Pirc Defense 2. d4 Nf6
Also known as Ufimtsev Defense
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Statistics from Lichess
19,776,170 games: White 48.1% / Draw 5.0% / Black 46.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 13,452,79813.5M | ||
| 4,342,0624.3M | ||
| Lion Defense: Lion's Jaw | 661,122661K | |
| 387,161387K | ||
| 384,992385K | ||
| Roscher Gambit | 186,900187K | |
| 68,23568K | ||
| 57,91458K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 28, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.52 White is slightly better
Best play: 3. Nc3 e5 4. Nf3 Nbd7 5. Rg1 h5 6. dxe5 dxe5 7. Bc4 Bc5
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 50% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 44% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 5M | |
| 1400–1799 | 9.3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 11.6M | |
| 2200 and up | 2.9M | |
| Masters, over the board | 43K |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Caruana, F.
- Nakamura, H. – Carlsen, M.
- Karjakin, S. – Carlsen, M.
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Yu Yangyi – Carlsen, M.
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
Pirc Defense (ECO B00, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Pirc Defense, reached after 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 (2 moves).
In 19,776,170 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.1%, Black 46.9% and 5.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 3. Nc3, in 68% of those games.
It branches into 5 named variations; the most played are Czech Defense and Lion Defense. In all, 32 named lines continue from it.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to answer 2…Nf6
The most played answer, 3. Nc3, also scores best for White: 51.4%, with White winning 48.9% and Black 46.0% of 13.5M games. Of the main answers, 3. Bd3 scores lowest: 49.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 3. Nc3.
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
This line has gained ground since 2016: 0.83% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.67%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.67% | 239,208 |
| 2017 | 0.77% | 425,760 |
| 2018 | 0.8% | 628,195 |
| 2019 | 0.75% | 940,261 |
| 2020 | 0.72% | 2,099,802 |
| 2021 | 0.69% | 2,684,767 |
| 2022 | 0.75% | 2,833,206 |
| 2023 | 0.76% | 2,863,169 |
| 2024 | 0.8% | 2,863,664 |
| 2025 | 0.83% | 2,882,726 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.88% | 964,864 |
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 (5)
Transpositions
All 32 named lines that continue from here
No line matches.
- 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
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Pirc Defense (B00)”. Lichess data as of 28 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/pirc-defense-3