Catalan Opening: Closed Variation, Traditional Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
125,444 games: White 53.2% / Draw 8.9% / Black 37.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 99,37899K | ||
| 12,72813K | ||
| 8,9678,967 | ||
| 1,5961,596 | ||
| 1,0871,087 | ||
| 705705 | ||
| 427427 | ||
| 199199 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.21 The position is about equal
Best play: 9. e4 dxc4 10. Nxc4 Bb7 11. h4 c5 12. e5 Nd5 13. dxc5 Qc7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Catalan Opening: Closed Variation, Traditional Variation (ECO E09, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Catalan Opening: Closed, Main Line, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 c6 8. Nbd2 b6 (8 moves).
In 125,444 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.2%, Black 37.9% and 8.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 9. e4, in 79% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
Write a description or report a mistake
How to play against the Catalan Opening: Closed Variation, Traditional Variation
The most played answer, 9. e4, also scores best for White: 58.2%, with White winning 53.7% and Black 37.3% of 99K games. Of the main answers, 9. b3 scores lowest: 55.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 9. 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 Variation, Traditional Variation (E09)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/catalan-opening-closed-variation-traditional-variation