Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation
49K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
52.6%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 53.0%.
Measured over 49K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 3.5 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 49K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 49K
- Best context
- 54.8% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Worst context
- 48.5% at 1200-1399 Rapid
- Average game length
- 33 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.5%
- Draws
- 3.5%
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: 51.0% at 0-999, 60.8% 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: 47.9% expected score (238 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 56.8% expected score (262 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 48.2% expected score (81 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (559 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 52.4% expected score (810 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 49.8% expected score (244 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 52.5% expected score (1,054 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 53.6% expected score (1,803 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 48.5% expected score (638 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 64.3% expected score (9 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 54.6% expected score (1,529 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 52.5% expected score (3,529 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 52.2% expected score (1,163 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 59.0% expected score (43 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 52.3% expected score (2,038 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 53.0% expected score (5,675 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 51.3% expected score (1,750 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 52.7% expected score (74 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 52.5% expected score (3,237 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 52.3% expected score (7,626 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.6% expected score (1,856 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 57.8% expected score (88 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 52.1% expected score (3,323 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 52.7% expected score (5,553 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 50.3% expected score (1,159 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 42.5% expected score (25 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 53.3% expected score (2,283 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.8% expected score (1,857 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 61.7% expected score (187 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 61.0% expected score (154 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 42.3% expected score (18 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation scores 52.6% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 52.3% and 53.0% — from 49K 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
- 49K+ 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, Ljubojevic Variation win rate?
Playing the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation, White wins 50.8%, draws 3.5% and loses 45.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.6%. It rests on 49K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation perform best?
The Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 59.4% (174 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 52.8% in Blitz (27K games) against 51.6% in Rapid (7.1K games).
How sharp is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation?
The Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation has a sharpness score of 96.5 (very decisive), meaning 96.5% of games end decisively. Average game length is 33 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 50.7%, draws 2.5% and loses 46.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.0%. It rests on 581 Lichess games, which average 26 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 49.7%, draws 3.0% and loses 47.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.2%. It rests on 1.6K Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 51.0%, draws 2.7% and loses 46.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.4%. It rests on 3.5K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 51.6%, draws 2.8% and loses 45.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.0%. It rests on 6.3K Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 50.8%, draws 3.4% and loses 45.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.5%. It rests on 9.5K Lichess games, which average 33 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 50.7%, draws 3.4% and loses 45.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.4%. It rests on 13K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 50.2%, draws 4.1% and loses 45.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.2%. It rests on 10K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 51.9%, draws 4.7% and loses 43.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.3%. It rests on 4.3K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 55.6%, draws 7.7% and loses 36.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 59.4%. It rests on 174 Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 51.4%, draws 2.5% and loses 46.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.7%. It rests on 14K Lichess games.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 50.9%, draws 3.8% and loses 45.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.8%. It rests on 27K Lichess games.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 49.3%, draws 4.5% and loses 46.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.6%. It rests on 7.1K Lichess games.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 54.2%, draws 2.7% and loses 43.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.6%. It rests on 241 Lichess games.
Is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation a good opening?
The Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Ljubojevic Variation is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 50.8% of its games and loses 45.6%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.