E08 · Indian · a plan for White

Catalan Opening: Closed, Spassky Gambit

20/20
1.d4Nf62.c4e63.g3Be74.Bg2d55.Nf3O-O6.O-ONbd77.Qc2c68.b3b69.Rd1Bb710.Nc3b5
Live databaseLichess 1600–2000 · blitz + rapid
Catalan Opening: Closed, Spassky Gambit2 games · White to move
Only 2 games reach this position at this level — read it loosely.
MoveWhite / draw / BlackPlayedGamesScore
50%1100%
50%10%
Famous games in this line11 master games
Kortschnoj, Viktor (2670) – Spassky, Boris V (2690)19711–0Espig, Lutz (2490) – Spassky, Boris V (2625)1975½–½Sosonko, Gennadi (2505) – Andersson, Ulf (2585)1976½–½Pantzar, Milton (2411) – Howell, David (2653)20200–1Razuvaev, Yuri S (2515) – Lputian, Smbat G (2445)19801–0Schmidt, Wlodzimierz (2500) – Williams, Arthur Howard (2405)19741–0Stein, Robert (2415) – Zanan, E. (2481)2023½–½Antunes, Antonio (2540) – Garcia Trobat, Francisco (2305)19961–0
Heroes of this opening Kortschnoj, Viktor · Howell, David · Razuvaev, Yuri S · Schmidt, Wlodzimierz
Family
Catalan Opening
Category
Indian
First move
1.d4
ECO
E08
Line
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
GambitFianchettoPositionalHypermodern
★ Read the guide: Catalan OpeningExplore all 32 Catalan Opening lines →
Keep exploring
Nearby lines in the family
Catalan Opening: Closed, Sokolsky VariationE09 3…d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O …Catalan Opening: Closed, Zagoryansky VariationE08 1…e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 …Catalan Opening: Closed Variation, Rabinovich VariationE09 1…d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Qc2 …
From the archives

The 1929 Barcelona organizers literally commissioned an opening: Tartakower blended 1.d4 with a kingside fianchetto and named it for Catalonia. Seventy years later Kramnik and Carlsen made it a world-championship weapon — one long-range bishop, endless quiet pressure.

Study this opening
Videos on YouTube ↗Wikipedia: Catalan Opening ↗