Pirc Defense (3. Nc3 g6)
1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6
The Pirc Defense is a chess opening classified as ECO B07, reached after 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6. White is to move. 9 named lines continue from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 33,386 times by this move order. White won 51%, 4% were drawn and Black won 45%. The most popular continuation is 4. Nf3 (31% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.51 (Stockfish, depth 60; best line 4. Be3 Bg7 5. f3 a6 6. Qd2 b5)
- ECO
- B07
- Moves
- 6 plies
- FEN
rnbqkb1r/ppp1pp1p/3p1np1/8/3PP3/2N5/PPP2PPP/R1BQKBNR w KQkq - 0 4- PGN
1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 11,168 | |
| 1500-1999 | 15,279 | |
| 2000+ | 6,939 | |
| All | 33,386 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 4. Nf3 Classical Variation (3… g6 4. Nf3) | 10,444 (31%) | |
| 4. Bg5 Byrne Variation | 5,320 (16%) | |
| 4. f4 Austrian Attack (3… g6 4. f4) | 3,845 (12%) | |
| 4. Be3 | 3,022 (9%) | |
| 4. Bc4 Kholmov System | 2,168 (6%) | |
| 4. Bd3 | 2,087 (6%) | |
| 4. f3 | 1,351 (4%) | |
| 4. e5 | 1,082 (3%) |
Master games
4,921 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 48%, draw 17%, Black 35%). The strongest:
- Reckless 0.10.0-dev-b5462f11 (3763) – Stockfish dev-20260318-d173a06 (3807) 1-0 · TCEC 29 Superfinal 2026 · 2026-04-02
- Stockfish dev-20260318-d173a06 (3807) – Reckless 0.10.0-dev-b5462f11 (3763) 1-0 · TCEC 29 Superfinal 2026 · 2026-04-02
- Torch 20260128-7136070b (3716) – LCZero 0.33-dev-f6ec55c-BT4-6147500-it332 (3749) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 29 Premier 2026 · 2026-03-05
- LCZero 0.33-dev-f6ec55c-BT4-6147500-it332 (3749) – Torch 20260128-7136070b (3716) 1-0 · TCEC 29 Premier 2026 · 2026-03-02
- Reckless 0.9.0-dev-b32e0895 (3741) – PlentyChess 7.0.55 (3693) 1/2-1/2 · TCEC 29 Premier 2026 · 2026-03-12
Highest-rated Lichess games
- Alpha_777 (2775) – GM sillyMASTER (2844) 0-1 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
- Sunrise34 (2839) – FM umagon20 (2754) 1-0 · 2026-09-06 · 180 + 0s
- puziko52 (2805) – FM umagon20 (2715) 0-1 · 2026-09-04 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Pirc Defense (2. d4 Nf6) 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6
Continuations
- Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack (3… g6 4. f4) B09 · 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4
- Pirc Defense: Byrne Variation B07 · 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Bg5
- Pirc Defense: Classical Variation (3… g6 4. Nf3) B08 · 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3
- Pirc Defense: Kholmov System B07 · 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Bc4
- Pirc Defense: Sveshnikov System B07 · 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. g3
- Pirc Defense: 150 Attack B07 · 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be3 c6 5. Qd2
- Pirc Defense: 150 Attack, Sveshnikov-Jansa Attack B07 · 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be3 c6 5. h3
- Pirc Defense: Bayonet Attack B07 · 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be2 Bg7 5. h4
- Pirc Defense: Chinese Variation B07 · 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be2 Bg7 5. g4
More Pirc Defense lines (all)
- Pirc Defense (1. e4 d6) B00
- Pirc Defense (1… d6 2. d4) B00
- Pirc Defense: Roscher Gambit B00
- Pirc Defense: 150 Attack, Inner Doll Defense B07
- Pirc Defense: Classical Variation (4. Nf3 Bg7) B08
- Pirc Defense: Classical Variation, Quiet System B08
- Pirc Defense: Classical Variation, Quiet System, Chigorin Line B08
- Pirc Defense: Classical Variation, Quiet System, Czech Defense B08
- Pirc Defense: Classical Variation, Quiet System, Parma Defense B08
- Pirc Defense: Classical Variation, Schlechter Variation B08
- Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack (5. Nf3 O-O) B09
- Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Dragon Formation B09
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.