Catalan Opening: Closed 6…Nbd7 7. Qc2
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Statistics from Lichess
76,778 games: White 53.0% / Draw 7.2% / Black 39.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 28,58829K | ||
| 17,52018K | ||
| 12,51313K | ||
| 6,7926,792 | ||
| 3,2853,285 | ||
| 2,4212,421 | ||
| 1,7251,725 | ||
| 1,4631,463 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.32 White is slightly better
Best play: 7... a5 8. Rd1 dxc4 9. Na3 Bxa3 10. bxa3 b5 11. Rb1 Ba6 12. Ne5
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 (7 moves).
In 76,778 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.0%, Black 39.7% and 7.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 7…c6, in 37% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played is Catalan Opening: Closed, Sokolsky Variation. In all, 4 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 7. Qc2
7…b6 scores best for Black: 44.5%, with Black winning 41.0% and White 52.1% of 18K games. The most played, 7…c6, scores 43.3% in 29K games, and 7…dxc4 scores lowest: 40.2%. Stockfish's first choice is 7…a5.
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
Variations (3)
All 4 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Catalan Opening: Closed (E08)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/catalan-opening-closed-4