 1400–1799 | 21K | |
| 1800–2199 | 116K | |
| 2200 and up | 68K | |
| Masters, over the board | 1,830 |
Master games
- Giri, A. – Gukesh, D.
- Yu Yangyi – Le Quang Liem
- Andreikin, D. – Maghsoodloo, P.
- Adhiban, B. – Dominguez Perez, L.
- Tabatabaei, M. – Maghsoodloo, P.
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 E07, 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 (6 moves).
In 199,581 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.7%, Black 41.2% and 7.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Qc2, in 35% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played is Catalan Opening: Closed, Botvinnik Variation. In all, 6 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 6…Nbd7
The most played answer, 7. Qc2, also scores best for White: 56.8%, with White winning 53.2% and Black 39.7% of 70K games. Of the main answers, 7. cxd5 scores lowest: 51.8%. Stockfish's first choice is also 7. Qc2.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White'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: 0.0082% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0056%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0056% | 2,015 |
| 2017 | 0.0067% | 3,714 |
| 2018 | 0.0084% | 6,600 |
| 2019 | 0.0079% | 9,908 |
| 2020 | 0.0078% | 22,913 |
| 2021 | 0.0068% | 26,609 |
| 2022 | 0.0077% | 29,047 |
| 2023 | 0.0079% | 29,602 |
| 2024 | 0.0077% | 27,778 |
| 2025 | 0.0082% | 28,388 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0088% | 9,659 |
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 6 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Catalan Opening: Closed (E07)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/catalan-opening-closed-3