Catalan Opening: Closed (8. b3 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
The Catalan Opening: Closed is a chess opening classified as ECO E08, reached after 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. It is a line of the Catalan Opening. White is to move.
This exact move order didn't appear in our sample of 12.6 million Lichess games: it's a rare line.
Engine evaluation: +0.31 (Stockfish, depth 44; best line 9. Rd1 h6 10. Bb2 Bb7 11. Nc3 Qc7)
- ECO
- E08
- Moves
- 16 plies
- FEN
r1bq1rk1/p2nbppp/1pp1pn2/3p4/2PP4/1P3NP1/P1Q1PPBP/RNB2RK1 w - - 0 9- PGN
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
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Master games
4 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 50%, draw 25%, Black 25%). The strongest:
- GM Aleksandr Shimanov (2626) – GM Awonder Liang (2569) 1/2-1/2 · 46th Annual World Open · 2018-07-07
- GM Zdenko Kozul (2625) – GM Ante Saric (2536) 1-0 · ch-CRO 2021 · 2021-12-02
- IM Stavroula Tsolakidou (2380) – GM Parham Maghsoodloo (2676) 0-1 · Capechecs Online Trophy · 2020-10-25
- WIM Janelle Mae Frayna (2204) – GM Eugenio Torre (2463) 1-0 · ch-PHI 2015 · 2015-10-25
Search all games of the Catalan Opening: Closed and its sub-variations
Comes from
Catalan Opening: Closed (7… c6 8. b3) 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
More Catalan Opening lines (all)
- Catalan Opening (2… e6 3. g3) E00
- Catalan Opening (3. g3 d5) E00
- Catalan Opening: Hungarian Gambit E00
- Catalan Opening: Open Defense (3… d5 4. Bg2) E01
- Catalan Opening: Tarrasch Defense E01
- Catalan Opening: Open Defense (4. Bg2 dxc4) E02
- Catalan Opening: Open Defense (5… Nbd7 6. Qxc4) E03
- Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Alekhine Variation E03
- Catalan Opening: Open Defense (4… dxc4 5. Nf3) E04
- Catalan Opening: Open Defense (5. Bg2 dxc4) E04
- Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Modern Sharp Variation E04
- Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line (5. Nf3 Be7) E05
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.