1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

1. e4 d6

Shown from Black's side. ECO B00.

Opening guide · an opening for Black

Pirc Defense

The Pirc Defense starts 1. e4 d6, usually followed by 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6. Black lets White build a broad pawn centre and plans to attack it later with pieces and the pawn breaks ...e5 or ...c5. The bishop on g7 is Black's key piece. It suits players who like to counterattack.

Games in our sample
62,201
White wins
49.0%
Draws
4.3%
Black wins
46.7%
Open this position on the analysis boardResults by rating

How the Pirc Defense scores at each rating

Each row is one rating band. The share is how much of all the games in that band started with this opening.

RatingGamesShareWhite winsDrawsBlack wins
under 10004,1731.9%48.1%4.9%47.0%
1000 to 11996,5952.1%49.6%3.8%46.6%
1200 to 13999,1512.0%48.8%3.7%47.5%
1400 to 159911,5211.9%49.1%4.2%46.7%
1600 to 179911,9771.9%49.1%4.3%46.6%
1800 to 199910,6212.1%48.7%4.5%46.8%
2000 to 21995,9982.3%49.4%4.9%45.7%
2200 and over2,1651.9%48.3%5.7%46.0%
All ratings62,2012.0%49.0%4.3%46.7%

Counted from 3,156,949 rated blitz, rapid and classical games played on Lichess from 2026-10-01 to 2026-10-02 (the first 5,000,000 games of the month's public file; bullet and unrated games left out). The rating is the average of the two players' Lichess ratings. Source: the Lichess open database (public domain).

Main lines

The named lines of the Pirc Defense that were played most in our sample, each with the position it reaches.

  • 1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

    Classical Variation

    1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3

    8,014 games · White 49.3% · draws 4.4% · Black 46.2%

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  • 1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

    Byrne Variation

    1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Bg5

    1,960 games · White 54.3% · draws 3.7% · Black 42.0%

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  • 1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

    Austrian Attack

    1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4

    1,108 games · White 51.4% · draws 5.0% · Black 43.7%

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  • 1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

    Roscher Gambit

    1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nf3

    934 games · White 45.1% · draws 4.3% · Black 50.6%

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  • 1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

    Classical Variation, Schlechter Variation

    1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. h3

    879 games · White 49.4% · draws 5.2% · Black 45.4%

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  • 1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a

    Kholmov System

    1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Bc4

    793 games · White 45.5% · draws 4.0% · Black 50.4%

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Ideas for White

  • The Austrian Attack with f4 takes even more space.
  • The setup with Be3 and Qd2 aims to trade off the bishop on g7.

Ideas for Black

  • Castle, then strike with ...e5 or ...c5 before White's centre rolls forward.

Questions

What are the moves of the Pirc Defense?
1. e4 d6. In the ECO classification it is filed under B00.
How does the Pirc Defense score?
In 62,201 games with it in our sample, White won 49.0%, 4.3% were drawn and Black won 46.7%.
At which ratings is the Pirc Defense played most?
Among players rated 2000 to 2199 it is 2.3% of all games in our sample, its highest share. Its lowest share, 1.9%, is among players rated under 1000.
Which line of the Pirc Defense is played most?
Pirc Defense: Classical Variation (1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3), with 8,014 games in our sample.

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