ECO E06 · Catalan Opening

Catalan Opening: Closed

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3

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Black to move. The arrow shows Stockfish’s best move.
Best move

5… O-O+0.37

White is slightly better. Stockfish 18, depth 18.

Analyze this position

In the Catalan Opening: Closed (E06), reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3, Stockfish 18 recommends 5… O-O for Black. White is slightly better (+0.37).

Top engine moves

  1. +0.375… O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+
  2. +0.425… Nc6 6. O-O O-O 7. b3 b6 8. Nc3 Bb7 9. Ne5 Bb4 10. Nxc6
  3. +0.465… dxc4 6. Qa4+ c6 7. Qxc4 b5 8. Qc2 Bb7 9. O-O O-O 10. Nc3

Other move orders

  • 1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. O-O c6
  • 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7
  • 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2
  • 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 c6 8. b3
  • 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O c6 8. Bf4 b6
  • 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 c6 8. b3 b6
  • 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O c6 7. Qc2 b6 8. Rd1 Nbd7 9. Bf4
  • 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O c6 7. Qc2 b6 8. Nbd2 Bb7 9. e4 Na6
  • 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 c6 8. Bf4 b6 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. e4

Variations

Frequently asked questions

What is the best move in the Catalan Opening: Closed?
After 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3, Stockfish 18 at depth 18 recommends 5… O-O for Black, continuing 6. O-O dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+. White is slightly better (+0.37). The next best moves are 5… Nc6 (+0.42) and 5… dxc4 (+0.46).
Is the Catalan Opening: Closed a good opening?
Stockfish rates the position at +0.37: 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: Closed?
E06. 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+).