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Intermediate

Play the Power Pirc

by Bayadiq
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About this course

Master the Pirc Defense, a dynamic and counter-attacking weapon for Black against 1.e4. Learn how to meet critical white setups, including the aggressive Austrian Attack and the solid Classical Variation. Build a complete repertoire with step-by-step guides, instructive master games, and solutions to early sidelines.

What you'll learn

  • Build a reliable and aggressive counter-attacking repertoire with the Pirc Defense
  • Learn how to neutralize White's most dangerous attacking systems, including 4.f4 and 4.Be3
  • Understand the key pawn breaks and middlegame plans for Black
  • Study instructive games to master the typical strategic ideas and tactical motifs

Curriculum

  • 4.f4 (Austrian Attack)B09
    Austrian Early e5/Nf3/exd6 - I
    Austrian Early e5/Nf3/exd6 - II
    Austrian Early e5/Nf3/exd6 - III
    Austrian Early e5/Nf3/exd6 - IV
    Austrian Early e5/Nf3/e6
    Austrian Early e5/Nf3/dxc5
    Austrian Early e5/Ne4
    Austrian Early e5/Bc4/exd6
    Austrian Early e5/Bc4/Nf3
    Austrian Early e5 - H-pawn spike
    Austrian 6.e5 (Unzicker Attack) - Endgame Variation - Knight takes
    Austrian 6.e5 (Unzicker Attack) - Endgame Variation - King takes
    Austrian 6.e5 (Unzicker Attack) - 7.fxe5 - I
    Austrian 6.e5 (Unzicker Attack) - 7.fxe5 - II
    Austrian 6.e5 (Unzicker Attack) - 7.fxe5 - III
    Austrian 6.e5 (Unzicker Attack) - H-pawn Spike
    Austrian 6.Bd3 / 0-0 (Weiss Variation) - dxe5 I
    Austrian 6.Bd3 / 0-0 (Weiss Variation) - dxe5 II
    Austrian 6.Bd3 / 0-0 (Weiss Variation) - fxe5
    Austrian 6.Bd3 / 0-0 (Weiss Variation) - d5 Advance
    Austrian 6.Bd3 / 0-0 (Weiss Variation) - d5 Advance - II
    Austrian 6.Bd3 / 0-0 (Weiss Variation) - d5 Advance - III
    Austrian 6.Bd3 / 0-0 (Weiss Variation) f5 Advance
    Austrian 6. Bd3 / 0-0 (Weiss Variation) White supporting the center
    Austrian 6.Bd3 / e5 (Delayed Unzicker) - I
    Austrian 6.Bd3 / e5 (Delayed Unzicker) - II
    Austrian 6.Bd3 / e5 (Delayed Unzicker) - III
    Austrian 6.Bd3 / Be3
    Austrian 6.Bd3 / h3
    Austrian 6.Bd3 / h3 - II
    Austrian 6.Bd3 / d5
    Austrian 6.Be2 / dxc5
    Austrian 6.Be2 / e5
    Austrian 6.Be3 (Kurajica Variation) / e5
    Austrian 6.Be3 (Kurajica Variation) / e5 - II
    Austrian 6.Be3 (Kurajica Variation) / e5 - III
    Austrian 6.Be3 (Kurajica Variation) / Qd2
    Austrian 6.Be3 (Kurajica Variation) / h3
    Austrian 6.Bc4
    Austrian Early Bc4 (Ljubojevic Variation)
    Austrian 6.d5
    Austrian 6.a3
    Austrian 6.a4
    Austrian 6.h3
    Austrian 6.h4?
  • 4.Nf3 (Classical Variations)B08
    Classical 5.Bc4 / 0-0 - Early d5
    Classical 5.Bc4 / 0-0 - White supporting the center
    Classical 5.Bc4 / 0-0 - Advance Variation
    Classical 5.Bc4 / 0-0 - Exchange Variation
    Classical 5.Bc4 / e5
    Classical 5.Bc4 / Qe2
    Classical 5.Bc4 / Early h3
    Classical 5.Bd3 / h3
    Classical 5.Bd3 / O-O
    Classical 5.Be2 - Advance Variation
    Classical 5.Be2 - Battery Variation
    Classical 5.Be2 - Exchange Variation (7. h3)
    Classical 5.Be2 - Bg5 Variation
    Classical 5.Be3 / Bd3
    Classical 5.Bf4
    Classical 5.Bf4 - II
    Classical 5.Bg5 Qd2 (White Bishop retreats to f4)
    Classical 5.Bg5 e5 (White Bishop retreats to f4)
    Classical 5.Bg5 d5 (White Bishop retreats to f4)
    Classical 5.Bg5 Qd2 (White Bishop retreats to h4)
    Classical 5.Bg5 Qd2 (White Bishop retreats to e3)
    Accelerated Classical 5.h3/Be3 & a4 - I
    Accelerated Classical 5.h3/Be3 & a4 - II
    Accelerated Classical 5.h3/Be3 & a4 - III
    Accelerated Classical 5.h3/Be3 & a4 - IV
    Accelerated Classical 5.h3/Be3 & a4 - V
    Accelerated Classical 5.h3/Be3 & Qd2
    Accelerated Classical 5.h3/Be3 & Be2
    Accelerated Classical 5.h3/a4
  • Other Move 4 VariationsB07
    4.g3 (Fianchetto System)
    4.g3 (Fianchetto System) - II
    4.h3 5.Be3 6.g4 (Archbishop Attack)
    4.h3 5.g4 6.g5 (Accelerated Archbishop Attack)
    4.h3 5.g4 6.Bg2 (Accelerated Archbishop Attack) - II
    4.h4 (Accelerated h-pawn Spike)
    4.h4 (Accelerated h-pawn Spike) - II
    4.Nge2
  • 4.Be3 (150 Attack/ Jansa Attack)B07
    150 Attack 5.Qd2 6.Bd3 - I
    150 Attack 5.Qd2 6.Bd3 - II
    150 Attack 5.Qd2 6.Bd3 - III
    150 Attack 5.Qd2 6.Bd3 - IV
    150 Attack 5.Qd2 6.Bh6
    150 Attack 5.Qd2 6.e5
    150 Attack 5.Qd2 6.h4
    150 Attack 5.Nf3 Qd2
    150 Attack 5.Nf3 Qd2 - II
    150 Attack 5.Nf3 Qd2 - III
    4.Be3 5.Nf3 6.a4
    4.Be3 5.f4
    Delayed 150 Attack 5.Be3 / Qd2 / Bh6
    Delayed 150 Attack 5.Be3 / Qd2 / Bh6 - II
    Delayed 150 Attack 5.Be3 / Qd2 / Bh6 - III
    Delayed 150 Attack 5.Be3 / Qd2 / Bh6 - IV
    Delayed 150 Attack 5.Be3 / Qd2 / Bh6 - V
    Delayed 150 Attack 5.Be3 / Qd2 / Bh6 - VI
    Delayed 150 Attack 5.Be3 / Qd2 / h4
    Delayed 150 Attack 5.Be3 / Qd2 / Bd3
    4.Be3 5.h3 Jansa Attack 6.Bd3
    4.Be3 5.h3 Jansa Attack 6.Qd2 - I
    4.Be3 5.h3 Jansa Attack 6.Qd2 - II
    4.Be3 5.h3 Jansa Attack 6.Qd2 - III
  • 4.Be2/Bd3/Bc4 (Light-squared Bishop Variations)B07
    4.Be2 g4/e5 & Nxe4
    4.Be2 g4/e5 & f3
    4.Be2 g4/e5 & Qd3
    4.Be2 g4/e5 & h4
    4.Be2 g4/e5 & f4
    4.Be2 g4/f3 - I
    4.Be2 g4/f3 - II
    4.Be2 g4/exd5
    Delayed g-pawn Spike
    Delayed g-pawn Spike II
    Delayed g-pawn Spike III
    4.Be2 h4/Bg5
    4.Be2 h4/Nh3
    4.Bd3
    4.Bc4 (Kholmov System) f4
    4.Bc4 (Kholmov System) Nf3
    4.Bc4 (Kholmov System) Qe2/e5 ('Mad Dog') - I
    4.Bc4 (Kholmov System) Qe2/e5 ('Mad Dog') - II
    4.Bc4 (Kholmov System) ('Mad Dog') - III
    4.Bc4 (Kholmov System) Qe2/d5
  • 4.Bf4 incl. London / 4.Bg5 (Byrne) VariationsB07
    4.Bf4 / e5
    4.Bf4 / Qd2 / O-O-O & e5
    4.Bf4 / Qd2 / f3
    4.Bf4 / Qd2 / Nf3
    4.Bf4 / Qd2 / Nf3 - II
    4.Bf4 / Qd2 / Nf3 - III
    4.Bf4 / Nf3
    4.Bg5 (Byrne) / e5 (Trap!) f4
    4.Bg5 (Byrne) / e5 exd6
    4.Bg5 (Byrne) / e5 exd6 - II
    4.Bg5 (Byrne) / e5 e6
    4.Bg5 (Byrne) / e5 Nd5
    4.Bg5 (Byrne) / Qd2
    4.Bg5 (Byrne) / Qd2 - II
    4.Bg5 (Byrne) / f3
    4.Bg5 (Byrne) / f4 / Qd2 - I
    4.Bg5 (Byrne) / f4 / Qd2 - II
    4.Bg5 (Byrne) / f4 / Qd2 - III
    4.Bg5 (Byrne) / f4 / Nf3
    4.Bg5 (Byrne) / f4 / e5
    London 5.Be2
    London 5.Bd3
    London 5.h3 - I
    London 5.h3 - II
    Jobava London - 4.Nf3
    Jobava London - 4.e4
  • Introduction
    Moves 1 to 3 & Line Frequencies
  • 4.Be3 - Qd2 - f3 (f3-System)B07
    f3-System 0-0-0 g4 g5
    f3-System 0-0-0 g4 h4 - I
    f3-System 0-0-0 g4 h4 - II
    f3-System 0-0-0 g4 h4 - III
    f3-System 0-0-0 g4 h4 - IV
    f3-System 0-0-0 & Nce2?
    f3-System g4 g5
    f3-System g4 h4 - I
    f3-System g4 h4 - II
    f3-System g4 h4 - III
    f3-System g4 h4 - IV
    f3-System h4 g4?
    f3-System h4 Nh3
    f3-System Bh6
    f3-System - Immediate (Hyper-Accelerated) Pawn-Storm
    f3-System - Accelerated Pawn-Storm
    4.Be3 5.a4 ... f3 h4
    4.Be3 5.a4 ... f3 g4
  • Early Sidelines
    3.f3 Exchange Variation
    3.f3 Advance Variation 5.c4
    3.f3 Advance Variation 5.Be3
    3.Bd3 Exchange Variation
    3.Bd3 c3-Variation
    3.Bd3 c3-Variation - II
    3.Bd3 Advance Variation
    3.Nd2
    3.Bc4
    3.e5?
    2.Nf3 'Alapin'
    2.Nf3 'Closed Sicilian'
    2.Nf3 - Early e5
    2.Nc3 'Grand Prix Attack'
    2.Nc3 - Early e5
    2.Bc4
    2.Bc4 - II
    2.f4
    2.f4 - II
    2.f4 - Standard Set up
    1.d4 ... Nf3
    1.d4 ... Nf3 (Delayed Geller-System)
    1.d4 ... Nf3 (Delayed Geller-System II)
    1.d4 ... Nf3 (Delayed Geller-System - III)
    1.d4 ... Nf3 (Delayed Geller-System - IV)
    1.d4 ... c4
    1.d4 ... c4 - II
    1.c4 5.d4
    1.c4 5.d3 6.b4
    1.c4 5.d3 6.Nf3
    1.c4 5.d3 6.Nf3 - II
    1.c4 5.d3 6.e4 (Botvinnik System)
    1.c4 5.e3
    1.Nf3 (King's Indian Attack Line)
    1.Nf3 (King's Indian Attack Line) - II
  • Instructive Games
    Bozidar Ivanovic vs. Mikhail Gurevich, Lucerne, 1989 (Austrian Attack/Early e5)
    Hikaru Nakamura vs. Ilia Smirin, Mashantucket, 2005 (Austrian Attack/Unzicker Attack)
    Alan Pichot vs. Karen Movsziszian, Barcelona, 2018 (Austrian Attack/Unzicker Attack)
    Alexei Shirov vs. Ivan Saric, St. Petersburg, 2018 (Austrian Attack/Weiss Variation)
    Robert Fischer vs. Viktor Korchnoi, Willemstad, 1962 (Austrian Attack 6.Be2)
    Dzhurabek Khamrakulov vs. Vitaly Tseshkovsky, Tashkent, 2009 (Classical/Quiet System/Parma Defense)
    Anatoly Karpov vs. Zurab Azmaiparashvili, Moscow, 1983 (Classical/Quiet System/Parma Defense)
    Mikhail Tal vs. Tigran Petrosian, Moscow, 1974 (Classical/Quiet System/Chigorin Line)
    Vladimir Epishin vs. Michael Adams, Las Palmas, 1994 (Classical/Quiet System/Parma Defense)
    Harold James Plaskett vs. Niaz Murshed, Dhaka, 1997 (f3-System)
    Garry Kasparov vs. Veselin Topalov, Wijk aan Zee, 1999 (f3-System)
    Arjun Erigaisi vs. Magnus Carlsen, Julius Baer Generation Cup, 2022 (f3-System)
    Jon Ludvig Hammer vs. Ian Nepomniachtchi, Moscow, 2017 (150 Attack)
    Fabiano Caruana vs. Vasyl Ivanchuk, Biel, 2009 (150 Attack)
    Vugar Gashimov vs. Vasyl Ivanchuk, Wijk aan Zee, 2012 (Byrne Variation)
    Adriano Caldeira vs. Herbert Carvalho, Sao Paulo, 2014 (Byrne Variation)
    Artur Jakubiec vs. Robak Zbigniew, Lubniewice, 1994 (Chinese Variation)
    Istvan Sinka vs. Laszlo Juhasz, Hungary, 1996 (Bayonet Attack)
    Giorgio Porreca vs. Vasja Pirc, Bled, 1953 (Delayed h-pawn Spike)
  • Quickstarter GuideB07
    Moves 1 to 3 & Line Frequencies
    Austrian Attack Early e5
    Austrian 6.e5 (Unzicker Attack) - dxe5 - Endgame Variation
    Austrian Attack 6.e5 (Unzicker Attack) - fxe5
    Austrian Attack 6.Bd3 / 0-0 (Weiss Variation) I
    Austrian 6.Bd3 / 0-0 (Main/ Weiss Variation) II
    Austrian Attack 6.Bd3 / 0-0 (Weiss Variation) III
    Austrian Attack 6.Bd3 / e5 (Delayed Unzicker Attack)
    Austrian Attack 6.Be3 (Kurajica Variation)
    Classical System 5.Bc4
    Classical System 5.Be2
    Classical System 5.Bf4
    Classical System 5.Bg5
    Accelerated Classical 5.h3/Be3 & a4
    f3-System 0-0-0 g4 g5
    f3-System g4 g5
    f3-System h4 Nh3
    4.Be3 5.a4
    4. Be3 (150 Attack)
    4. Be3 (150 Attack) - II
    Delayed 150 Attack 5.Be3
    Delayed 150 Attack 5.Be3 - II
    4.Be3 (Jansa Attack)
    4.Bf4 / e5
    4.Bg5 (Byrne) e5 Trap
    4.Bg5 (Byrne) Qd2
    4.Bg5 (Byrne) f4
    London System
    4.Be2 g4 (Chinese Variation)
    Delayed g-pawn Spike
    4.Be2 h4 (Bayonet Attack)
    4.Bc4 (Kholmov System) f4
    4.Bc4 (Kholmov System) Qe2
    4.g3 (Fianchetto System)
    4.h3 5.Be3 6.g4 (Archbishop Attack)
    4.h4 (Accelerated h-pawn Spike)
  • 4.f4 (Austrian Attack) - DragonB09
    Austrian Dragon 6.dxc5 Bd3
    Austrian Dragon 6.dxc5 Bd3 - II
    Austrian Dragon 6.dxc5 Qd3
    Austrian Dragon 6.dxc5 Qd4 - I
    Austrian Dragon 6.dxc5 Qd4 - II
    Austrian Dragon 6.dxc5 Bd2
    Austrian Dragon 6.dxc5 Bb5+
    Austrian Dragon 6.dxc5 cxd6?!
    Austrian Dragon 6.dxc5 cxd6?! - II
    Austrian Dragon 6.Bb5+ Bxd7 & e5
    Austrian Dragon 6.Bb5+ Bxd7 & d5
    Austrian Dragon 6.Bb5+ e5 & Bxd7
    Austrian Dragon 6.Bb5+ e5 & h3
    Austrian Dragon 6.Bb5+ e5 & Ng5?!
    Austrian Dragon 6.Bb5+ e5 & e6 - 10.Nxb5
    Austrian Dragon 6.Bb5+ e5 & e6 - 10.Qxg4
    Austrian Dragon 6.Bb5+ e5 & e6 - 10.Nxe6
    Austrian Dragon 6.Bb5+ & dxc5?
    Austrian Dragon 6.e5
    Austrian Dragon 6.d5
    Austrian Dragon 6.Be3
    Austrian Dragon 6.Bd3
  • Bonus Chapter: Dealing With Early e5 Pushes
    e5 on move 2: 2.e5?
    e5 on move 3: 2.d4 3.e5?
    e5 on move 3: 2.Nf3 3.e5?
    e5 on move 3: 2.f4 3.e5?!
    e5 on move 4: 2.d4 3.Nc3 4.e5
    e5 on move 4: 2.Nf3 3.Nc3 4.e5?!
    e5 on move 5: 4.Nf3 (Classical Variation) 5.e5?!
    e5 on move 5: 4.Be3 5.e5?!
    e5 on move 5: 4.Bf4 5.e5
    e5 on move 5: 4.Bg5 (Byrne Variation) 5.e5
    e5 on move 5: 4.f4 (Austrian Attack) 5.e5
    e5 on move 6: 4.Nf3 (Classical) 5.Bf4 6.e5
    e5 on move 6: 4.Nf3 (Classical) 5.Bf4 6.e5 - II
    e5 on move 6: 4.Be3 5.Qd2 6.e5
    e5 on move 6: 4.Bg5 (Byrne Variation) 5.f4 6.e5
    e5 on move 6: 4.Bc4 (Kholmov Variation) 5.Qd2 6.e5
    e5 on move 6: 4.f4 (Austrian Attack) 5.Nf3 6.e5 (Unzicker Attack)
    e5 on move 6: 4.f4 (Austrian Attack) 5.Nf3 6.e5 (Unzicker Attack) - II
    e5 on move 7: 4.f4 (Austrian Attack) 5.Nf3 6.Bd3 (Weiss Variation) 7.e5
    e5 on move 7: 4.f4 (Austrian Attack) 5.Nf3 6.Bd3 (Weiss Variation) 7.e5 - II
    e5 on move 7: 4.Nf3 (Classical) 5.Bc4 6.Qe2 7.e5
    e5 on move 7: 4.Nf3 (Classical) 5.Bg5 6.Bf4 7.e5
    e5 on move 7: 4.Bf4 5.Qd2 6.O-O-O 7.e5