Indian Defense: Spielmann-Indian: what to play after Nf6?

In the Indian Defense: Spielmann-Indian (ECO A46), White's most ambitious and top-evaluated option is d5, staking an immediate claim in the center and gaining an engine evaluation of +0.61. This central advance has occurred in 26.9% of the 4,172,198 games recorded for this position, yielding a 50.5% scoring rate for White. By seizing space and cramping Black's development, White avoids early simplifications and challenges Black to counter the advanced pawn wedge immediately.

The Space Advance with d5

Playing d5 transposes the game into Benoni-style structures where White commands a spatial advantage on d5. An illustrative continuation provided by the engine runs d5 b5 Bg5 g6 d6 Bb7, where White disrupts Black's coordination by pushing deeply into enemy territory. White's second-most frequent reply, e3, chosen in 26.6% of recorded games (1.11M games), takes a significantly more modest stance, scoring 49.4% with an evaluation of +0.08.

Classical Alternatives: c4 and c3

Players seeking classical setups often look toward c4, played in 13.3% of games with an evaluation of +0.16 and a 50.4% score for White. This standard flank push frequently proceeds via c4 cxd4 Nxd4 e6 g3 d5, transitioning smoothly into standard English or Catalan territory. Alternatively, the solid c3 shores up the center directly and accounts for 22.4% of games (935K recorded) with White scoring 51.0%, where play may continue c3 d5 dxc5 e6 Be3 Qc7.

Capturing on c5

The immediate capture dxc5 represents White's least successful major continuation, carrying an even +0.00 evaluation and yielding a 47.0% score across 10.7% of games. White rarely holds the pawn securely, as demonstrated in the line dxc5 e6 a3 Bxc5 e3 O-O, allowing Black simple and rapid piece activity.