- The moves1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6
- Chosen byBlack
- ECOB07–B09
- Also calledYugoslav Defense, Ufimtsev Defense
The Pirc Defense comes after 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6. Black puts no pawns in the center in the first few moves. Instead the bishop goes to g7, where it aims down the long diagonal at White's center, and only later does Black strike back with …c5 or …e5.
The opening is named after the Yugoslav grandmaster Vasja Pirc, who played it a great deal from the late 1940s. It is sometimes called the Yugoslav Defense, and in Russia it is named after the Soviet master Anatoly Ufimtsev. In the 1800s it was counted as an irregular opening. It only became popular after the Second World War and was considered playable in the 1960s, largely thanks to the Canadian Duncan Suttles.
The positions are reminiscent of the King's Indian Defense. The difference is that White hasn't played c4, and that gives both sides other options.
The main line, move by move
1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Be2 O-O 6. O-O Bg4 7. Be3 Nc6 8. Qd2 e5 9. d5 Ne7
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The ideas
White wants to
- Use the center that Black gives away: the pawns on d4 and e4 give the pieces room.
- In the Austrian Attack: add f4 and prepare the breakthrough e5.
- With Be3, Qd2 and Bh6: trade off Black's important bishop on g7 and then attack the king.
Black wants to
- Fianchetto the bishop to g7 and put pressure on d4 along the long diagonal.
- Strike at the center at the right moment with …c5 or …e5.
- Be patient. Black is a little cramped for a while but has few weaknesses, and a big center can become a target.
Important variations
Austrian Attack: 4.f4
The most direct way to meet the Pirc. White puts three pawns in the center and wants to play e5 to chase the knight. Black castles and looks for counterplay, often with …c5 and sometimes with …e5. In the 1972 world championship match, Bobby Fischer played the Pirc Defense for the only time in his career, in the seventeenth game. Boris Spassky chose the Austrian Attack, and the game was drawn.
1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Bd3 Nc6
With Be3 and Qd2: 4.Be3
White puts the bishop on e3 and the queen on d2 and wants to trade off Black's bishop on g7 with Bh6. The same idea is used against the King's Indian Defense and against the Dragon Variation of the Sicilian. Some British players called the setup the “150 Attack,” after the idea that even a player graded 150 in the English grading system could play it without knowing any theory. Kasparov's Immortal against Topalov in 1999 began exactly like this.
1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be3 Bg7 5. Qd2 c6 6. f3 b5 7. Nge2 Nbd7 8. Bh6 Bxh6 9. Qxh6 Bb7
How it goes in real games
How the games ended once the position had come up on the board, in blitz, rapid and classical games. White wins, draws and Black wins, as a percentage of the games.
| Position | Level | Games | White wins | Draw | Black wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirc Defense 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 | Club players | 10,262,917 | 50% | 5% | 45% |
| Beginners | 4,518,386 | 50% | 4% | 46% | |
| Pirc Defense, main line 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Be2 O-O 6. O-O Bg4 7. Be3 Nc6 8. Qd2 e5 9. d5 Ne7 | Club players | 1,566 | 45% | 6% | 49% |
| Beginners | 456 | 50% | 4% | 46% | |
| Austrian Attack: 4.f4 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Bd3 Nc6 | Club players | 130,007 | 48% | 5% | 46% |
| Beginners | 9,708 | 51% | 3% | 46% | |
| With Be3 and Qd2: 4.Be3 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be3 Bg7 5. Qd2 c6 6. f3 b5 7. Nge2 Nbd7 8. Bh6 Bxh6 9. Qxh6 Bb7 | Club players | 66 | too few games for percentages | ||
| Beginners | 13 | too few games for percentages | |||
The most common continuations after 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6
Club players, share of the games in the position.
- 4.Nf3 24% (2,418,483 games)
- 4.f4 17% (1,763,656 games)
- 4.Bg5 16% (1,591,657 games)
- 4.Be3 12% (1,204,901 games)
- 4.Bd3 6% (634,222 games)
Source: games on Lichess, fetched October 28, 2026. Club players means games where the players average 1600 or more, beginners games where they average 1000–1599.
Is this opening for you?
The Pirc Defense suits Black players who love a counterattack and don't want the game decided by who has read the most theory. The setup is roughly the same whatever White does, and anyone who plays the King's Indian Defense against 1.d4 will feel at home.
The price is that Black gives White a lot of space. In Garry Kasparov's view, the opening gives White too many options to be good enough for tournaments at the very top. For most of us that is less of a problem than it sounds, but if you play the Pirc you have to be comfortable being a little cramped for a while.
A famous game
The Pirc with Be3 and Qd2 was the opening of one of the most famous games ever played: Kasparov's Immortal
Practice the main line
Choose a color and one of the house players. Your opponent follows the main line, and you try to find your moves. If you play something else, you'll see the main line's move, but the game goes on. When the main line ends, you play freely.
Rather play freely? Choose an opponent · Play right away
The main line with all the comments as text
1. e4 White takes space in the center. 1… d6 A modest move. The pawn watches e5, so the knight soon coming to f6 can't be chased away with e5 at once. 2. d4 White takes two central squares with pawns. That is exactly what Black is inviting. 2… Nf6 The knight attacks the pawn on e4. 3. Nc3 The natural way to protect e4. 3… g6 This is the Pirc Defense. The bishop is heading for g7, on the long diagonal toward d4 and White's queenside. 4. Nf3 The Classical Variation. White is content with the center and develops calmly. 4… Bg7 The bishop is in place. Now Black can castle. 5. Be2 White develops and prepares to castle. No storming attacks, just sound moves. 5… O-O 6. O-O Both sides have castled. Now the fight for the center begins in earnest. 6… Bg4 The bishop puts pressure on the knight on f3, which protects d4. Black can later trade it off and weaken White's center. 7. Be3 White protects d4 once more and develops the last minor piece. 7… Nc6 Another piece aiming at d4. 8. Qd2 The queen connects the rooks and supports the bishop on e3. 8… e5 Black strikes at the center. This is how the Pirc works: first let White build, then challenge. 9. d5 White closes the center and gains time against the knight. 9… Ne7 With the center locked, the rest of the game is about plans on the wings. Zurab Azmaiparashvili got exactly this position with Black when he beat the reigning world champion Anatoly Karpov in the Soviet Championship in Moscow in 1983, after a different move order.
More openings
King's Indian Defense
Let White take the center, strike back with e5 and storm the kingside.
Sicilian Defense
1…c5 breaks the symmetry at once. Combative, sharp and loved by Fischer and Kasparov.
Alekhine Defense
1…Nf6 lures White's pawns forward to attack them later. Provocative and hypermodern.
Caro-Kann Defense
1…c6 and 2…d5. As stable as the French, but the bishop on c8 gets out.
Every move on this page has been checked against the rules of chess.
Updated November 6, 2026
3… g6
This is the Pirc Defense. The bishop is heading for g7, on the long diagonal toward d4 and White's queenside.