Catalan Opening: Closed, Botvinnik Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
43,742 games: White 57.8% / Draw 7.5% / Black 34.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 18,73919K | ||
| 7,9137,913 | ||
| 6,1656,165 | ||
| 3,7993,799 | ||
| 2,2752,275 | ||
| 1,3911,391 | ||
| 1,0001,000 | ||
| 661661 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.34 White is slightly better
Best play: 8... a5 9. b3 a4 10. Bf4 Qa5 11. Bd2 Qa6 12. cxd5 Qxd3 13. exd3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Catalan Opening: Closed, Botvinnik Variation (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 7. Nc3 c6 8. Qd3 (8 moves).
In 43,742 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 57.8%, Black 34.7% and 7.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 8…b6, in 43% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Catalan Opening: Closed, Botvinnik Variation
The most played answer, 8…b6, also scores best for Black: 42.2%, with Black winning 37.8% and White 53.5% of 19K games. Of the main answers, 8…h6 scores lowest: 35.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 8…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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Catalan Opening: Closed, Botvinnik Variation (E07)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/catalan-opening-closed-botvinnik-variation