Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation
75K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
51.8%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 52.1%.
Measured over 75K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 3.6 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 75K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 75K
- Best context
- 55.7% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Worst context
- 49.7% at 2000-2199 Blitz
- Average game length
- 34 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.4%
- Draws
- 3.6%
Best and worst are the strongest and weakest squares with at least 500 games behind them. The table further down shows every square, including thinner ones.
Where it holds · White score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It gets better as the rating rises: 55.0% at 0-999, 57.2% at 2500+.
| Rating | UB | Bulle | Blitz | Rapid | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-999 | — | ||||
| 1000-1199 | |||||
| 1200-1399 | |||||
| 1400-1599 | |||||
| 1600-1799 | |||||
| 1800-1999 | |||||
| 2000-2199 | — | ||||
| 2200-2499 | — | ||||
| 2500+ | — | — |
Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 51.0% expected score (206 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (206 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 46.3% expected score (52 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 55.9% expected score (7 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 50.5% expected score (858 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 51.9% expected score (716 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 51.5% expected score (175 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (16 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 52.8% expected score (1,829 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 54.0% expected score (1,885 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 55.8% expected score (423 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 54.8% expected score (9 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 32.4% expected score (7 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 52.2% expected score (3,231 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 53.0% expected score (4,190 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 53.2% expected score (905 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 59.5% expected score (25 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 54.8% expected score (9 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 51.3% expected score (4,613 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (7,627 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 53.4% expected score (1,543 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 57.9% expected score (68 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 49.9% expected score (5,387 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.4% expected score (9,721 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.3% expected score (2,036 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 51.1% expected score (91 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (6,453 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 49.7% expected score (7,903 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 51.7% expected score (1,455 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 42.8% expected score (33 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 53.4% expected score (6,513 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 55.7% expected score (4,421 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 55.6% expected score (548 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 40.5% expected score (9 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 55.0% expected score (1,459 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 58.0% expected score (400 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 58.7% expected score (10 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation scores 51.8% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 51.5% and 52.1% — from 75K Lichess games. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.
How the figures are made
- Whose games these are
- 75K+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-12 to 2025-11). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt January 2026.
- Which games we count
- Rated games only — nothing casual.
- Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
- At least 2 moves played.
- A game is filed under White’s rating.
- Why every number comes with a range
- A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
- How much we need before we say anything
- An opening page needs 100 games. A gambit needs 50 games at a rating before we will say whether it pays there. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation win rate?
Playing the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation, White wins 49.9%, draws 3.6% and loses 46.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.8%. It rests on 75K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation perform best?
The Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 55.7% (1.9K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 51.7% in Blitz (37K games) against 52.9% in Rapid (7.1K games).
How sharp is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation?
The Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation has a sharpness score of 96.4 (very decisive), meaning 96.4% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 49.8%, draws 2.7% and loses 47.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.2%. It rests on 465 Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 50.0%, draws 2.5% and loses 47.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.2%. It rests on 1.8K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 52.3%, draws 2.6% and loses 45.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.6%. It rests on 4.2K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 51.4%, draws 2.6% and loses 46.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 8.4K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 50.1%, draws 3.1% and loses 46.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.7%. It rests on 14K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 48.8%, draws 3.4% and loses 47.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.5%. It rests on 17K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 47.8%, draws 4.4% and loses 47.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.0%. It rests on 16K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 52.0%, draws 4.7% and loses 43.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.4%. It rests on 11K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 52.6%, draws 6.2% and loses 41.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.7%. It rests on 1.9K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 50.1%, draws 2.9% and loses 47.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.6%. It rests on 31K Lichess games.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 49.6%, draws 4.1% and loses 46.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.7%. It rests on 37K Lichess games.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 50.7%, draws 4.3% and loses 44.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.9%. It rests on 7.1K Lichess games.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 50.1%, draws 5.7% and loses 44.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.0%. It rests on 237 Lichess games.
Is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation a good opening?
The Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Kurajica Variation is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 49.9% of its games and loses 46.4%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.