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←Back to OpeningsPirc Defense
ECO B00Semi-open game

Pirc Defense

Let them build a centre: we will undermine it from the wings

  • Fianchetto
  • Sharp play
  • Big pawn centre
  • Hypermodern

The Pirc Defense begins 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6, named after Slovenian grandmaster Vasja Pirc, who played it consistently from the late 1940s onward (in the Soviet Union it is often called the Ufimtsev Defense, after master Anatoly Ufimtsev).

Interactive Opening Board

6.O-O

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Black
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White
6.O-O
Speed:

Moves

(11 plies • 6 moves)
6.O-OTabiya

White castles. The Classical system begins: White has the centre, Black flexible play.

  1. 1–6moves
  2. 1.
  3. 2.
  4. 3.
  5. 4.
  6. 5.
  7. 6.

Defining move

3…g6! — the bishop to the long diagonal

The move that makes the defence Pirc

While White builds a pawn centre, Black prepares the g7 bishop. It will press on d4 along the long diagonal, and the c5 or e5 pawns will help later. The idea is the same as in the Grünfeld: first let White have the centre, then attack it.

Tabiya

The Classical system

The calmest position for White. White has the d4–e4 centre and quick castling; Black has the g7 bishop and pieces that prepare first and strike later. Next Black plays …c6 and …Nbd7, or goes for …c5 or …e5. White may choose sharper schemes, the Austrian Attack with f2-f4 or the system with Be3 and Qd2, but Black's principles do not change.

The centre

A pawn centre against pressure from the wings

White has d4 and e4 and space. Black has d6 and g6, a bishop on g7 and a knight on f6: Black does not occupy the centre but undermines it.

Key squaresd4e5g7

Outposts

  • g7The fortress bishop

    The bishop protects the king and presses on d4. While it stands on g7, Black is safe.

  • d4White's centre

    The d4 pawn holds everything: if it falls, White loses the centre.

Thematic breaks

  • c5Black

    The …c7-c5 strike

    Undermine d4 and open the long diagonal for the g7 bishop.

    What follows: If White trades, Black gets the c-file and an equal game.

  • e5Black

    The …e7-e5 strike

    Open the centre and level the pawns.

    What follows: The centre opens and the game follows patterns familiar from the King's Indian.

  • e5White

    The e4-e5 advance

    Take a square from the knight and win space.

    What follows: If Black answers accurately, the e5 pawn becomes a target; if not, White gets a strong attack.

White’s plan

  • Keep the centre and finish development.
  • When possible push forward: e4-e5 or f2-f4.
  • Do not let Black blow up the centre on Black's terms.

Black’s plan

  • Undermine the centre: …c5 or …e5.
  • Keep the g7 bishop on the long diagonal.
  • Watch the king: after f2-f4 and e5 the game gets sharp.

The Pirc Defense begins 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6, named after Slovenian grandmaster Vasja Pirc, who played it consistently from the late 1940s onward (in the Soviet Union it is often called the Ufimtsev Defense, after master Anatoly Ufimtsev). Long dismissed as irregular when it appeared occasionally in 19th-century play, it only gained a serious theoretical reputation after World War II, helped along in the 1960s by the pioneering analysis of Canadian grandmaster Duncan Suttles. Like the Grünfeld and other hypermodern openings, Black allows White an immediate center with pawns on d4 and e4, planning to challenge it later from the flanks rather than contest it move by move. Bobby Fischer brought the defense to a World Championship match for the first time in 1972 against Boris Spassky, and its most celebrated appearance remains Garry Kasparov's 1999 Wijk aan Zee victory over Veselin Topalov — a 24-move attacking masterpiece known as 'Kasparov's Immortal' and widely regarded as the most famous Pirc game ever played.

Written: 2026-09-19
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Legends who played it