Catalan Opening
13 variations · 2.0M games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · Overall
54.8%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. Its best is the same figure — the band is too tight to plot.
Measured over 2.0M games at this level and clock.
A strong opening choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 6.6 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 2.0M games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- #3 of 56
- Games in this context
- 2.0M
- Best context
- 59.6% at 2200-2499 Classical
- Worst context
- 50.9% at 1400-1599 UltraBullet
- Variations measured
- 13
- Average game length
- 38 moves
Best and worst are the strongest and weakest squares with at least 500 games behind them. The table further down shows every square, including thinner ones.
What to play from here
White · OverallThese are the moves players actually choose from here, ranked by how they score. A higher score is a better bet on the numbers alone — familiarity and playstyle still matter.
Where it holds · White score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It gets better as the rating rises: 52.8% at 0-999, 62.0% at 2500+.
| Rating | UB | Bulle | Blitz | Rapid | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-999 | |||||
| 1000-1199 | |||||
| 1200-1399 | |||||
| 1400-1599 | |||||
| 1600-1799 | |||||
| 1800-1999 | |||||
| 2000-2199 | |||||
| 2200-2499 | |||||
| 2500+ |
Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control
- 0-999 rating, UltraBullet: 44.2% expected score (7 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 54.3% expected score (1,758 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 55.9% expected score (2,625 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 52.1% expected score (888 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 43.2% expected score (35 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 54.8% expected score (7,007 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 55.2% expected score (8,500 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 55.3% expected score (2,707 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 50.9% expected score (54 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 55.4% expected score (177 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 55.5% expected score (18,382 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 55.6% expected score (21,368 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 56.2% expected score (6,448 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 55.4% expected score (239 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 50.9% expected score (624 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 55.3% expected score (38,385 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 55.0% expected score (53,395 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 55.5% expected score (14,734 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 56.5% expected score (812 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 56.2% expected score (1,462 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 54.9% expected score (69,607 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 54.1% expected score (110,082 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 54.4% expected score (26,490 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 54.0% expected score (2,048 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 54.2% expected score (1,034 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 54.6% expected score (99,898 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 54.0% expected score (206,246 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 54.0% expected score (45,958 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 54.6% expected score (3,593 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 54.9% expected score (498 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 54.7% expected score (138,862 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 54.0% expected score (293,965 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.4% expected score (51,131 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 55.2% expected score (3,124 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 50.8% expected score (178 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 55.0% expected score (203,346 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.9% expected score (322,025 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 55.9% expected score (38,484 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 59.6% expected score (891 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 81.6% expected score (8 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 56.2% expected score (117,622 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 57.0% expected score (68,899 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 58.6% expected score (4,678 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 56.4% expected score (452 games)
13 variations · ranked by floor
Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Catalan Opening family scores 54.8% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 54.7% and 54.8% — from 2.0M Lichess games across 13 variations. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.
How the figures are made
- Whose games these are
- 2.0M+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-12 to 2025-11). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt January 2026.
- Which games we count
- Rated games only — nothing casual.
- Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
- At least 2 moves played.
- A game is filed under White’s rating.
- Why every number comes with a range
- A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
- How much we need before we say anything
- An opening page needs 100 games. A gambit needs 50 games at a rating before we will say whether it pays there. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Catalan Opening win rate?
Across the Catalan Opening's 13 variations, White wins 51.5%, draws 6.6% and loses 42.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.8%. It rests on 2.0M rated games from Lichess.
How many Catalan Opening variations are there?
13 Catalan Opening variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.
At what rating does the Catalan Opening perform best?
The Catalan Opening family performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 56.6% (192K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.
Is the Catalan Opening better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Catalan Opening scores about the same in both: an Expected Score of 54.6% in Blitz (1.1M games) against 54.9% in Rapid (192K games).
How sharp is the Catalan Opening?
Catalan Opening games are 93.4% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 38 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.
Is the Catalan Opening a good opening family?
The Catalan Opening family is good for White overall. Across its games, White wins 51.5% and loses 42.0%. Results differ between its 13 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.