Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line 6. O-O dxc4
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Statistics from Lichess
701,365 games: White 48.9% / Draw 8.7% / Black 42.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 302,121302K | ||
| 194,725195K | ||
| 74,86075K | ||
| 38,20638K | ||
| 35,64036K | ||
| 26,19526K | ||
| 22,76523K | ||
| 1,6251,625 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 2, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.17 The position is about equal
Best play: 7. Qa4 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7
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 better this line does for Black: Black scores 42% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 43% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 4,311 | |
| 1400–1799 | 39K | |
| 1800–2199 | 269K | |
| 2200 and up | 403K | |
| Masters, over the board | 15K |
Master games
- Kramnik, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Aronian, L.
- Ding Liren – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Firouzja, A.
- Ding Liren – 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, Classical Line (ECO E05, 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 dxc4 (6 moves).
In 701,365 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.9%, Black 42.4% and 8.7% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. Qc2, in 43% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 6…dxc4
7. Nbd2 scores best for White: 53.6%, with White winning 50.1% and Black 42.8% of 36K games. The most played, 7. Qc2, scores 53.5% in 302K games, and 7. Nc3 scores lowest: 52.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 7. 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
Popularity by year
This line has gained ground since 2016: 0.029% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.016%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.016% | 5,560 |
| 2017 | 0.02% | 10,754 |
| 2018 | 0.028% | 22,230 |
| 2019 | 0.027% | 33,758 |
| 2020 | 0.029% | 84,972 |
| 2021 | 0.024% | 94,215 |
| 2022 | 0.028% | 105,342 |
| 2023 | 0.027% | 101,041 |
| 2024 | 0.028% | 98,638 |
| 2025 | 0.029% | 100,489 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.03% | 33,159 |
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line (E05)”. Lichess data as of 2 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/catalan-opening-open-defense-classical-line-2