Catalan Opening: Closed 7…c6 8. b3
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
32,891 games: White 54.2% / Draw 8.0% / Black 37.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 14,50515K | ||
| 4,5214,521 | ||
| 4,4754,475 | ||
| 1,5411,541 | ||
| 1,4641,464 | ||
| 1,3911,391 | ||
| 1,2941,294 | ||
| 924924 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.19 The position is about equal
Best play: 8... b6 9. Rd1 Re8 10. Nbd2 Bb7 11. e4 dxe4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Qxe4
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. b3 (8 moves).
In 32,891 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.2%, Black 37.8% and 8.0% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…b6, in 44% of those games.
It continues into one named variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to answer 8. b3
The most played answer, 8…b6, also scores best for Black: 43.6%, with Black winning 39.0% and White 51.8% of 15K games. Of the main answers, 8…Re8 scores lowest: 40.9%. Stockfish's first choice is also 8…b6.
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 (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Catalan Opening: Closed (E08)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/catalan-opening-closed-5