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Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line

364K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026

Tough Sell
Black Expected Score46.1%Range (90% confident): 45.9% – 46.2%Based on 364K games
0%46.1%100%
Range (90% confident): 45.9% – 46.2%
Outcome Distribution
42.3%7.5%50.2%
Win
Draw
Loss
5...Be7
Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line
Analyzen=364K
Avg Length39 moves
Sharpness93%
Draw Rate7.5%

What is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line expected score for Black?

Snapshot

At all ratings, the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line has a 46.1% expected score for Black (we're 90% confident it's between 45.9% and 46.2%), based on 364K Lichess games.

Extra Analysis

Deep-dive datasets for this opening

Time-Control Swing

Max swing: 8.7% · UltraBullet best · Classical worst

Black Win% by Rating

Declines with rating: 43% → 39%

0
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
2500+

  • 0-999: 42.5% win rate (242 games)
  • 1000-1199: 44.4% win rate (1,094 games)
  • 1200-1399: 41.3% win rate (3,134 games)
  • 1400-1599: 42.9% win rate (9,029 games)
  • 1600-1799: 42.2% win rate (21,161 games)
  • 1800-1999: 43.3% win rate (41,337 games)
  • 2000-2199: 44.1% win rate (79,766 games)
  • 2200-2499: 42.5% win rate (142,751 games)
  • 2500+: 38.9% win rate (65,780 games)

Black Win% by Time Control

Best in UltraBullet (44%), worst in Classical (39%)

UltraBullet
Bullet
Blitz
Rapid
Classical

  • UltraBullet: 43.8% win rate (1,188 games)
  • Bullet: 42.7% win rate (146,390 games)
  • Blitz: 42.1% win rate (192,372 games)
  • Rapid: 41.8% win rate (23,023 games)
  • Classical: 38.7% win rate (1,321 games)

Black% by Rating × Time Control

Click any cell to filter. Green = above 50%, Red = below 50%.

RatingUBBulleBlitzRapidClass
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, Bullet: 38.4% expected score (97 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Blitz: 39.7% expected score (105 games)
  • 0-999 rating, Rapid: 64.5% expected score (40 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (6 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 44.8% expected score (556 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 45.7% expected score (418 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 49.2% expected score (113 games)
  • 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 37.7% expected score (27 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 43.2% expected score (1,567 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 42.8% expected score (1,231 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 40.7% expected score (298 games)
  • 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 42.0% expected score (11 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 46.1% expected score (162 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 44.0% expected score (3,941 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 44.8% expected score (3,957 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 46.2% expected score (909 games)
  • 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 39.5% expected score (60 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 45.5% expected score (351 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 43.9% expected score (8,628 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 43.9% expected score (9,828 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 46.4% expected score (2,212 games)
  • 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 47.6% expected score (142 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 46.7% expected score (327 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 45.2% expected score (14,122 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 46.1% expected score (22,321 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 46.5% expected score (4,230 games)
  • 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 49.3% expected score (337 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 45.1% expected score (231 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 45.6% expected score (23,854 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 48.3% expected score (48,759 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 48.4% expected score (6,418 games)
  • 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 46.9% expected score (504 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 44.0% expected score (82 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 46.5% expected score (49,472 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 46.6% expected score (85,434 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 47.6% expected score (7,554 games)
  • 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 48.4% expected score (209 games)
  • 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Bullet: 44.8% expected score (44,153 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Blitz: 42.8% expected score (20,319 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Rapid: 41.5% expected score (1,249 games)
  • 2500+ rating, Classical: 44.9% expected score (57 games)

Related Openings

Parent
Catalan Opening
50.9%
Variations (5)
Catalan Opening: Closed
51.4%
Catalan Opening: Open Defense
52.4%
Catalan Opening: Closed, Main Line
56.3%
Catalan Opening: Closed Variation, Traditional Variation
52.1%
Catalan Opening: Closed, Botvinnik Variation
55.1%
Analyze Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line PositionsGet move-by-move win rates with the TrueElo analyzer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line win rate?

The Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line has a 50.2% (90% CI: 50.1%-50.4%) win rate for white, based on 364K rated games from Lichess.

At what rating does the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line perform best?

The Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line performs best at 1200-1399 Elo with a 55.8% win rate for white (3.1K games). Win rate tends to decline at higher ratings as opponents know the theory better.

Is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line better in blitz or rapid?

Bullet (51.8%) outperforms Classical (44.2%) by 7.6%. Choose your time control wisely.

How sharp is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line?

The Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line has a sharpness score of 92.5 (decisive), meaning 92.5% of games end decisively. Average game length is 39 moves.

What is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line win rate at 0-999 Elo?

At 0-999 Elo, the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line has a 56.1% (90% CI: 50.8%-61.3%) win rate for white, based on 242 Lichess games. Average game length is 27 moves with a 1.4% draw rate.

What is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line win rate at 1000-1199 Elo?

At 1000-1199 Elo, the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line has a 53.3% (90% CI: 50.8%-55.7%) win rate for white, based on 1.1K Lichess games. Average game length is 29 moves with a 2.3% draw rate.

What is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line win rate at 1200-1399 Elo?

At 1200-1399 Elo, the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line has a 55.8% (90% CI: 54.3%-57.3%) win rate for white, based on 3.1K Lichess games. Average game length is 30 moves with a 2.9% draw rate.

What is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line win rate at 1400-1599 Elo?

At 1400-1599 Elo, the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line has a 53.8% (90% CI: 52.9%-54.7%) win rate for white, based on 9.0K Lichess games. Average game length is 33 moves with a 3.3% draw rate.

What is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line win rate at 1600-1799 Elo?

At 1600-1799 Elo, the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line has a 53.8% (90% CI: 53.2%-54.3%) win rate for white, based on 21K Lichess games. Average game length is 34 moves with a 4.1% draw rate.

What is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line win rate at 1800-1999 Elo?

At 1800-1999 Elo, the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line has a 51.7% (90% CI: 51.3%-52.1%) win rate for white, based on 41K Lichess games. Average game length is 36 moves with a 5.0% draw rate.

What is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line win rate at 2000-2199 Elo?

At 2000-2199 Elo, the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line has a 49.2% (90% CI: 48.9%-49.5%) win rate for white, based on 80K Lichess games. Average game length is 37 moves with a 6.7% draw rate.

What is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line win rate at 2200-2499 Elo?

At 2200-2499 Elo, the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line has a 49.3% (90% CI: 49.1%-49.5%) win rate for white, based on 143K Lichess games. Average game length is 40 moves with a 8.2% draw rate.

What is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line win rate at 2500+ Elo?

At 2500+ Elo, the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line has a 50.6% (90% CI: 50.3%-50.9%) win rate for white, based on 66K Lichess games. Average game length is 44 moves with a 10.5% draw rate.

What is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line win rate in UltraBullet?

In UltraBullet games, the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line has a 52.9% (90% CI: 50.5%-55.3%) win rate for white (1.2K Lichess games). Draw rate is 3.3%.

What is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line win rate in Bullet?

In Bullet games, the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line has a 51.8% (90% CI: 51.6%-52.0%) win rate for white (146K Lichess games). Draw rate is 5.6%.

What is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line win rate in Blitz?

In Blitz games, the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line has a 49.4% (90% CI: 49.2%-49.6%) win rate for white (192K Lichess games). Draw rate is 8.5%.

What is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line win rate in Rapid?

In Rapid games, the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line has a 47.8% (90% CI: 47.2%-48.3%) win rate for white (23K Lichess games). Draw rate is 10.5%.

What is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line win rate in Classical?

In Classical games, the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line has a 44.2% (90% CI: 42.0%-46.4%) win rate for white (1.3K Lichess games). Draw rate is 17.1%.

Is the Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line a good opening?

The Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line is statistically favors white with a 50.2% (90% CI: 50.1%-50.4%) win rate across all ratings. It performs best at 1200-1399 Elo. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.