Pirc Defense win rate

White scored 51.7% (margin 0.5 points) in 31,883 rated games of the Pirc Defense, ECO B00, played between players within 100 rating points on 1 September 2026. It ranked number 14 of 117 openings by popularity and made up 2.0% of all games.

49.6%

46.2%

White wins 49.6%
Draws 4.2%
Black wins 46.2%

31,883 games

How often does White win in the Pirc Defense?

White won 49.6% of the 31,883 games, 4.2% were drawn and Black won 46.1%. White's score of 51.7% is no clear difference from White's score across all openings (51.9%): the gap of 0.1 points is inside the margin of 0.5 points.

Results of 31,883 Pirc Defense games, 1 September 2026.
Result	Games	Share
White wins	15,821	49.6%
Draws	1,349	4.2%
Black wins	14,713	46.1%

Does the Pirc Defense score differently at different ratings?

White's score is highest at 1600 to 1999 (52.2%) and lowest at under 1200 (50.7%). That spread of 1.5 points is inside the two margins added together, so the data show no clear difference between the bands.

Players rated 2000 and above choose the Pirc Defense most often relative to their other openings, in 2.3 percent of their games.

White's score in the Pirc Defense by the lower rating of the two players, 1 September 2026.
Rating band	Games	Share of the band	White score	Margin (points)
under 1200	5,252	1.9%	50.7%	1.3
1200 to 1599	11,020	1.9%	51.7%	0.9
1600 to 1999	12,016	2.0%	52.2%	0.9
2000 and above	3,595	2.3%	51.9%	1.6

How does the Pirc Defense do in blitz, rapid and classical?

The time control changes who tends to win, because the clock matters more in faster games. Rows with fewer than 1,500 games are left out.

White's score in the Pirc Defense by time control, 1 September 2026.
Time control	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Blitz	23,308	51.8%	0.6
Rapid	8,331	51.7%	1.1

What are the most played lines of the Pirc Defense?

The most played named line is the Classical Variation, with 3,943 games and a White score of 52.6%. The table lists the ten most played lines that reached 300 games; a line below that is counted in the last row.

Named lines of the Pirc Defense, most played first, 1 September 2026.
Line	Games	White score	Margin (points)
Classical Variation	3,943	52.6%	1.5
Byrne Variation	1,020	54.4%	3.0
Austrian Attack	593	53.5%	3.9
Roscher Gambit	464	49.5%	4.5
Kholmov System	412	54.1%	4.7
Classical Variation, Schlechter Variation	406	54.8%	4.7
Main line and less played lines	25,045	51.4%	0.6

How were these opening statistics measured?

Rated Blitz, Rapid and Classical games on 1 September 2026 between players within 100 rating points, banded by the lower rating. A score is wins plus half the draws, with a 95 percent margin. The hub page explains the method in full.

Frequently asked questions

What is the win rate of the Pirc Defense?

White won 49.6%, drew 4.2% and lost 46.1% of 31,883 games, a White score of 51.7% with a margin of 0.5 points. These are games on Lichess on 1 September 2026.

Is the Pirc Defense good for White?

At these ratings White's score was no clear difference from White's score across all openings (51.9%): the gap of 0.1 points is inside the margin of 0.5 points. A difference of a point or two is small, and the side that picks an opening also picks which games reach it, so the number describes what happened at these ratings and is not a ruling on the opening.

What is the most popular line of the Pirc Defense?

The Classical Variation was the most played named line, with 3,943 games, which is 12.4% of the Pirc Defense games.

Sources

Lichess open database, standard rated games (CC0), file for September 2026, read 2026-10-22

Related guides and tools

Last updated 2026-10-22.

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