B08

Pirc Defense: Classical Variation, Schlechter Variation

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Statistics from Lichess

967,434 games: White 49.9% / Draw 5.5% / Black 44.6%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
	742,223742K
	72,28572K
	41,63242K
	38,81539K
	20,90321K
	19,06419K
	14,30314K
	3,3403,340

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026

Engine evaluation

+0.37 White is slightly better

Best play: 5... O-O 6. Be3 d5 7. e5 Ne4 8. Nxe4 dxe4 9. Ng5 c5 10. c3

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

By rating

Rating changes little here: White scores 53% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up and 53% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

Players	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400	122K
1400–1799	428K
1800–2199	559K
2200 and up	148K
Masters, over the board	2,124

Master games

Anand, V. – Carlsen, M. ½–½, 2019
Aronian, L. – Caruana, F. 1–0, 2016
Vachier Lagrave, M. – Grischuk, A. 1–0, 2013
Grischuk, A. – Morozevich, A. ½–½, 2008
Movsesian, S. – Kramnik, V. 0–1, 2010

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: Classical Variation, Schlechter 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 5. h3 (5 moves).

In 967,434 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.9%, Black 44.6% and 5.5% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…O-O, in 77% of those games.

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Description

How to play against the Pirc Defense: Classical Variation, Schlechter Variation

The most played answer, 5…O-O, also scores best for Black: 47.9%, with Black winning 45.1% and White 49.4% of 742K games. Of the main answers, 5…c6 scores lowest: 46.7%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…O-O.

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: Classical Variation, Schlechter Variation dipped to 0.034% of Lichess games in 2021 and has recovered since: 0.04% in 2025.

0.037%0.04%

Numbers by year

Year	Share of games	Games
2016	0.037%	13,260
2017	0.04%	21,973
2018	0.041%	31,919
2019	0.038%	47,870
2020	0.036%	105,411
2021	0.034%	132,098
2022	0.036%	134,966
2023	0.037%	138,808
2024	0.039%	140,517
2025	0.04%	137,493
2026 (Jan–Apr)	0.042%	45,750

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

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Pirc Defense: Classical Variation, Schlechter Variation (B08)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/pirc-defense-classical-variation-schlechter-variation