Caissa Codex
E08

Catalan Opening: Closed, Spassky Gambit

Chess diagram: Catalan Opening: Closed, Spassky Gambit after 10…b5

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Statistics from Lichess

8 games: White 37.5% / Draw 0.0% / Black 62.5%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
33
22
22
11

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.71 White is better

Best play: 11. c5 b4 12. Na4 a5 13. Bd2 Ba6 14. Be1 Qc7 15. a3 Qb7

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

Overview

Catalan Opening: Closed, Spassky Gambit (ECO E08, Indian Defenses) is a gambit in the Catalan Opening, reached after 1. d4 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 b5 (10 moves).

In 8 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 37.5%, Black 62.5% and 0.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 11. c5, in 38% of those games. That is too few games for the percentages to mean much.

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Other lines from the same position

Instead of 3…Be7 4. Bg2 d5 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 c6 8. b3 b6 9. Rd1 Bb7 10. Nc3 b5, the position after Catalan Opening also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Catalan Opening: Closed, Spassky Gambit (E08)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/catalan-opening-closed-spassky-gambit

https://chesscodex.org/openings/catalan-opening-closed-spassky-gambit