# Week 71: is the Pirc Defense good for beginners? A 3–4 week with it

> Week 71: 1252 → 1260 in 19 rapid games (10 W, 9 L). Is the Pirc Defense good for beginners? My Pirc and Modern games as Black went 3–4.

- URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w23/
- Updated: 2026-10-22
- Author: Ignacio Soler

After nine days without a game, I came back on June 2, 2025, and played **19 rapid games** in a week: **10 wins and 9 losses**, rating **1252 → 1260** (+8). As Black I leaned on the same family of openings as always, the Pirc and the Modern, and they went **3–4**. That makes this a good week to ask a question beginners often search: is the Pirc Defense good for beginners? My honest answer from these games is that it's fine, and that it wasn't the reason I won or lost.

## The week in numbers

| | |
|---|---|
| Games | 19 (10 Black, 9 White) |
| Record | 10 W / 9 L / 0 D |
| Rating | 1252 → 1260 (+8); high 1276, low 1252 |
| Average accuracy | 79.1% |
| Blunders | 44 (my opponents: 50) |
| Most played | Pirc Geller System (3), London System (2), Modern Defense with 1.e4 (2), Horwitz Defense (2), Old Benoni (1) |

With Black I scored 6 wins and 4 losses; with White, 4 wins and 5 losses. The White losses included another Englund Gambit, game 1511 against Rotobono (1305), where I once again answered 1.d4 e5 with 2.c3. That's three Englund games in a row with the same move, and three losses.

## Is the Pirc Defense good for beginners? What my week says

Here are my seven Pirc and Modern games as Black. The Geller System (White plays Nf3 and Bc4 early) went 2–1: wins against loxyaea (1224) and praktak (1236), a loss to Strouer (1270). The two Modern games split 1–1, a loss to CorreitaEsp (1286) at 90.3% accuracy and a win against nancycihine (1265). The two other Pirc games, against Constantine1961 (1284) and Paidjoe13 (1271), were losses. My other three Black games, an East Indian, a Nimzowitsch and an East Indian London, were all wins.

So the Pirc didn't give me an edge. But when I look at how the games were decided, it wasn't opening knowledge. The setup is easy to remember: pawn to d6, knight to f6, pawn to g6, bishop to g7, castle. What the Pirc asks of a beginner is patience, because White gets the center and you have to wait for the right moment to hit back. My first key moment shows the opposite problem: when the moment came, I grabbed the wrong thing.

## Moment 1: the automatic recapture

Game 1498 against loxyaea (1224), Black, Pirc Geller System ([game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139133159452)). White had just taken on c5 with a pawn, and I was winning, −3.52.

> **Move 18: White's pawn took on c5. Take it back, or take something else?**
> Position (FEN): `3r1rk1/pp3pbp/2qpp1p1/2P1n3/2P1PN2/2P4P/P2Q1PP1/1RBR2K1 b - - 0 18`
> Played: dxc5 — Pawn takes back on c5, opening the d-file: my rook on d8 and White's queen now face each other
> Better: Qxe4 — Queen takes on e4 and hits the rook on b1, the c4 pawn and the knight on f4

Recapturing felt natural. But **Qxe4** was much stronger: my queen takes a central pawn and attacks three things, the rook on b1 (no defender), the pawn on c4 (no defender) and the knight on f4. My pawn recapture instead opened the d-file, and White's queen took my rook on d8. The evaluation went from −3.52 to 0.00. I still won the game by resignation on move 44, because White blundered later. The lesson: when your opponent captures, a recapture is one option, not an obligation.

## Moment 2: the knight that went too far

Game 1499 against AS_Prayoga (1277), White, Old Benoni ([game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139145976856)).

> **Move 15: my knight can jump to b6 and attack the rook on a8**
> Position (FEN): `r2qr1k1/1b1pnpbp/p2Bp1p1/8/Q1N5/2P1PN2/PP3PPP/R4RK1 w - - 6 15`
> Played: Nb6 — Knight to b6 attacks the rook on a8, but the knight can now be captured
> Better: Rfd1 — Rook from f1 to d1 (slightly better for White)

Nb6 attacks a rook, which looks good, but Black's queen can simply take the knight, and from b6 the queen attacks my b2 pawn and my bishop on d6 at the same time. The engine went from +0.76 to −6.58. AS_Prayoga took a different route, but I was worse from then on and lost. **Rfd1**, a quiet rook move, kept a small edge.

## Moment 3: the discovered attack I didn't see

Game 1500 against LULU0117 (1228), White, Krause Variation ([game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139176235614)). Black's rook had just moved from f6 to f8.

> **Move 23: Black's rook left f6. What can Black's bishop on e7 see now?**
> Position (FEN): `5rk1/rp1bb1p1/1pn1p1Bp/3p1p2/3P1B1N/P3P3/1P3PPP/R4RK1 w - - 4 23`
> Played: b4 — Pawn from b2 to b4, leaving the knight on h4 to Black's bishop
> Better: Nf3 — Knight from h4 back to f3 (about equal)

The rook on f6 had been blocking the diagonal from Black's bishop on e7 to my knight on h4. When the rook moved, the bishop suddenly attacked the knight, a discovered attack, and nothing defended it. I played b4 on the other side of the board and lost the knight: +0.04 to −5.45. Then came one of the strangest wins of my journey: I kept playing, Black kept giving chances back, and on move 83 I mated with **Qa4#** with my clock at **0 seconds**.

## The lesson of the week

All three moments are about the same habit: after every move by my opponent, ask what changed. In game 1498 a capture changed the files; in game 1500 a rook moving away opened a diagonal; in game 1499 my own knight moved to a square where it could be taken. The Pirc is a fine opening for a beginner, but no opening protects you from not looking at what the last move did.

And for the third week running, the Englund Gambit: next time I'll take the pawn.

## All games this week

| Game # | Date | Colour | Opponent (rating) | Result | Opening | Accuracy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1498 | Jun 2 | Black | loxyaea (1224) | Win | Pirc Defense Modern Defense Geller System | 87.4% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139133159452) |
| 1499 | Jun 2 | White | AS_Prayoga (1277) | Loss | Old Benoni Defense | 70.5% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139145976856) |
| 1500 | Jun 3 | White | LULU0117 (1228) | Win | Queen's Pawn Opening Krause Variation | 87.0% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139176235614) |
| 1501 | Jun 3 | Black | acorn3x (1261) | Win | Indian Game East Indian London System | 95.9% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139180255882) |
| 1502 | Jun 3 | White | gomjabbar27 (1277) | Loss | London System | 58.0% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139180725754) |
| 1503 | Jun 4 | Black | CorreitaEsp (1286) | Loss | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 90.3% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139201812950) |
| 1504 | Jun 4 | Black | nancycihine (1265) | Win | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 86.6% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139207264222) |
| 1505 | Jun 4 | White | OnurhanSanal (1252) | Win | London System | 97.6% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139207625950) |
| 1506 | Jun 4 | Black | Strouer (1270) | Loss | Pirc Defense Modern Defense Geller System | 81.8% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139207874766) |
| 1507 | Jun 4 | White | jbgmaster (1275) | Loss | Queen's Pawn Opening Horwitz Defense | 71.7% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139214187310) |
| 1508 | Jun 5 | White | witaluvxs (1245) | Win | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 97.4% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139242135654) |
| 1509 | Jun 5 | Black | praktak (1236) | Win | Pirc Defense Modern Defense Geller System | 81.9% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139246769422) |
| 1510 | Jun 5 | Black | ludo56400 (1274) | Win | Indian Game Knights Variation East Indian Defense | 72.8% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139246873442) |
| 1511 | Jun 5 | White | Rotobono (1305) | Loss | Englund Gambit | 48.8% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139250290858) |
| 1512 | Jun 5 | Black | Constantine1961 (1284) | Loss | Pirc Defense Main Line | 85.7% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139256202440) |
| 1513 | Jun 7 | Black | Apoorv00718 (1268) | Win | Nimzowitsch Defense Declined Williams Variation | 89.5% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139325668184) |
| 1514 | Jun 7 | White | preduzimljiv2 (1264) | Loss | Queen's Pawn Opening Horwitz Defense | 51.0% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139325742762) |
| 1515 | Jun 7 | White | Cicko0102 (1257) | Win | Queen's Pawn Opening Accelerated London System | 79.4% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139330530440) |
| 1516 | Jun 8 | Black | Paidjoe13 (1271) | Loss | Pirc Defense | 69.6% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/139347260634) |

Previous: [week 70](/journey/week-2025-w21/) · Next: [week 72](/journey/week-2025-w24/) · Hub: [/journey/](/journey/) · Want the "what changed?" moments of your own games pointed out? [AI chess analysis with Chess Coach](/features/ai-chess-analysis/).

## FAQ

### Is the Pirc Defense good for beginners?

In my week 71 it was playable but not magic. With the Pirc and the Modern as Black I went 3 wins and 4 losses, while my other Black games went 3–0. The Pirc game I looked at most closely was decided by a tactic on move 18, not by opening theory.

### What is the Pirc Defense Geller System?

It's Chess.com's label for a Pirc/Modern setup where White plays Nf3 and Bc4 early. In game 1498 the moves were 1.e4 g6 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.O-O Nc6 6.d3 Bg4. I played it three times that week and won twice.

### Can you win a chess game with 0 seconds on the clock?

Yes, if the checkmate lands before the flag falls. In game 1500 I mated LULU0117 with 83.Qa4# and my clock showed 0 seconds.

## Related

- [From 631 to 1385: my chess journey in 2,117 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey.md)
- [Week 70 (May 2025): a Pirc main line mate, an Englund collapse](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w21.md)
- [Week 72 (Jun 2025): 11 London games and my best accuracy yet](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w24.md)
- [Free AI chess analysis of your games, explained](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/features/ai-chess-analysis.md)