Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line
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Statistics from Lichess
118,726 games: White 54.4% / Draw 6.2% / Black 39.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 79,38579K | ||
| 13,47013K | ||
| 11,86212K | ||
| 5,0175,017 | ||
| 4,7474,747 | ||
| 1,8411,841 | ||
| 1,2541,254 | ||
| 453453 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.29 The position is about equal
Best play: 6. Qa4+ c6 7. Qxc4 b5 8. Qc2 Bb7 9. O-O Nbd7 10. Nc3 O-O
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line (ECO E05, 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 Be7 (5 moves).
In 118,726 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.4%, Black 39.3% and 6.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. O-O, in 67% of those games.
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How to play against the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line
The most played answer, 6. O-O, also scores best for White: 58.3%, with White winning 55.1% and Black 38.6% of 79K games. Of the main answers, 6. Ne5 scores lowest: 56.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 6. Qa4+.
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line (E05)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/catalan-opening-open-defense-classical-line