# Week 77: Pirc Defense vs Modern Defense, and a week where the Modern went 0 for 4

> Week 77: 1264 → 1242 in 9 rapid games (3 W, 6 L). Pirc Defense vs Modern Defense in my games: the Modern went 0–4, three times from a winning position.

- URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w29/
- Updated: 2026-10-22
- Author: Ignacio Soler

Pirc Defense vs Modern Defense is a question I should be able to answer after more than 1,600 rapid games, many of them with one or the other. Week 77 made it uncomfortable. From July 14 to 17, 2025, I played **9 rapid games** and went **1264 → 1242** (−22) with **3 wins and 6 losses**. As Black, the Modern Defense went **0 for 4**. My one Black win came from a setup Chess.com calls the Pirc Invitation. The twist is in the details: in three of those four Modern losses, the engine had me winning first.

## The week in numbers

| | |
|---|---|
| Games | 9 (5 Black, 4 White) |
| Wins / losses / draws | 3 / 6 / 0 |
| Rating | 1264 → 1242 (−22); low 1232 |
| Average accuracy | 79.4% |
| Blunders | 17 (my opponents: 13) |
| Openings | Modern Defense with 1.e4 (4), Zukertort Variation (3), Pirc Invitation (1), Zukertort Chigorin (1) |

With White, my usual London setup went 2–2. The first three games of the week were losses, and the rating never got back above 1256.

## Pirc Defense vs Modern Defense in my own games

On paper the two are cousins. Both put a pawn on g6, the bishop on g7 and a pawn on d6. The Pirc brings the knight to f6 early, hitting White's e4 pawn; the Modern often keeps that knight back and stays flexible. In my games the line between them is blurry: I usually play ...Nf6 within three moves either way, and Chess.com's label follows the exact move order. This week, the four games it called "Modern" all reached a center with White pawns on e4 and d4, and the Pirc-style game came against 1.g3.

So if the openings are this close, why 0 for 4? The engine's answer is that it wasn't the opening. Holgr77 (1271), mostafazaghloul44 (1279) and vameq (1243) all faced a position where my best winning chance was above 86%. Only imrane_07 (1270) beat me from start to finish. Here's how two of the winning positions went.

## Moment 1: the bishop between rook and queen

Game 1611 against Holgr77 (1271), Black, Modern Defense ([game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/140697064258)). I was winning, −5.34, and my queen had gone all the way to a2.

> **Move 23: my queen is on a2. Only White's bishop on c2 stands between it and the rook on e2**
> Position (FEN): `r3r1k1/pp3p1p/6p1/2p1bp2/2P4Q/7P/q1B1RPP1/4R1K1 b - - 1 23`
> Played: f6 — Pawn from f7 to f6; White's bishop can take on f5 and uncover the rook's attack on my queen
> Better: Kg7 — King from g8 to g7 (Black is winning)

Look along White's second rank: rook on e2, bishop on c2, my queen on a2. The bishop was the only thing blocking the rook. After my 23...f6, White played 24.Bxf5: the bishop took a pawn and got out of the way at the same time, a discovered attack. I took the bishop with 24...gxf5, and 25.Rxa2 took my queen. From −5.34 to +7.13 in two moves. **Kg7**, a quiet king move, kept me winning.

## Moment 2: castling into the bishop

Game 1612 against mostafazaghloul44 (1279), Black, Modern Defense ([game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/140713826208)). White had just played 12.Bh6, offering a bishop trade next to my king, and the engine said that was a mistake: −5.08 for me.

> **Move 12: White's bishop on h6 challenges my g7 bishop. Castle, or counterattack?**
> Position (FEN): `r2qk2r/ppp2pbp/3p2pB/4p3/2Bn3P/4QP2/PPP2P2/2KR3R b kq - 1 12`
> Played: O-O — Castles, but White's bishop takes on g7 and then attacks my rook on f8
> Better: Nf5 — Knight to f5 attacks the queen on e3 and the bishop on h6 (Black is winning)

**Nf5** attacks two pieces at once, White's queen and the bishop on h6. Castling felt safe, but it walked my king toward the exchange on g7: 13.Bxg7 Kxg7. Castling had already cut my advantage from −5.08 to −2.16. Two more blunders on moves 14 and 15 opened the h-file and the f-file around my king, and I was checkmated on move 17.

## Moment 3: one queen move, then mate

Game 1613 against Ian_mosh (1244), White, London setup ([game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/140725005628)). The position was about equal, +0.56.

> **Move 18: Black's bishop on d3 sits deep in my position. My king hasn't castled**
> Position (FEN): `r4rk1/1q2bp1p/p1p1p1p1/P2p3B/1PpP1B2/2PbP3/5PPP/R2QK2R w KQ - 0 18`
> Played: Qg4 — Queen to g4, away from the queenside; Black's bishop takes on b4, and taking it back lets Black's queen in with check
> Better: Be2 — Bishop from h5 to e2, challenging the bishop on d3 (about equal)

My queen left d1 to attack on the kingside, and Black's bishop on e7 took my b4 pawn, aiming through c3 at my uncastled king on e1. I recaptured with 19.cxb4, and 19...Qxb4+ brought Black's queen in with check. A move later the engine showed a forced mate. **Be2** would have traded off the annoying bishop on d3 and kept the queen home.

## The lesson of the week

In all three moments, the problem was a line: a rank, a diagonal or a file that a piece was blocking or that a move opened. The c2 bishop blocked a rank between rook and queen. Castling put my king and rook on a diagonal with White's bishop. My queen leaving d1 left my uncastled king open to a check along the diagonal from b4. Before moving a piece, I now try to ask one extra question: what was this piece blocking, and what line does this move open?

And on Pirc vs Modern: pick either. My results this week say the choice mattered far less than seeing those lines.

## All games this week

| Game # | Date | Colour | Opponent (rating) | Result | Opening | Accuracy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1611 | Jul 14 | Black | Holgr77 (1271) | Loss | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 74.5% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/140697064258) |
| 1612 | Jul 15 | Black | mostafazaghloul44 (1279) | Loss | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 64.2% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/140713826208) |
| 1613 | Jul 15 | White | Ian_mosh (1244) | Loss | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation | 72.2% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/140725005628) |
| 1614 | Jul 15 | Black | CRACKer12345678965 (1222) | Win | Reti Opening Pirc Invitation | 80.9% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/140736384448) |
| 1615 | Jul 15 | Black | vameq (1243) | Loss | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 71.7% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/140736497124) |
| 1616 | Jul 15 | White | AMilki (1236) | Loss | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation | 77.5% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/140739180360) |
| 1617 | Jul 16 | White | DobricaTrebaljevac (1240) | Win | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 92.6% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/140762040378) |
| 1618 | Jul 16 | Black | imrane_07 (1270) | Loss | Modern Defense with 1 e4 | 86.8% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/140763317898) |
| 1619 | Jul 17 | White | mc6tc (1248) | Win | Queen's Pawn Opening Zukertort Variation | 94.3% | [game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/140811162324) |

Previous week: [week 76](/journey/week-2025-w28/) · Next week: [week 78](/journey/week-2025-w30/) · [Back to the journey](/journey/) · Want the engine to point out the lines you missed? [Review your own games like this](/features/ai-chess-analysis/).

## FAQ

### What is the difference between the Pirc and the Modern Defense?

Both are ...g6, ...Bg7, ...d6 setups for Black; the Pirc brings the knight to f6 early to attack e4, the Modern often waits. In my games the label followed the exact move order: 1.e4 g6 2.d4 d6 3.Nc3 Nf6 was filed as a Pirc (game 1599) and 1.e4 g6 2.d4 d6 3.Nf3 Nf6 as a Modern (game 1612).

### Is the Modern Defense worse than the Pirc?

Not on my evidence. In week 77 I lost all four Modern games, but in three of them the engine had me winning at some point. The losses came from middlegame tactics, not from the opening.

### What is the Pirc Invitation?

It's Chess.com's name for my game 1614, where White started with 1.g3 and I answered with ...g6, ...d6, ...Nf6 and ...Nc6. It was my only Black win of the week.

## Related

- [From 631 to 1385: my chess journey in 2,117 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey.md)
- [Week 76 (Jul 2025): 91% accuracy and a rook endgame I let go](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w28.md)
- [Week 78 (Jul 2025): the knight forks I missed three times](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w30.md)
- [Free AI chess analysis of your games, explained](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/features/ai-chess-analysis.md)