Pirc Defense
Also known as Ufimtsev Defense
The Pirc Defense (1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6) is a hypermodern reply to 1.e4. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
60,035,509 games: White 48.7% / Draw 4.6% / Black 46.6%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 33,800,05533.8M | ||
| 13,902,26813.9M | ||
| Rat Defense: Harmonist | 3,173,0893.2M | |
| 3,170,8253.2M | ||
| 3,106,8693.1M | ||
| 1,012,9271M | ||
| 423,688424K | ||
| 245,764246K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.51 White is slightly better
Best play: 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Nf3 Nbd7 5. Rg1 h5 6. h3 c6
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 48% both under 1400 and at 2200 and up, and 44% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 25.4M | |
| 1400–1799 | 39.1M | |
| 1800–2199 | 33.9M | |
| 2200 and up | 4.8M | |
| Masters, over the board | 45K |
Master games
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Karjakin, S. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Yu Yangyi – Carlsen, M.
- Caruana, F. – Mamedyarov, S.
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
Description
The Pirc Defense (1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6) is a hypermodern reply to 1.e4. Black lets White build a broad pawn centre, fianchettoes the king's bishop to g7 and castles, planning to strike at the centre later with ...e5 or ...c5.
Origins
The Pirc was occasionally played in the 19th century but was considered an irregular opening. It began to gain popularity only after the Second World War. It is named after the Slovenian grandmaster Vasja Pirc, who played it often from the late 1940s onwards. In Russia and the other former Soviet countries it is often called the Ufimtsev Defence, after the Soviet master Anatoly Ufimtsev. By the 1960s it was regarded as playable, largely thanks to the Canadian grandmaster Duncan Suttles. Later, Jan Timman played the Austrian Attack successfully with both colours, and Zurab Azmaiparashvili had good results with the Pirc as Black. It is a close relative of the Modern Defense (1...g6), where Black delays ...Nf6.
The idea
Black builds a compact kingside with ...d6, ...Nf6, ...g6, ...Bg7 and ...O-O. In hypermodern fashion Black lets White set up pawns on d4 and e4 and works to undermine that centre from the flanks. At the right moment Black hits the centre with ...e5, ...c5 or ...c6 and ...b5.
Main lines
- Austrian Attack 4.f4: a direct, aggressive answer, grabbing even more space and preparing e5. Black often castles early and looks for counterplay with ...c5.
- Classical Variation 4.Nf3: calm development with Be2 and O-O, leading to the Quiet System.
- 150 Attack with Be3 and Qd2, a set-up also used against the King's Indian and the Dragon Sicilian. The name refers to an English (ECF) rating of 150, about 1825 Elo, suggesting that players of that strength can play it easily and get strong play.
- Byrne Variation 4.Bg5 and the Kholmov System 4.Bc4: other systems.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- Flexible: Black's setup works against many White systems, so there is less theory to learn.
- Unbalanced positions that give Black real winning chances.
- Punishes opponents who overextend with too many pawn moves.
Weaknesses
- White gets a big space advantage. If Black doesn't counterattack in time, Black gets squeezed.
- The Austrian and 150 Attacks are dangerous and require precise knowledge.
- Objectively it is considered slightly less sound than the main defences to 1.e4.
Who should play it
The Pirc suits counterattacking players who are comfortable defending a cramped position while waiting for the right moment to strike, and who like the King's Indian structures. It is effective against opponents who build a big centre but have no clear plan, and against players who don't know the specific attacking systems. It is least comfortable against aggressive, well-prepared opponents who choose the Austrian Attack or the 150 Attack.
The numbers
On Lichess the Pirc is balanced at club level: White wins 48.5–50.2% and Black 45.6–46.8% at every band below 2200, and 49% against 45% above it. In master games over the board, White wins 38%, Black 26% and only 36% are drawn.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Pirc Defense
2. Nc3 scores best for White: 52.2%, with White winning 49.9% and Black 45.4% of 3.1M games. The most played, 2. d4, scores 51.5% in 33.8M games, and 2. Nf3 scores lowest: 50.0%. Stockfish's first choice is 2. d4.
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 Pirc Defense dipped to 2.1% of Lichess games in 2020 and has recovered since: 2.5% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2.1% | 767,614 |
| 2017 | 2.3% | 1,255,407 |
| 2018 | 2.3% | 1,803,279 |
| 2019 | 2.2% | 2,773,862 |
| 2020 | 2.1% | 6,213,823 |
| 2021 | 2.1% | 8,329,853 |
| 2022 | 2.3% | 8,704,522 |
| 2023 | 2.4% | 8,872,613 |
| 2024 | 2.4% | 8,746,426 |
| 2025 | 2.5% | 8,680,292 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 2.6% | 2,837,605 |
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 (4)
All 40 named lines that continue from here
No line matches.
- B00 Pirc Defense 2 moves
- B00 Rat Defense: Harmonist 2 moves
- B00 Rat Defense: Petruccioli Attack 2 moves
- B00 Rat Defense: Spike Attack 2 moves
- B07 King's Pawn Game: Maróczy Defense 2 moves
- B00 Pirc Defense 2 moves
- B00 Rat Defense: Antal Defense 2 moves
- B00 Rat Defense: Fuller Gambit 3 moves
- B07 Czech Defense 3 moves
- B07 Lion Defense 3 moves
- B00 Lion Defense: Lion's Jaw 3 moves
- B07 Pirc Defense 3 moves
- B00 Roscher Gambit 3 moves
- B07 Anti-Philidor 4 moves
- B07 Bayonet Attack 4 moves
- B07 150 Attack 5 moves
- B07 150 Attack, Sveshnikov-Jansa Attack 5 moves
- B09 Austrian Attack 4 moves
- B07 Bayonet Attack 5 moves
- B07 Byrne Variation 4 moves
- B07 Chinese Variation 5 moves
- B08 Classical Variation 4 moves
- B07 Kholmov System 4 moves
- B07 Sveshnikov System 4 moves
- B07 Lion's Cave 4 moves
- B07 Inner Doll Defense 5 moves
- B09 Austrian Attack 5 moves
- B09 Dragon Formation 5 moves
- B09 Ljubojevic Variation 5 moves
- B08 Classical Variation 4 moves
- B07 Lion Claw Gambit 7 moves
- B09 Kurajica Variation 6 moves
- B09 Unzicker Attack 6 moves
- B09 Weiss Variation 6 moves
- B08 Quiet System 5 moves
- B08 Schlechter Variation 5 moves
- B09 Bronstein Variation 7 moves
- B08 Chigorin Line 6 moves
- B08 Czech Defense 6 moves
- B08 Parma Defense 6 moves
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Pirc Defence, version of 21 October 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Pirc Defense (B00)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/pirc-defense