Indian Defense: Spielmann-Indian
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Statistics from Lichess
3,316,075 games: White 46.2% / Draw 6.1% / Black 47.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Benoni Defense: Benoni-Indian Defense, Kingside Move Order | 816,308816K | |
| 683,012683K | ||
| 639,876640K | ||
| English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation | 269,141269K | |
| 248,959249K | ||
| 240,096240K | ||
| 202,258202K | ||
| 118,830119K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 9, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.40 White is slightly better
Best play: 3. d5 b5 4. e4 Nxe4 5. Bd3 Qa5+ 6. Nbd2 Nf6 7. O-O c4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 51% under 1400, 49% at 2200 and up and 46% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 151K | |
| 1400–1799 | 611K | |
| 1800–2199 | 2M | |
| 2200 and up | 912K | |
| Masters, over the board | 11K |
Master games
- So, W. – Carlsen, M.
- Aronian, L. – Matlakov, M.
- Kamsky, G. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Radjabov, T. – Bologan, 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 26, 2026
Overview
Indian Defense: Spielmann-Indian (ECO A46, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Indian Defense: Knights Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 (2 moves).
In 3,316,075 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.2%, Black 47.6% and 6.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. d5, in 25% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Indian Defense: Pseudo-Benko and Benoni Defense: Hawk 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 Indian Defense: Spielmann-Indian
3. c3 scores best for White: 50.7%, with White winning 47.2% and Black 45.8% of 640K games. The most played, 3. d5, scores 50.6% in 816K games, and 3. Bf4 scores lowest: 43.5%. Stockfish's first choice is 3. d5.
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
Popularity by year
The Indian Defense: Spielmann-Indian peaked in 2018 at 0.17% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.13% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.13% | 46,402 |
| 2017 | 0.15% | 80,681 |
| 2018 | 0.17% | 130,797 |
| 2019 | 0.15% | 188,900 |
| 2020 | 0.15% | 426,301 |
| 2021 | 0.12% | 467,827 |
| 2022 | 0.12% | 453,897 |
| 2023 | 0.12% | 458,447 |
| 2024 | 0.12% | 434,259 |
| 2025 | 0.13% | 436,888 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.13% | 137,706 |
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 (2)
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Indian Defense: Spielmann-Indian (A46)”. Lichess data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/indian-defense-spielmann-indian