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An opening course for Black (ECO B07)

Pirc Defence

Black plays ...d6, ...Nf6 and ...g6, allows White to occupy the centre, and then chooses a counterattack after White reveals a setup. That flexibility is the point and also the burden: this is not one universal formation. The starter repertoire follows Nigel Davies's human plan map: ...c5 against the Austrian, ...e5 against Classical and Fianchetto systems, and an immediate ...a6 followed by ...b5 against Be3. Marin describes the result as primarily positional, but with accumulated tension that often demands tactical decisions.

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Before the moves: the big ideas

The bishop on g7 is the whole investment

The fianchetto bishop is a long-term central piece, but Black does not have to develop it automatically. In Davies's Be3 repertoire, delaying ...Bg7 takes the sting out of Qd2 and Bh6 because White cannot trade a bishop that has not arrived; Black uses the saved time for ...a6 and ...b5.

Which lever, and when

Use ...c5 against the Austrian pawn centre, sometimes after ...Na6. Take a foothold with ...e5 against Classical and Fianchetto systems. Against Be3, start with ...a6 and ...b5 so ...b4 can pressure e4 and the queenside files can open if White castles there.

You are a move behind, so do not open the position early

The Pirc can afford slower development while the pieces are not in immediate conflict, and sometimes Black should begin the middlegame plan before completing development. That permission is position-specific: ...a6 against Be3 works because it creates ...b5 and makes White declare how the king and centre will be arranged.

Challenge an early Austrian e5

After 4.f4 Bg7 5.e5, Marin recommends the flexible ...Nfd7, preparing ...c5 against the base of White's pawn chain. White's undeveloped kingside makes the advance premature, but the lesson is counterplay rather than a promised pawn win.

The lines, chapter by chapter

Learning order, one scoresheet per chapter. The coach serves review one line a day; enter any line directly when you want it now.

Start Here: Give Up the Centre

Six moves, none of which fight for anything. That is deliberate, and the line shows what Black is buying with the tempo he does not spend.

The setup, and what it costs

vs the quiet Classical, 4.Nf3 and 5.Be2, 6 moves

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The Classical: 4.Nf3

White develops and waits. There is no attack coming, so Black can take his time and play for ...e5, which is the break that belongs to a centre neither side is opening in a hurry.

4.Nf3 with a4

vs 5.Be2 and 6.O-O, then a4 to stop ...b5, 9 moves

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The ...Bg4 pin and the ...e5 break

vs 5.Be2 O-O 6.O-O, met by ...Bg4, 10 moves

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The Roman setup: 5.h3 and Be3

vs 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.h3 O-O 6.Be3, met by ...a6, 6 moves

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The Austrian Attack: 4.f4

The critical test and the reason people fear the Pirc. White builds a three-pawn centre and intends to run it at your king. The answer is always the same: hit d4 with ...c5 before the centre moves.

The main answer: 5...c5

vs 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 c5 6.dxc5, 10 moves

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6.Bb5+, the check that comes with e5

vs 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 c5 6.Bb5+, 10 moves

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The Weiss Variation: 6...Na6

vs 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Bd3 Na6, 9 moves

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5.Be2 in the Austrian

vs 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 c5, 9 moves

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The premature e5, met flexibly

vs 4.f4 Bg7 5.e5, pushing before developing, 6 moves

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The 150 Attack, and the Race

Be3 can lead to a direct attack or a restrained centre. Davies's starter repertoire removes the move-order guesswork: meet Be3 with ...a6, prepare ...b5, and only then choose between queenside expansion and a central ...c5 or ...e5 break.

The quiet Be3 system

vs 4.Be3 a6 5.h3 Bg7 6.Nf3, followed by a4, 12 moves

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Qd2 and f3 against ...a6

vs 4.Be3 a6 5.Qd2 b5 6.f3, with a4 against the queenside, 12 moves

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The Other Fourth Moves

The named systems outside the three main chapters. The point is not to dismiss them as sidelines, but to identify the lever and move order each one changes.

The Byrne: 4.Bg5

vs 4.Bg5, met by ...c6 rather than ...Bg7, 8 moves

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The Kholmov: Qe2 and e5

vs 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.Qe2, with the immediate e5 thrust, 7 moves

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The Sveshnikov: 4.g3

vs 4.g3 Bg7 5.Bg2, with Nge2, 7 moves

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The Chinese: 5.g4

vs 4.Be2 Bg7 5.g4, taking kingside space before Black castles, 6 moves

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The Bayonet: 5.h4

vs 4.Be2 Bg7 5.h4, the Mariotti move order, 6 moves

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Puzzles from this opening

Club games that started in the Pirc Defence produced these tactics, and you solve every one from Black's side, the seat you actually sit in. Difficulty follows your solving, the same as the puzzle room.

Solve them

The Pirc Defence in brief

The Pirc Defence is the chess opening that begins 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6, and it is filed under ECO B07. This course teaches it from Black's side in 16 drills across 5 chapters, with a coach note on the moves that need one, every position checked with Stockfish at depth 20, and every plan credited to the author who wrote it down.

Lines you will drill

  • The setup, and what it costs against the quiet Classical, 4.Nf3 and 5.Be2
  • 4.Nf3 with a4 against 5.Be2 and 6.O-O, then a4 to stop ...b5
  • The ...Bg4 pin and the ...e5 break against 5.Be2 O-O 6.O-O, met by ...Bg4
  • The Roman setup: 5.h3 and Be3 against 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.h3 O-O 6.Be3, met by ...a6
  • The main answer: 5...c5 against 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 c5 6.dxc5
  • 6.Bb5+, the check that comes with e5 against 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 c5 6.Bb5+
  • The Weiss Variation: 6...Na6 against 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Bd3 Na6
  • 5.Be2 in the Austrian against 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 c5
  • The premature e5, met flexibly against 4.f4 Bg7 5.e5, pushing before developing
  • The quiet Be3 system against 4.Be3 a6 5.h3 Bg7 6.Nf3, followed by a4
  • Qd2 and f3 against ...a6 against 4.Be3 a6 5.Qd2 b5 6.f3, with a4 against the queenside
  • The Byrne: 4.Bg5 against 4.Bg5, met by ...c6 rather than ...Bg7
  • The Kholmov: Qe2 and e5 against 4.Bc4 Bg7 5.Qe2, with the immediate e5 thrust
  • The Sveshnikov: 4.g3 against 4.g3 Bg7 5.Bg2, with Nge2
  • The Chinese: 5.g4 against 4.Be2 Bg7 5.g4, taking kingside space before Black castles
  • The Bayonet: 5.h4 against 4.Be2 Bg7 5.h4, the Mariotti move order

Theory credited to

  • Pirc Defence
  • Pirc Defence, Austrian Attack
  • Pirc Defense Guide
  • Grandmaster Repertoire: The Pirc Defence, Mihail Marin
  • The Pirc: Move by Move, Nigel Davies
  • White Fianchetto vs. the Pirc Defense
  • The Pirc Defence: The Chinese Variation

7 branches are deliberately not drilled here, and the course records which and why rather than leaving the gap silent.

Questions

What is the Pirc Defence?
The Pirc Defence is the chess opening that begins 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6, filed under ECO B07. Let them build the centre, then knock it down. Black plays ...d6, ...Nf6 and ...g6, allows White to occupy the centre, and then chooses a counterattack after White reveals a setup.
How do you learn the Pirc Defence?
This course splits it into 16 drills across 5 chapters. You play each line from Black's side against a coach note that explains the move, then the same lines come back on a spaced-repetition schedule until you can play them without prompting. Every position is verified with Stockfish at depth 20 before it ships.
Where does the theory in this Pirc Defence course come from?
From published work by Mihail Marin, Nigel Davies and the reference sources credited on this page. The engine verifies the moves; the plans and assessments belong to the authors, and every drill records the page or section it came from.

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