Pirc Defense: Classical Variation 4. Nf3 Bg7
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Statistics from Lichess
6,886,416 games: White 48.3% / Draw 5.2% / Black 46.5%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,363,9261.4M | ||
| 1,267,3621.3M | ||
| 1,177,3591.2M | ||
| 986,616987K | ||
| Quiet System | 599,900600K | |
| Schlechter Variation | 598,905599K | |
| 429,983430K | ||
| 229,854230K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.48 White is slightly better
Best play: 5. Be3 a6 6. Qd2 b5 7. Bh6 O-O 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. e5 dxe5
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 worse this line does for Black: Black scores 49% under 1400, 46% at 2200 and up and 46% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2.5M | |
| 1400–1799 | 4.7M | |
| 1800–2199 | 3.8M | |
| 2200 and up | 584K | |
| Masters, over the board | 8,765 |
Master games
- Kramnik, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Carlsen, M. – Svidler, P.
- Anand, V. – Carlsen, M.
- Yu Yangyi – Carlsen, M.
- Radjabov, T. – 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: Classical Variation (ECO B08, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Pirc Defense: Classical Variation, reached after 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 (4 moves).
In 6,886,416 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 48.3%, Black 46.5% and 5.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Bc4, in 20% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Pirc Defense: Classical Variation, Schlechter Variation and Pirc Defense: Classical Variation, Quiet System. In all, 5 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 4…Bg7
5. h3 (Schlechter Variation) scores best for White: 53.1%, with White winning 50.4% and Black 44.1% of 599K games. The most played, 5. Bc4, scores 52.4% in 1.4M games, and 5. e5 scores lowest: 45.9%. Stockfish's first choice is 5. Be3.
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 stayed between 0.23% and 0.27% of Lichess games a year since 2016 (0.27% in 2025).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.23% | 82,070 |
| 2017 | 0.25% | 136,627 |
| 2018 | 0.26% | 204,147 |
| 2019 | 0.26% | 318,330 |
| 2020 | 0.26% | 774,500 |
| 2021 | 0.26% | 1,030,877 |
| 2022 | 0.27% | 1,005,652 |
| 2023 | 0.27% | 1,001,093 |
| 2024 | 0.27% | 975,793 |
| 2025 | 0.27% | 940,282 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.28% | 307,210 |
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
All 5 named lines that continue from here
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Pirc Defense: Classical Variation (B08)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/pirc-defense-classical-variation-2