Take The Fight To White With The Pirc Defense

Traditional chess wisdom holds that it is imperative to fight for the center in the opening. This is why beginners are usually advised to start their games by advancing their central pawns. I.e. e4 or d4 for White, and e5 or d5 for Black. With these central pawn advances, the player stakes a claim in the center of the board. They prepare to rapidly develop the rest of their pieces. The Pirc Defense successfully departs from this wisdom.

Part of becoming a stronger chess player is knowing when (and how) to break these opening fundamentals! 

Related: How To Get Better At Chess

The Center Trap

In the Pirc Defense, Black allows White to gain an “ideal” pawn center with pawns on both e4 and d4. The reason that Black is willing to concede the center to White is simple. He intends to launch a devastating counter attack later. Instead of occupying the center immediately with pawns, Black will look to exert pressure from the flanks.

Would-be Pirc Defense players should know that they cannot allow White to maintain their dominance in the center forever. Black must eventually look to make a central pawn thrust of their own. Either e5 or c5 are thematic moves in the early middlegame for Black to challenge White’s center.

This style of play is in keeping with the so-called “hypermodern” school of chess. This began to take hold in the early decades of the 20th century. The Pirc Defense’s namesake, Vasja Pirc. He was a Yugoslavian grandmaster who was instrumental in convincing the world of the merits of this opening through his writings and play in high level chess tournaments. By the 1960’s, the Pirc Defense had well and truly established itself as a respectable option for Black.

Let us now take a look at some of Black’s thematic chess tactics in the Pirc Defense.

Related: Improve your tactical skills with 1001 Chess Exercises For Club Players.

Thematic Chess Tactics In The Pirc Defense

Nxe4 Discovered Attack

The dark-squared bishop on g7 provides tactical opportunities for Black. The Pirc Defense player should always remain on high alert for these!

In the above position, Black can make a temporary piece sacrifice with Nxe4, revealing the dark-squared bishop’s attack on White’s knight on d4.

After White recaptures Nxc3, Black now attacks the White knight on d4 twice, allowing Black to smoothly recover the piece, while remaining with an extra pawn.

Taking Advantage Of Weak Dark Squares

One way that White may react to the Pirc Defense is with an early f4 - the so-called “Austrian Attack”. This aggressive approach from White has the downside of weakening the dark squares around White’s king along the g1 - a7 diagonal. If White is not careful, Black may be able to exploit this - as shown below.

In this position, Black can play Nxe5! Black’s knight sacrifices itself in order to enable the Black queen to reach the d4 square next move.

The point is that after White plays dxe5, Black has Qd4+ - forking White’s king on g1 and rook on a1. Once the dust settles, Black will have won the exchange, having gained a White rook while only giving up a knight.

Bishops Tend To Be More Valuable Than Knights

In the Pirc Defense, Black is usually very happy to trade one of their knights for either of White’s bishops. Therefore, Black should be on the lookout for any way to force this trade.

In the above position, White has just played 0-0?! This allows Black to play the move c4! which traps White’s light-squared bishop. The only available square to avoid losing a piece is a4.

Once White’s bishop goes to a4, Black can make the favorable capture Nxa4 - thus gaining the bishop pair.

Getting Started With The Pirc Defense - A Modern Opening For Black

By reading this article, you have gained a general overview of the Pirc Defense from Black’s perspective.

But before you look to play the Pirc in serious competition, you should further your education in this dynamic chess opening.

The next step is to check out this YouTube video by GM Dejan Bojkov. By watching it, you will gain a deeper understanding of the Pirc Defense via the author’s commentary on a model game between Sokolov vs. Van der Wiel, 1985. (By the way - if you like GM Bojkov’s teaching style, he can take your education in the Pirc Defense even further! See below).

Next, try the Pirc Defense in online blitz. Thanks to the fast time controls of blitz chess, you will be able to play a lot of games in short order, so that you will quickly have many of your own games to review. This practical experience will give you a better feeling for the Pirc Defense, the sorts of games it leads to, and which opening lines deserve more attention in your further study.

If you want to supercharge your Pirc Defense understanding, we recommend GM Dejan Bojkov’s comprehensive video training course: “Attacking With The Pirc”, available from the USCF store. It has everything you need to play the Pirc Defense with maximum success.

Packed with over 4 hours of expert video instruction, you will soon be playing the Pirc Defense like a titled player!

Summary: Is The Pirc Defense The Right Black Response For You?

The Pirc Defense can be an excellent way to begin your games with Black if you:

• Enjoy playing in the hypermodern style - If you are going to play the Pirc, you must be comfortable with giving away the center to White at the beginning of the game, knowing that you will strike against it later.
• Can handle overly-aggressive opponents - Some players with the White pieces see the Pirc Defense as an opportunity to play aggressively. White may look to castle queenside (or forego castling altogether) and launch a kingside pawn storm. You must expect this, and become proficient in defusing their attacks.
• Are an adaptable player who can think on their feet - Like many openings, the Pirc will reward those players who take the time to learn the thematic chess tactics and middlegame pawn breaks. However, there are many ways that White can play against the Pirc, meaning that your understanding of chess strategy will be more important than your ability to memorize moves.

Does that sound like a chess opening which you would enjoy playing with the Black pieces?

If so, then give the Pirc Defense a try today!