Queen's Indian Defense: Spassky System3 9. cxd5 Nxd5
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Statistics from Lichess
5,541 games: White 49.6% / Draw 7.8% / Black 42.7%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,4002,400 | ||
| 1,0201,020 | ||
| 773773 | ||
| 421421 | ||
| 254254 | ||
| 216216 | ||
| 8181 | ||
| 6868 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.31 White is slightly better
Best play: 10. Ne5 O-O 11. Qg4 f5 12. Qe2 Bf6 13. Bc4 Re8 14. Rd1 Nd7
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 System3, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. e3 Bb7 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nc3 cxd4 7. exd4 Be7 8. O-O d5 9. cxd5 Nxd5 (9 moves).
In 5,541 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.6%, Black 42.7% and 7.8% were drawn. White's most played move here is 10. Ne5, in 43% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 9…Nxd5
The most played answer, 10. Ne5, also scores best for White: 58.3%, with White winning 54.3% and Black 37.8% of 2,400 games. Of the main answers, 10. Nxd5 scores lowest: 47.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 10. Ne5.
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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Indian Defense: Spassky System3 (E14)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-indian-defense-spassky-system3-2