Catalan Opening: Closed, Sokolsky Variation
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Statistics from Lichess
800 games: White 53.0% / Draw 6.6% / Black 40.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 357357 | ||
| 241241 | ||
| 7272 | ||
| 7070 | ||
| 2121 | ||
| 1313 | ||
| 88 | ||
| 66 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.61 White is slightly better
Best play: 11. e4 Nxe4 12. Nxe4 dxe4 13. Qxe4 Bb7 14. h4 a4 15. Rfd1 Qc7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Catalan Opening: Closed, Sokolsky Variation (ECO E09, 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. Nbd2 b6 9. b3 a5 10. Bb2 Ba6 (10 moves).
In 800 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.0%, Black 40.4% and 6.6% were drawn. White's most played move here is 11. e4, in 45% of those games.
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How to play against the Catalan Opening: Closed, Sokolsky Variation
The most played answer, 11. e4, also scores best for White: 59.5%, with White winning 56.6% and Black 37.5% of 357 games. Of the main answers, 11. Rfe1 scores lowest: 52.1%. Stockfish's first choice is also 11. e4.
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, Sokolsky Variation (E09)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/catalan-opening-closed-sokolsky-variation