Tal vs Tringov, 1964

For what it's worth, 6. Qd2 has not been a popular choice, and White has lost the two times he's tried it according to the database.

These are all recent games, from the 1990s through the present. Many of the players who play this opening as Black seem to be Hungarian. Two names which show particular frequency are Petr Benes and Eduard Szirmai.

It is quite interesting to me to find that these openings, which I developed on my own, independently of any knowledge of their existence, turn out to be playable (and played) at the upper echelons of chess.

Unfortunately, looking through the database here at chessgames.com, I see almost nothing by either of these players, and no games using the Pirc variation with 3...c6.

Be that as it may, there is no other place to post some questions regarding the Pirc.

I had a chance to buy Nunn's The Ultimate Pirc used, and passed it up because I was playing a line with 3...c6 and that line is omitted from the book. Now that I'm considering the standard Pirc again, I am attempting to reevaluate some comments on the Pirc, covering a scant six pages in Gabor Kallai's Basic Chess Openings (v.1).

(1) p. 185 1.e4 d6 But "1...g6 yields an additional considerable option to White: 2.c4!?" (describes transposition into d-pawn openings). What if White insists on playing it anyway? 1.e4 d6 2.c4 ;and now what is the way to take advantage of this, and why? 2...e5 or 2...c5 or both (i.e., one followed by the other)? Something else?

(2) p.185 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 and now "rare line" (b): 4.Be2 Bg7 5.h4 Nc6 6.h5 gxh5 7.Be3 Ng4. What if White plays 6.d4 here? 6..Ne5? And why is ...Nc6 appropriate? How does it help deal with a kingside pawn attack?

(3) p.185 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 and now "rare line" (c): 4.Bg5!? Bg7 5.Qd2 c6 6.f4 o-o 7.Nf3 b5. But what if White plays 7.e5 here? Also, if (as Kallai suggests) after 6.Bh6 Bxh6 7.Qxh6 Qa5 "and the e4 pawn is hanging and Black is also threatening ...b5)" what if White plays 8.e5? 8...Ne4?

(4) p.187 (II.) 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 "The premature 5.e5? leads to the dismemberment of White's own centre: 5..Nfd7 6.Nf3 c5!? 7.exd6 o-o 8.dxe7 Qxe7+ 9.Qe2 Qd8 10.Be3 Re8 11.o-o-o Qa5 with a dangerous queenside initiative for Black (...Nc6, ...Nf6)." Well, I sure hope so, since Black is down a pawn, but details, please, about this dangerous Black initiative? I can find only one game at chessbase.com where play proceeds along these lines (Eley vs. Adorjan, 1973?) and I just don't see this "dangerous Black initiative" on the queenside at work following these moves.

(6) p.187 (I.B.) 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Be2 o-o 6.o-o Bg4 "7.h3 Bxf3 8.Bxf3 Nc6 9.d5 Ne5 10.Be2 c6 11.f4 Ned7 12.Bf3 Qa5 grants Black promising queenside counterplay. Again, what is this counterplay? I see only two games on chessbase.com (ratings 2000 or above) where play proceeds along these lines, and I can't perceive any promising queenside counterplay by Black in either one.

That should do for now. Pirc experts, help!!

<(1) p. 185 1.e4 d6 But "1...g6 yields an additional considerable option to White: 2.c4!?" (describes transposition into d-pawn openings). What if White insists on playing it anyway? 1.e4 d6 2.c4 ;and now what is the way to take advantage of this, and why? 2...e5 or 2...c5 or both (i.e., one followed by the other)?>

There's no refutation to 1. e4 d6 2. c4, although obviously either ...c5 or ...e5 will prevent White from getting a normal anti-Pirc setup. Which one of those moves you prefer probably depends on what else you play. 2...e5 3. Nf3 c5 looks like a good way to get a dull game.

<(2) p.185 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 and now "rare line" (b): 4.Be2 Bg7 5.h4 Nc6 6.h5 gxh5 7.Be3 Ng4. What if White plays 6.d4 here? 6..Ne5?>

I don't understand. White played d4 on move two.

<And why is ...Nc6 appropriate? How does it help deal with a kingside pawn attack?>

It helps Black attack White's center, which he always needs to do, kingside attack or no.

I went on chesslab and found four examples of 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be2 Bg7 5.h4 Nc6 6.d5 Ne5. (Black hasn't tried any other sixth move.) The two most recent examples featured 7. h5, but here's a 1991 game where White (Orlov) won with a different plan:

1. e4 d6
2. d4 Nf6
3. Nc3 g6
4. Be2 Bg7
5. h4 Nc6
6. d5 Ne5
7. Nf3 Neg4
8. Nd4 h5
9. f3 Ne5
10. Bf4 Bd7
11. Qd2 c6
12. O-O-O cxd5
13. exd5 Rc8
14. Kb1 a6
15. Rhe1 O-O
16. Bg5 b5
17. Bxf6 Bxf6
18. Ne4 Bg7
19. g4 Nc4
20. Qg5 Qa5
21. Bxc4 Rxc4
22. Nb3 Qc7
23. Qxe7 Rxe4
24. Qxe4 Rc8
25. Nd4 Qc4
26. Nc6 Bxc6
27. Qxc4 bxc4
28. dxc6 Rxc6
29. gxh5 gxh5
30. Rd5 Be5
31. Rf1 Rb6
32. b3

7...Nxf3+ looks like an obvious improvement.

Against 7. e5 in the first line, 7...de 8. de Qxd2+ 9. Kxd2 Rd8+ 10. Ke1 Nd5 11. Nxd5 cd 12. Bxe7 Re8 13. Bh4 f6 might work for Black. Alternatively, 9...Ng4 and if 10. Nf3, 10...f6.

Kallai or whoever is overselling his wares, as tends to happen with opening books. 5. e5 is not a bad move; Bronsten used it to beat Benko in a famous game: Bronstein vs Benko, 1969

Black can play the endgame. 5...de 6. de Qxd1+ 7. Kxd1 Ng4 8. Ke1 and now 8...f6 instead of Benko's 8...c6. (It really is a theme in the Pirc -- if you're not attacking White's center, you're in trouble.)

Well, I only know 5...0-0. But Black is threatening ...cd followed by ...de, winning a pawn. If 7. dc, then ...de looks good for Black. If 7. Be3, then 7...cd 8. Bxd4 Nc6 looks good. If 7 de, you have the pawn sacrifice with 7...0-0 or just 7...cd and then 8. de? Qxe7+ wins or 8. Nxd4 0-0 is another pawn sacrifice that looks pretty good (I am not sure about 8...ed 9. Ndb5).

First of all, a reality check is in order. White has made sensible and solid if not brilliant moves, so there is no reason to expect that his position will suddenly crumble. If you were white here, you wouldn't be expecting disaster, would you? That said, Black can play ...cd followed by a rook to c8 and ...b5, ...b4 and ...Nb6, thus developing pressure on the c-file and the pawn on d5. You're not going to blow white out of the water, but you should be OK.

I have <An Opening Repertoire for Black> by Marovic and Parma, from the mid-80s. In 150 pages, it covers the QGD, a particular line of the Benoni/K.I.D., the French and the Pirc, aspiring to give you two choices against 1. e4 and against 1. d4. Obviously it can't be comprehensive, it's 20 years old and it leaves you quite a lot of work to do on your own. But the best thing about it (apart from a nice set of illustrative games, which I've made into a collection here) is its realistic attitude. Sometimes <adequate play> or <a defensible position> is all Black can hope for. An honest opening book will say so.

Here's a wonderful game in the 7. h3 line, although White plays d5 later than in your line (and is also just a tad outclassed by his opponent)

<keypusher: <in the second line [6.Bh6 Bxh6 7.Qxh6 Qa5], 8. e5 is no threat: 8...de 9. de Qxe5+.>> Quite so!

Kriegspiel

I don't see Kallai as having an axe to grind, here: it isn't a personal opening system, and the book covers (however briefly) nearly all major openings beginning with 1.e4 (omitted except for a paragraph is the Robatsch/Modern). The book is not written for either Black or White, but both.

<Black can play the endgame. 5...de 6. de Qxd1+ 7. Kxd1 Ng4 8. Ke1 and now 8...f6 instead of Benko's 8...c6. (It really is a theme in the Pirc -- if you're not attacking White's center, you're in trouble.)> Can't White play 6.fxe5 instead?

<The pawn sacrifice looks pretty promising to me, but I've never seen it before. Why not play it a few times and see how you do?> It would help if you told me why you find it promising. I do not disagree, but Kallai has already described it as promising and I found that insufficient (for a player of my intermediate level) as an insight.

Kriegspiel