ecocodes
Volume E · Indian defenses‹ E07E09 ›
a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8
Reference position · Black to move

E08 Catalan Opening: Closed

E08 holds seven named lines, all under the name Catalan Opening. It leaves E07, a position of the same name, with 7.Qc2. With seven named lines it is the largest code of the 10 Catalan Opening codes. Black, to move in that position, has 28 legal moves, level for the fewest of the 10 Catalan Opening codes. At 13 plies, its reference line is the second-longest of the 10 Catalan Opening codes.

Score sheet
#WhiteBlack
1d4Nf6
2c4e6
3g3d5
4Bg2Be7
5Nf3O-O
6O-ONbd7
7Qc2

Moves only E08 plays

Same as E07 up to 6...Nbd7, then:

  1. 7.Qc2 The queen goes from d1 to c2, opening a line for the rook on f1, guarding the pawn on c4.

Lines filed under E08

All seven share the start 1.d4 and then split two ways at Black’s move 1.

NameAfter the shared startPliesAt the end
Catalan Opening: Closed1...Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O Nbd7 7.Qc213both castled
Catalan Opening: Closed1...Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O Nbd7 7.Qc2 c6 8.b315both castled
Catalan Opening: Closed1...Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O Nbd7 7.Qc2 c6 8.b3 b616both castled
Catalan Opening: Closed1...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.Bf417both castled
Catalan Opening: Closed, Zagoryansky Variation1...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.a417both castled
Catalan Opening: Closed1...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.e419both castled
Catalan Opening: Closed, Spassky Gambit1...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 b520both castled

The road to E08

  1. 1.d4 … 4...Be7six earlier stops: A40, A45, A50, E00, E01
  2. 5.Nf3E06 Closed
  3. 6...Nbd7E07 Closed
  4. 7.Qc2E08

The position after 7.Qc2

White has brought out the knight on f3 and bishop on g2; Black the knight on d7, knight on f6 and bishop on e7. Black could capture with dxc4.

WhiteBlackMaterial (pawn units)3939Minor pieces developed23Moves spent on pawns32Pawns on d4, e4, d5, e511Squares attacked in the other half95castled kingside, move 6castled kingside, move 5

Codes that branch off from E08

The reference lines of one other code leave E08 from the position after 7.Qc2, each with its own moves.

CodeMovesReference line
E097...c6 8.Nbd2Catalan Opening: Closed, Main Line

Closest boards in other codes

CodeLineDiffers on
A93Dutch Defense: Stonewall Variation, Botvinnik Variationeight squares: d1, b2, c2, b3, f5, d7, f7, b8
A96Dutch Defense: Classical Variationeight squares: d1, c2, d5, f5, d6, d7, f7, b8
D77Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Classical Variationeight squares: d1, c2, e6, g6, d7, e7, g7, b8
A14English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Neo-Catalan Declinedten squares: d1, c2, d2, d4, d7, b8, e8, f8 …
A95Dutch Defense: Stonewall Variationten squares: b1, d1, c2, c3, f5, c6, c7, d7 …
A98Dutch Defense: Classical Variation, Ilyin-Zhenevsky Variation, Alatortsev-Lisitsyn Lineten squares: b1, c3, d5, f5, d6, d7, f7, b8 …
D78Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Classical Variation, Original Defenseten squares: d1, c2, c6, e6, g6, c7, d7, e7 …

Where lines continue from here

Four named lines filed under other codes pass through the position after 7.Qc2. All of them belong to the codes listed above.

Volume E

  1. 00
  2. 01
  3. 02
  4. 03
  5. 04
  6. 05
  7. 06
  8. 07
  9. 08
  10. 09
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. 85
  87. 86
  88. 87
  89. 88
  90. 89
  91. 90
  92. 91
  93. 92
  94. 93
  95. 94
  96. 95
  97. 96
  98. 97
  99. 98
  100. 99

Other move orders

  • Catalan Opening: Closed is also reached inside E09 Catalan Opening: Closed Variation, Traditional Variation, whose order is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 O-O 6.O-O Nbd7 7.Qc2.
  • Catalan Opening: Closed is also reached inside E09 Catalan Opening: Closed, Main Line, whose order is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 O-O 6.O-O Nbd7 7.Qc2 c6 8.Bf4 b6 9.Nbd2 Bb7 10.e4.

Open this line in the finderAll Catalan Opening codes