Pirc Defense
Black begins with a flexible d-pawn move rather than matching White's e-pawn. In the Pirc setup, the knight and fianchettoed bishop pressure a larger white center from a distance.
Your plan as White
Build a center and choose a development scheme before launching a pawn attack.
The opponent’s plan
Fianchetto the king's bishop and prepare a well-timed ...e5 or ...c5 challenge.
Watch out: Allowing the opponent a broad center requires counterplay, not endless waiting moves.
Opening game…
Practice this line as White.
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Name, background and sources
Vasja Pirc helped popularize the defense during the twentieth century. Its approach belongs to the tradition of challenging an opponent's center after allowing it to advance.
Read the opening background on Chess.com ↗Lichess opening names and reference lines (CC0)
ChessSum provides original explanatory notes. Related lines are labeled separately. Reference lines illustrate ideas; they are not a claim that every other legal move is wrong.
Watch how the center and piece development change. Each arrow previews the next move.