ECO A13 · English Opening

English Opening: Neo-Catalan Declined

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

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

5. d4+0.50

White is slightly better. Stockfish 18, depth 18.

Analyze this position

In the English Opening: Neo-Catalan Declined (A13), reached after 1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7, Stockfish 18 recommends 5. d4 for White. White is slightly better (+0.50).

Top engine moves

  1. +0.505. d4 O-O 6. O-O b6 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Nc3 c6 9. Qc2 Re8
  2. +0.465. O-O d4 6. b4 O-O 7. Bb2 c5 8. d3 Nbd7 9. Re1 Qb6
  3. +0.015. d3 c5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxd7 Bxd7 8. O-O Bc6 9. Nc3 O-O

Frequently asked questions

What is the best move in the English Opening: Neo-Catalan Declined?
After 1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7, Stockfish 18 at depth 18 recommends 5. d4 for White, continuing O-O 6. O-O b6 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Nc3 c6 9. Qc2 Re8. White is slightly better (+0.50). The next best moves are 5. O-O (+0.46) and 5. d3 (+0.01).
Is the English Opening: Neo-Catalan Declined a good opening?
Stockfish rates the position at +0.50: 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 English Opening: Neo-Catalan Declined?
A13. ECO codes classify chess openings from A00 to E99; A is the volume for flank openings.

Opening names from the Lichess opening book (CC0). Pieces by Colin M.L. Burnett (GPLv2+).