How exactly do you beat the Pirc Defence?
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Aug 6, 2022
0
#82
As a Pirc player I love when someone tries to blast me off the board but doesn’t actually know theory well. Pirc is a real, legit opening. If you are not booked as white just play something solid (like c3 or kia) and just get a game.
that assumes a player has a clue about position. i don't. the GM that wrote 1.e4 d4 2.e5 "is nothing to worry about" in my scandinavian book and who didn't bother to provide theory is still on my doodoo list! i quit playing a decade ago over that and anti-tactical stonewall attack and defense.
the only ways i do position are intuitively and parroting theory.
I usually try e4 d4 d5 c4 Nc3 and try to hold d5. With this setup Black can't play well in the center, just castle queenside and fiancetto LSB for better center control, and then use your kingside knight pawns with your queen to snuff kingside counterplay.
Ethan_Brollier a écrit :
I usually try e4 d4 d5 c4 Nc3 and try to hold d5. With this setup Black can't play well in the center, just castle queenside and fiancetto LSB for better center control, and then use your kingside knight pawns with your queen to snuff kingside counterplay.
Translation please?
Oct 6, 2022
0
#86
There are many types of middle games from the Pirc. You need to know some aggressive plans against different ways Black can play, and not get fixated on executing one when Black plays in a different one.
The 150 attack generally works against early castling by Black, but in this game my opponent didn't castle and I didn't adapt. Rather I reacted badly to his first pawn break, and allowed his most desired pawn break which I missed because I actually freed up his knight from blocking the f pawn. f5! and Black is better. Watch out for lines with g6 and not castling, even delaying Bg7. Black is provoking us to commit to the kingside attack .. Here I blundered a simple tactic but I lost strategically before. It was Blitz so not too upsetting.
In the next game Black again didn't castle kingside but this time I did adapt and abandoned my initial 150 plan and reacted (or rather ignored) to his pawn breaks well. This was 15+10.
Some of them will just walk in to the 150, surprisingly. My favorite thing to do is after they play h4 trying to stop h5, play g4 and after hxg4 rather than recapture just h5!
But... It's really surprisingly easy to throw a won position after scoring a successful "150", so especially in slow games, don't lose concentration after you get it in thinking it's over. It's never to late to blunder away a mating attack. If you sac and you have his king exposed, do not let him off the hook! Take time to make sure your attack is sound and forcing... Don't waste any tempo (note capturing the g pawn can be a waste of time in some lines and in the mating line after Rxh5, Qx g pawn actually sets up a mate, so no golden rules here, there are subtleties always.)
... I actually lost more than one game because of wasting a precious tempo with fxg3 after I sac some stuff 
Every move counts after you sac. Game review called my Rxh5 a "!!", but I let him off the hook, got tilted and lost. After your advantage goes down from +9 or Mating to +3 it really feels like -10, so it's important to not let them back in to the game even if it seems "everything wins".
finally, they can go for some kind of Phildor transposition. In this case I completely misplayed the opening. To sum it up knowing how to react to the pawn breaks I believe is key, taking, ignoring or pushing may be counter intuitive so try to really understand each position individually. For example in this game I took, because in my mind this resembled a Phildor (where I take if black dosen't), but actually it was wrong in this case. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but it seems there isn't a magic solution to dealing with Black's pawn breaks as every position may require a different reaction, and taking may be best in one and losing in another. (compare the first game with the last)
I hung on and got in this one for a lucky win but I still try to learn from this bad opening play by me.
Definitely a good opening to play for the win as Black. You are inviting some strong attacks, counters are usually Tsunamis... I for one can't play the Pirc even though it was my first opening when I was like 600 it worked great... I'll probably get back to it some day 
in looking at a database, it looks like in the REAL WORLD (amateurs OTB), the 2.f4 Rat Defense Harmonist slightly favors white over the board.
I used to play the 150 attack a long time ago and remember having trouble with it.
the austrian attack is beyond fugly to me. I hate pawns! I'll trade a minor piece to get rid of two castle pawns almost any day. attacks that rely on pawns are just not my style... I like open positions with maximum mobility. Nf3/Bc4 and an open f file asap are what i live for. the rat looks like it might be what i'm looking for.
hmmmmm... I might give THAT a try because my pirc stats are 31:62 with d4. I'm glad to see i'm not the only player who DESPISES hypermoderns. (I call 'em trench weasels).
as a king's gambit player, I'm used to f4, and would hope for potential to open my f file.
zyxwvutsrq wrote:
I know this is an old thread, but as a Pirc player I often find it hard to play when there's something white on f5. If Black went for a fianchetto, wedge a pawn in there. If not, a knight is better.
OK... now I'm REALLY liking the idea of trying to out rat trench weasels!
swarminglocusts wrote:
Nc3 and e4 if allowed. f4 Qf2 h4 followed by 0-0-0 and Bh6 then pawn storm.
NOPE! I do NOT want anything to do with pawn based solutions... hard to pull tactics off with pieces that move 1 square a time, and the longer a game goes on, the worse my prospects get. I like to win BEFORE endgames
LM_player wrote:
I’d play the Chinese Attack! It is a rare and sharp attack that your opponent will likely not be prepared to face.
1. e4 d3 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be2 Bg7 5. g4
Black’s responses vary greatly from here onward; however, a common continuation is 5...c5 6. g5 Nfd7 7. d5. (with h2-h4 appearing shortly)White can easily start an attack on the Kingside from here.
Hope this line helps some players who are struggling against the Pirc Defense! But do remember that this variation is vastly unexplored. You may also face many differing responses from Black each time you play it; so be prepared.
-Lukay
1. e4 d3 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be2 Bg7 5. g4
Black’s responses vary greatly from here onward; however, a common continuation is 5...c5 6. g5 Nfd7 7. d5. (with h2-h4 appearing shortly)White can easily start an attack on the Kingside from here.
Hope this line helps some players who are struggling against the Pirc Defense! But do remember that this variation is vastly unexplored. You may also face many differing responses from Black each time you play it; so be prepared.
-Lukay
the Chinese variation has KILLER 59:38 stats in the main line with awesome stats for everything else too, though I would have a hard time wrapping MY head around "delayed grob" ideas.
whoever suggested this line WINS this thread!
I took a minute to put together an opening repertoire featuring the chinese variation with white's best replies. a couple lines favor austrian attack type "big centers". in cases where multiple moves are "winning" for white, I added them all to let anyone thinking of trying this system out pick whatever they like best. the lines are sorted by popularirty over the board
UGH!!! chess keeps deleting my indents!!! i just manually ATTEMPTED to put them back in
1.e4 d6 2.d4
_____ 2…Nf6 3.Nc3
__________ 3…g6 4.Be2 Bg7 5.g4 Chinese Variation 57:40@64k =
__________ 3…c6 4.f4 Czech Defense 53:43@408k +0.8
__________ 3…Nbd7 4.f4 Lion Defense: Anti-Philidor 50:45@376k +0.7
__________ 3…e5
_______________ 4.Nge2 51:43@68k +0.4
_______________ 4.Nf3 48:46@370k +0.6
_____ 2…g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Bg5 Modern Defense Standard Defense 55:41@326k
_____ 2…e5? King’s Pawn Game: Maroczy Defense 51:44@3.4m +0.7
__________ 3.dxe5 52:42@4m +0.5
__________ 3.d5 50:46@2m =
__________ 3.Nf3 Philidor Defense 54:42@1m +0.4
__________ 3.c3 54:42@1m +0.4
__________ 3.Nc3 53:43@302k +0.6
__________ 3.Bc4 56:41@226k +0.2
__________ 3.f4 53:44@70k =
_____ 2…e6 Rat Defense: Small Center 53:44@3.2m +0.9
__________ 3.Nf3 52:45@2.8m +0.9
__________ 3.Nc3 55:41@1.7m +0.3
__________ 3.c4 53:43@1.4m =
__________ 3.f4 55:42@729k +0.5
__________ 3.Bd3 55:42@443k +0.9
_____ 2…c6
__________ 3.Nc3 51:45@1.6m +0.6
__________ 3.f4 51:45@612k +0.5
_____ 2…Nd7 3.Nc3 Rat Defense: Antal Defense 51:46@824k +0.8
it only took three edits *sigh*. I'll try to do a 2.f4 tree now, but my time is running out on this PC
OK... the stats for 2.f4 are solid, but not as good as the "ChinAustrian" system. I want credit for that name!
HAHAHAHA!
May 15, 2023
0
#92
agianst the pirc you can go for the 150 attack (would recommend austrian attack but theres a bunch of annoying c5 lines) and you just castle queenside and race your pawns down the kingside
May 15, 2023
0
#93
the chinese variation is very scary for black, white generates a quick, deadly attack if black is too slow
golly it's UGLY though even if white has a ton of space. I'm one for keeping my pawns back or trading them if they're not on e4 or d4 generally. still, maybe I can learn new attacking ideas.
as I have such a terrible rating against the pirc, here's a miniature I'm proud of
an even quicker win "my style"
May 15, 2023
0
#95
I used to play the Austrian Attack against the Pirc. Fischer also had a few games in that line.
Nine games by Bobby Fischer in the Austrian Attack vs the Pirc Defense:
Including this one:
Fischer vs Benko (1963) USA-ch (365chess.com)
TBH pirc has too many lines, so just play e4 d4, and normal development is fine.