Zukertort Opening: Pirc Invitation
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Statistics from Lichess
4,738,702 games: White 50.6% / Draw 5.2% / Black 44.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,949,3781.9M | ||
| 1,007,3501M | ||
| 595,375595K | ||
| 479,347479K | ||
| 188,101188K | ||
| 166,613167K | ||
| 150,418150K | ||
| 115,154115K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 10, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.56 White is slightly better
Best play: 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. e4 O-O 6. Be2 e5
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 48% 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 | 1.8M | |
| 1400–1799 | 2.6M | |
| 1800–2199 | 2.6M | |
| 2200 and up | 675K | |
| Masters, over the board | 6,744 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Nepomniachtchi, I.
- So, W. – Carlsen, M.
- Kramnik, V. – Caruana, F.
- Aronian, L. – Caruana, F.
- Kramnik, V. – Caruana, F.
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
Zukertort Opening: Pirc Invitation (ECO A04, Flank Openings) is a variation of the Zukertort Opening, reached after 1. Nf3 d6 (1 move).
In 4,738,702 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.6%, Black 44.2% and 5.2% were drawn. White's most played move here is 2. d4, in 41% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Zukertort Opening: Wade Defense and Zukertort Opening: Vos Gambit.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Zukertort Opening: Pirc Invitation
The most played answer, 2. d4, also scores best for White: 54.0%, with White winning 51.3% and Black 43.3% of 1.9M games. Of the main answers, 2. e4 scores lowest: 51.4%. Stockfish's first choice is also 2. d4.
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
The Zukertort Opening: Pirc Invitation dipped to 0.16% of Lichess games in 2021 and has recovered since: 0.2% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.18% | 62,823 |
| 2017 | 0.19% | 102,085 |
| 2018 | 0.2% | 153,812 |
| 2019 | 0.19% | 238,145 |
| 2020 | 0.18% | 514,851 |
| 2021 | 0.16% | 637,599 |
| 2022 | 0.18% | 661,739 |
| 2023 | 0.18% | 676,845 |
| 2024 | 0.19% | 679,611 |
| 2025 | 0.2% | 698,641 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.21% | 227,867 |
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)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Zukertort Opening: Pirc Invitation (A04)”. Lichess data as of 10 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/zukertort-opening-pirc-invitation