Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack 5. Nf3 O-O
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Statistics from Lichess
1,303,417 games: White 50.5% / Draw 5.0% / Black 44.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Weiss Variation | 497,439497K | |
| Unzicker Attack | 296,419296K | |
| 186,523187K | ||
| Kurajica Variation | 125,643126K | |
| 113,949114K | ||
| 62,59363K | ||
| 8,3468,346 | ||
| 2,9702,970 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.52 White is slightly better
Best play: 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O e5 8. d5 Ne7 9. Qe1 c6 10. dxc6 Nxc6
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 46% under 1400, 45% at 2200 and up and 45% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 66K | |
| 1400–1799 | 337K | |
| 1800–2199 | 824K | |
| 2200 and up | 247K | |
| Masters, over the board | 4,809 |
Master games
- Aronian, L. – Svidler, P.
- Karjakin, S. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Karjakin, S. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Karjakin, S. – Kramnik, V.
- Karjakin, S. – Ivanchuk, V.
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 27, 2026
Overview
Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack (ECO B09, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, reached after 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O (5 moves).
In 1,303,417 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.5%, Black 44.5% and 5.0% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Bd3, in 38% of those games.
It branches into 3 named variations; the most played are Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation and Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack. In all, 4 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 5…O-O
6. e5 (Unzicker Attack) scores best for White: 56.9%, with White winning 54.3% and Black 40.5% of 296K games. The most played, 6. Bd3, scores 52.5% in 497K games, and 6. Bc4 scores lowest: 51.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 6. Bd3.
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 peaked in 2018 at 0.062% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.05% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.045% | 16,023 |
| 2017 | 0.057% | 31,578 |
| 2018 | 0.062% | 48,439 |
| 2019 | 0.059% | 73,240 |
| 2020 | 0.057% | 165,844 |
| 2021 | 0.048% | 188,406 |
| 2022 | 0.048% | 178,764 |
| 2023 | 0.046% | 174,225 |
| 2024 | 0.048% | 173,564 |
| 2025 | 0.05% | 173,781 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.053% | 57,619 |
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 (3)
All 4 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack (B09)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/pirc-defense-austrian-attack-2