Queen's Indian Defense: Spassky System
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Statistics from Lichess
259,946 games: White 45.5% / Draw 6.2% / Black 48.3%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 229,256229K | ||
| 12,62713K | ||
| 6,6826,682 | ||
| 3,5233,523 | ||
| 2,7152,715 | ||
| 2,6162,616 | ||
| 794794 | ||
| 450450 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.09 The position is about equal
Best play: 4... d5 5. Bd3 Bb7 6. O-O dxc4 7. Bxc4 a6 8. Nc3 b5 9. Bb3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: White scores 50% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 52% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 23K | |
| 1400–1799 | 110K | |
| 1800–2199 | 148K | |
| 2200 and up | 42K | |
| Masters, over the board | 2,981 |
Master games
- Kramnik, V. – Kasparov, G.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Erigaisi, A. – Keymer, V.
- Mamedyarov, S. – Kramnik, V.
- Kramnik, V. – Leko, P.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Queen's Indian Defense: Spassky System (ECO E14, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Queen's Indian Defense, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. e3 (4 moves).
In 259,946 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 45.5%, Black 48.3% and 6.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Bb7, in 88% of those games.
It continues into one named variation. In all, 6 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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Popularity by year
The Queen's Indian Defense: Spassky System has lost ground since 2016: 0.0092% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.015%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.015% | 5,237 |
| 2017 | 0.015% | 8,083 |
| 2018 | 0.015% | 11,774 |
| 2019 | 0.013% | 16,461 |
| 2020 | 0.011% | 32,920 |
| 2021 | 0.0092% | 35,985 |
| 2022 | 0.0093% | 34,933 |
| 2023 | 0.0094% | 35,353 |
| 2024 | 0.0088% | 31,543 |
| 2025 | 0.0092% | 31,782 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0098% | 10,695 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Indian Defense: Spassky System (E14)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-spassky-system