Catalan Opening
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3
3… d5+0.31
White is slightly better. Stockfish 18, depth 18.
Analyze this positionIn the Catalan Opening (E00), reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3, Stockfish 18 recommends 3… d5 for Black. White is slightly better (+0.31).
Top engine moves
- +0.313… d5 4. Nf3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 a5 6. Qc2 c5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. dxc5
- +0.323… Bb4+ 4. Bd2 a5 5. Nf3 d5 6. Bg2 dxc4 7. O-O O-O 8. Qc2
- +0.443… Be7 4. Bg2 d5 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. cxd5
Other move orders
- 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5
All Catalan Opening variations (14)
- Hungarian GambitE001. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 e5
- Open DefenseE011. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2
- Tarrasch DefenseE011. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 c5 5. Nf3 Nc6
- ClosedE061. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3
- Botvinnik VariationE071. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Nc3 c6 8. Qd3
- Spassky GambitE081. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Be7 4. Bg2 d5 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 c6 8. b3 b6 9. Rd1 Bb7 10. Nc3 b5
- Zagoryansky VariationE081. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 c6 8. Rd1 b6 9. a4
- Main LineE091. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 c6 8. Nbd2
- Sokolsky VariationE091. 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
- Closed Variation, Rabinovich VariationE091. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Qc2 e6 5. Nbd2 Be7 6. g3 Nbd7 7. Bg2 O-O 8. O-O b5
- Closed Variation, Traditional VariationE091. 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
Frequently asked questions
What is the best move in the Catalan Opening?
After 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3, Stockfish 18 at depth 18 recommends 3… d5 for Black, continuing 4. Nf3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 a5 6. Qc2 c5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. dxc5. White is slightly better (+0.31). The next best moves are 3… Bb4+ (+0.32) and 3… Be7 (+0.44).
Is the Catalan Opening a good opening?
Stockfish rates the position at +0.31: white is slightly better. Evaluations this early in the game are small, so practical results depend far more on knowing the plans and typical structures than on the engine's number.
What is the ECO code of the Catalan Opening?
E00. ECO codes classify chess openings from A00 to E99; E is the volume for indian defenses.
Opening names from the Lichess opening book (CC0). Pieces by Colin M.L. Burnett (GPLv2+).