White can also try to start an attack against Black’s King. The best way of doing so is by pushing the a-pawn, first to a4 and then eventually to a5, in order to restrict Black’s position. In this variation, White can aim to gain space on the Queenside. The position is very easy to play even without knowing much theory. White develops his pieces in a fast and natural way, without creating any weaknesses. This variation is the second most popular line in the Pirc Defense. The Two Knights System appears on the board after the following moves: This is a natural idea because the pawn on d6 supports this advance. He can do so by playing c5, as we have just seen, or choose a different idea, which is to push the d-pawn instead.īesides playing c5 and d5, Black also has another way of challenging White’s position. Often, there are many ways of doing the same thing.īlack’s idea: to challenge White’s center.
It also may give Black some control over the center if he manages to exchange this pawn by the one on d4, or if he forces White to exchange on c5 himself. This move gains space because Black had not crossed the fifth rank with any pawn up to this point. In the Pirc Defense, Black does not have much space nor central control.Ī good idea for Black is to challenge White’s central domination by playing c7-c5. One of White’s main goals in the Austrian Attack is to launch an attack against Black’s King.Īn effective way of doing so is by playing f4-f5 at some point, since this creates tension with Black’s g6 pawn. This makes sense especially because Black has played a solid setup in which no pawns have surpassed the sixth rank. This is a good idea as the advance is supported by the d and f pawns.Īnother idea that White can play is to gain space by closing the center with d5. The idea behind this move is to open up the way towards the King by pushing e4-e5. White wants to develop the light-squared Bishop to d3. White tries to start an attack against Black’s King by expanding on the Kingside and naturally developing his pieces. It is an ambitious, direct and aggressive setup. The Austrian Attack is the most popular option in the Pirc Defense. The Austrian Attack appears on the board after the following moves: In this setup, White wants to attack Black’s King in a similar way as he does in the 150 Attack: by moving the Queen to d2 and castling Queenside. White plays Bg5 to go into the Byrne Variation.
Then, White wants to start an attack against Black’s King. In the 150 Attack, White wants to play in a straightforward attacking manner.Īfter playing Be3, the idea will be to play the Queen behind the Bishop (to d2), support the e4 pawn with f3 and eventually castle Queenside. It is very easy to play as the development of the pieces is natural, and a great choice for players who don’t want to study too much opening theory. This is a more solid and classical setup. In the Two Knights system, White develops the Knight without pushing the f-pawn. The idea of playing f4 is to develop the Knight to f3 behind the pawn, and to eventually push f5 after developing all of the pieces. This means that he wants to start an attack against Black’s King. In the Austrian Attack, White decides to start pushing the Kingside pawns and plays f4. White can choose to play in many different ways: to start an attack immediately or to develop pieces first is a major decision. The Pirc Defense can be divided into four major variations. The idea behind the Pirc Defense is: Black wants to achieve a solid setup in the opening, by quickly developing his pieces and castling. The Pirc Defense is a chess opening in which the following moves are played: