Queen's Indian Defense: Spassky System3
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Statistics from Lichess
20,221 games: White 46.2% / Draw 5.4% / Black 48.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Queen's Indian Defense, with e3 | 11,90912K | |
| 4,9774,977 | ||
| 1,2441,244 | ||
| 719719 | ||
| 530530 | ||
| 220220 | ||
| 160160 | ||
| 107107 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 13, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.42 White is slightly better
Best play: 6. Nc3 d5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. O-O O-O 10. b3 Nc6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Queen's Indian Defense: Spassky System3 (ECO E14, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Queen's Indian Defense: Spassky System, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. e3 Bb7 5. Bd3 c5 (5 moves).
In 20,221 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.2%, Black 48.4% and 5.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. O-O, in 59% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played is Queen's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Queen's Indian Defense: Spassky System3
6. Nc3 scores best for White: 50.1%, with White winning 47.4% and Black 47.1% of 4,977 games. The most played, 6. O-O, scores 49.5% in 12K games, and 6. Nbd2 scores lowest: 45.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. Nc3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Variations (2)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Indian Defense: Spassky System3 (E14)”. Lichess data as of 13 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-spassky-system3