Classical Variation of the Pirc Defense | Chess Openings

[@Shaf23]

3:55 Be2 Quiet System 8:21 Czech Defense 10:58 Schlechter Variation 14:27 Be3 17:54 Bc4 20:32 Bf4

[@alexandereastwood1]

As a Pirc player, I would play both of the lines in Be3 and Bf4 you gave with black. I don't really fear whites attack, yes you have to be careful but it's much easier than other aggressive lines and if white fails in the attack black is going to be better in the end in most cases IMO. Also, after Bf4!? black can play c5! right away which is what I play as it's simpler if you know what you are doing you can easily trick white into a bad position, and with the best play, black gets close to equal. White is best to try and show it's a waste of time for black to play c5 and to try and cramp black, but I think this is hard for white to do if you know the position as black. and getting rid of White's center and having the open bishop gives more play for black. I would avoid Bf4 because of this reason. As for Be3! it's much better for white than Bf4 first c5?? is not possible right away, so 6.dxc5 Qa4 7. Qd2!+-, witch simply wins a pawn, if 7... dxc5 8.e4! simply crushes, but Qd2 would be hard to find over the board IMO. The best move to black after 7.Qd2 is O-O and be down a pawn for literally nothing if not worse than nothing. The only trap is if white plays 7. cxd6? Which I love as black even though it's equal after, 7...Nxe4!= and if you know not to play exd6, as in almost every case it's better to push past it and get a good center, as that pawn is no threat and is rather weak and to trade the dark square bishop to damage the pawns. The only other move for White is Bd7+ which is also good for white and you can argue easier to play and easier to find as c5 is a surprise move but it's less precise IMO. So after the move Be3, I just play O-O and c6 but most of the time it's usually a lower rated player that makes this move and I had many games where they trade bishop but then castle short and the fact you traded my bishop means little, or I play Ng4 and take the bishop on e3 because they let me. I have not really had a higher rated player play this line, as they would go for the 150 attacks instead which is much better if you want to play this way IMO. To me, Be3 is a great move for white, and as black, I just hope they don't play in the spirited of the move, but I know that if I defend correctly I will always be better in the endgame, or if they go to slow I can get a crushing attack and regardless I prefer these lines with this setup than with other openings with this plain.

[@mpawel5]

Stjepan rulez!!! Best chess series on KZbin

[@HangingPawns]

Haha, thanks a lot mate:D

[@mpawel5]

@@HangingPawns Thanks to Your lectures i raised my Elo 150 points up in 1 month. I'm beginner of course.

[@tonynorriss379]

In the Be3 lines there is the option for black to delay castling or even castle queenside.

[@anotherrandomer]

Your videos are helping me look outside the C5 and E5 as a response to E4. Thank you :)!

[@HangingPawns]

No problem! Glad to lure you to the modern side!

[@zeFresk]

Thank you very much ! I was playing 5.Be3 without having studied the Pirc before. I'm really happy to learn my intuition was good (I'm not good at chess yet). I really love your videos and I'm looking forward to the future ones !!

[@HangingPawns]

Great to hear you played correctly by intuition. Hope the series helps build up on that:)

[@saubhagyasingh4655]

Nice . Great explaination

[@luizgustavocicero2920]

Hi Stjepan, I have been playing pirc for years and suffering, why dont you make a video with a blacks look on pirc? Tks

[@andrewucla]

I came to watch this for a better understanding of white’s strategy, to help me as black playing the Pirc

[@j.santana7552]

Check out NM Robert Ramirez for Pirc from blacks side.

[@robertcooper1952]

Excellent presentation!

[@dshocc1376]

Really appreciate the deep theory here, this is much farther than I would ever need to know but it beats other videos which only go a couple moves in by far

[@MalikRam5894]

you are doing a great job....please keep it up....i love the way u explain

[@HangingPawns]

Thank you Harshit:)

[@jackfirestone5072]

In the Be3 line which i love playing, after Bg4 instead of taking on g7 you can immediately go h4! and black has to be VERY careful. Bxf3 is the best move and after gxf3 you have a a rook coming to g1 after O-O-O, h5 is coming and you didn’t waste time with h3 and then h4. I feel h4 is a much better try for practical advantage than capturing on g7 right away because you force the king to remain uncomfortable on g8 while you hammer away with the h pawn and the bishop on h6 prevents black from playing h5 himself

[@guillermorojas2000]

Great video!

[@HangingPawns]

Thank you Guillermo!

[@muhammadhussainfarooq1483]

@chanel why did not you covered 5. Be3 c5 ?

[@abdalrahmanmusleh]

thank you so much for this informative video

[@HangingPawns]

No problem! Glad you liked it!

[@angel_machariel]

You should (i.o.w. I would have loved it if) have also shown the 6...Nc6 variation for black. That's it strongest continuation according to stockfish 11 @14500 Kn/sec running for 14 hours! It's also the number 3 move in Fritz 17 opening book! So it's a common move.

[@omarellaithy3193]

very good

[@trevbarlow9719]

Noob here. With 6...c6, I don't understand why 7.a4 is necessary. I get that it's trying to stop the b pawn attacking the c3 knight, but why not just play a3 if blacks pawn ever plays b5?

[@25cawboy]

Don't give your opponent space

[@trevbarlow9719]

@@25cawboy I found the answer, which wasn't explained in this video: if white plays a3 to stop black's b pawn, black's a pawn can simply support it's attack on White's knight. This, a4 is needed.

[@25cawboy]

That's what I told.

[@blackknight_2031]

I will play Be2 with the idea after o-o from black then bg5

[@thesorcererofapollo114]

Schlechter means “worse” in German. What a weird name for a variation.

[@SM0783]

It is named after Austro-Hungarian CM Carl Schlechter.

[@saubhagyasingh4655]

I reached first

[@HangingPawns]

Thanks:)