Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
296,574 games: White 54.3% / Draw 5.2% / Black 40.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 170,031170K | ||
| 75,82976K | ||
| 33,09033K | ||
| 11,44911K | ||
| 1,4831,483 | ||
| 1,0251,025 | ||
| 955955 | ||
| 697697 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.10 The position is about equal
Best play: 6... dxe5 7. dxe5 Qxd1+ 8. Nxd1 Nd5 9. c4 Nb4 10. Ne3 f6 11. a3
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the better this line does for White: White scores 54% under 1400, 57% at 2200 and up and 54% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 15K | |
| 1400–1799 | 54K | |
| 1800–2199 | 178K | |
| 2200 and up | 82K | |
| Masters, over the board | 629 |
Master games
- Nakamura, H. – Kramnik, V.
- Sutovsky, E. – Ivanchuk, V.
- Shirov, A. – Smirin, I.
- Salem, A. – Mamedov, R.
- Morozevich, A. – Zvjaginsev, 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, Unzicker 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 6. e5 (6 moves).
In 296,574 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.3%, Black 40.5% and 5.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 6…dxe5, in 57% of those games.
It continues into one named variation, Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein 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 Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack
6…Nfd7 scores best for Black: 44.7%, with Black winning 42.3% and White 52.9% of 76K games. The most played, 6…dxe5, scores 43.0% in 170K games, and 6…Ne8 scores lowest: 41.7%. Stockfish's first choice is 6…dxe5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack has gained ground since 2016: 0.012% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0084% (its peak: 0.013% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0084% | 2,989 |
| 2017 | 0.012% | 6,353 |
| 2018 | 0.013% | 10,361 |
| 2019 | 0.013% | 16,122 |
| 2020 | 0.013% | 37,775 |
| 2021 | 0.011% | 44,229 |
| 2022 | 0.011% | 41,512 |
| 2023 | 0.011% | 40,131 |
| 2024 | 0.011% | 38,651 |
| 2025 | 0.012% | 40,131 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.012% | 13,657 |
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 (1)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack (B09)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/pirc-defense-austrian-attack-unzicker-attack