Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation
14K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
64.1%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 64.8%.
Measured over 14K games at this level and clock.
A strong choice for White at this level and clock.
Outcomes for White
Draw 3.2 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 14K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 14K
- Best context
- 69.5% at 2500+ Bullet
- Worst context
- 58.9% at 1800-1999 Blitz
- Average game length
- 29 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.8%
- Draws
- 3.2%
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.
Extra Analysis
Deep-dive datasets for this opening
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: 30.0% at 0-999, 58.5% 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: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (3 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 60.4% expected score (13 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 52.5% expected score (19 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 57.9% expected score (24 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 65.8% expected score (8 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 59.9% expected score (49 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 54.1% expected score (60 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 62.8% expected score (22 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 55.0% expected score (140 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 55.0% expected score (129 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 57.8% expected score (24 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 86.4% expected score (4 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 58.6% expected score (338 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 58.9% expected score (591 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 52.6% expected score (58 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 61.5% expected score (1,051 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 60.7% expected score (2,334 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 54.2% expected score (152 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 86.4% expected score (4 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 67.2% expected score (2,930 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 64.6% expected score (3,213 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 64.3% expected score (142 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 69.5% expected score (2,022 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 64.5% expected score (446 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation scores 64.1% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 63.4% and 64.8% — from 14K 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
- 14K+ 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, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation win rate?
Playing the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation, White wins 62.5%, draws 3.2% and loses 34.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 64.1%. It rests on 14K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation perform best?
The Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 68.6% (2.5K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 62.4% in Blitz (6.8K games) against 58.8% in Rapid (408 games).
How sharp is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation?
The Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation has a sharpness score of 96.8 (very decisive), meaning 96.8% of games end decisively. Average game length is 29 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 55.8%, draws 3.4% and loses 40.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.5%. It rests on 132 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 54.6%, draws 2.8% and loses 42.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 56.0%. It rests on 300 Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 57.3%, draws 2.2% and loses 40.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.4%. It rests on 992 Lichess games, which average 28 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 59.1%, draws 3.1% and loses 37.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 60.7%. It rests on 3.5K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 64.2%, draws 3.2% and loses 32.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 65.8%. It rests on 6.3K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 66.6%, draws 3.9% and loses 29.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 68.6%. It rests on 2.5K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 64.9%, draws 2.6% and loses 32.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 66.2%. It rests on 6.6K Lichess games.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 60.5%, draws 3.8% and loses 35.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 62.4%. It rests on 6.8K Lichess games.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 56.5%, draws 4.5% and loses 38.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 58.8%. It rests on 408 Lichess games.
Is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation a good opening?
The Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation is good for White. Across all ratings, White wins 62.5% of its games and loses 34.3%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.