Catalan Opening: Open Defense 4…dxc4 5. Nf3
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Statistics from Lichess
548,389 games: White 51.7% / Draw 7.1% / Black 41.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 107,189107K | ||
| 89,18589K | ||
| 80,66381K | ||
| Catalan Opening: Open Defense | 69,02269K | |
| 62,47962K | ||
| Classical Line | 54,05254K | |
| 25,69126K | ||
| 17,66618K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.15 The position is about equal
Best play: 5... c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. Ne5 Bd7 8. Nxc4 cxd4 9. Bf4 Bc8 10. Ne5
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the worse this line does for White: White scores 60% under 1400, 52% at 2200 and up and 54% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 27K | |
| 1400–1799 | 112K | |
| 1800–2199 | 255K | |
| 2200 and up | 220K | |
| Masters, over the board | 14K |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Firouzja, A.
- So, W. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Mamedyarov, S.
- Carlsen, M. – Rapport, R.
- Giri, A. – Carlsen, M.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Catalan Opening: Open Defense (ECO E04, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 dxc4 5. Nf3 (5 moves).
In 548,389 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 51.7%, Black 41.3% and 7.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…c5, in 20% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line and Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Modern Sharp Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 5. Nf3
5…a6 scores best for Black: 47.8%, with Black winning 44.0% and White 48.4% of 62K games. The most played, 5…c5, scores 46.4% in 107K games, and 5…Be7 scores lowest: 42.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 5…c5.
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
Popularity by year
This line is played more than twice as often as in 2016: 0.025% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.011%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.011% | 3,842 |
| 2017 | 0.014% | 7,812 |
| 2018 | 0.018% | 13,820 |
| 2019 | 0.017% | 21,461 |
| 2020 | 0.017% | 50,679 |
| 2021 | 0.016% | 64,145 |
| 2022 | 0.022% | 84,294 |
| 2023 | 0.024% | 90,755 |
| 2024 | 0.024% | 86,672 |
| 2025 | 0.025% | 85,257 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.027% | 30,052 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (2)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Catalan Opening: Open Defense (E04)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/catalan-opening-open-defense-2