Catalan Opening: Closed, Main Line 9. e4 Nbd7
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Statistics from Lichess
26,792 games: White 52.3% / Draw 7.4% / Black 40.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 19,12919K | ||
| 2,8492,849 | ||
| 1,8271,827 | ||
| 1,8081,808 | ||
| 792792 | ||
| 140140 | ||
| 107107 | ||
| 5656 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.73 White is better
Best play: 10. e5 Ne8 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Re1 c5 13. Nf1 Rc8 14. a3 Nc7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Catalan Opening: Closed, Main Line (ECO E09, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Indian Defense: Anti-Nimzo-Indian, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O c6 7. Qc2 b6 8. Nbd2 Bb7 9. e4 Nbd7 (9 moves).
In 26,792 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.3%, Black 40.3% and 7.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 10. e5, in 71% of those games.
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How to answer 9…Nbd7
10. Rd1 scores best for White: 57.4%, with White winning 53.1% and Black 38.4% of 2,849 games. The most played answer, 10. e5, scores lowest: 55.9% in 19K games. Stockfish's first choice is 10. e5.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Catalan Opening: Closed, Main Line (E09)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/catalan-opening-closed-main-line-2