Catalan Opening: Closed, Main Line (9. e4 Nbd7)
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O c6 7. Qc2 b6 8. Nbd2 Bb7 9. e4 Nbd7
The Catalan Opening: Closed, Main Line is a chess opening classified as ECO E09, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O c6 7. Qc2 b6 8. Nbd2 Bb7 9. e4 Nbd7. 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: +0.69 (Stockfish, depth 36; best line 10. e5 Ne8 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Re1 Nc7)
- ECO
- E09
- Moves
- 18 plies
- FEN
r2q1rk1/pb1nbppp/1pp1pn2/3p4/2PPP3/5NP1/PPQN1PBP/R1B2RK1 w - - 1 10- PGN
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O c6 7. Qc2 b6 8. Nbd2 Bb7 9. e4 Nbd7
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Master games
3 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 67%, draw 33%, Black 0%). The strongest:
- FM Cameron Wheeler (2398) – IM Zurab Javakhadze (2468) 1-0 · PRO League Group Stage · 2017-02-15
- FM Neil Berry (2242) – Angus S James (1941) 1-0 · 5th Classic Open 2013 · 2013-12-11
- FM Ulrich Zenker (2166) – Mauro Rodriguez Perez (1900) 1/2-1/2 · 2nd San Cristobal Open · 2019-09-02
Search all games of the Catalan Opening: Closed, Main Line and its sub-variations
Comes from
Indian Defense: Anti-Nimzo-Indian 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3
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.