Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation
279K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
51.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 51.6%.
Measured over 279K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 4.1 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 279K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 279K
- Best context
- 59.0% at 2500+ Blitz
- Worst context
- 46.7% at 0-999 Bullet
- Average game length
- 34 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 95.9%
- Draws
- 4.1%
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: 49.5% at 0-999, 60.5% 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, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 46.7% expected score (569 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 55.7% expected score (392 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 65.5% expected score (102 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 47.6% expected score (1,996 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 52.4% expected score (1,513 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 52.9% expected score (343 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 39.5% expected score (8 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 50.4% expected score (5,065 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 53.4% expected score (4,375 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 54.7% expected score (880 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 44.3% expected score (16 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 53.3% expected score (29 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 49.4% expected score (9,521 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 51.4% expected score (11,093 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 52.1% expected score (2,078 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 63.8% expected score (104 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (16 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 49.4% expected score (15,412 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (23,937 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 52.4% expected score (4,633 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 54.9% expected score (182 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 67.7% expected score (7 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.3% expected score (21,848 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 49.7% expected score (40,985 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 51.1% expected score (7,160 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 46.6% expected score (323 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.3% expected score (23,759 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.5% expected score (36,493 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 53.8% expected score (5,538 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 57.1% expected score (189 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 52.9% expected score (23,112 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 54.6% expected score (23,714 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 56.8% expected score (2,205 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 54.4% expected score (33 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 79.7% expected score (12 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 56.8% expected score (8,764 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 59.0% expected score (2,100 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 64.5% expected score (92 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 42.3% expected score (5 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation scores 51.4% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 51.3% and 51.6% — from 279K 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
- 279K+ 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, Weiss Variation win rate?
Playing the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation, White wins 49.3%, draws 4.1% and loses 46.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.4%. It rests on 279K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation perform best?
The Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 57.3% (11K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 51.4% in Blitz (145K games) against 52.9% in Rapid (23K games).
How sharp is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation?
The Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation has a sharpness score of 95.9 (very decisive), meaning 95.9% of games end decisively. Average game length is 34 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation win rate at 0-999?
At 0-999, White wins 50.7%, draws 2.1% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.8%. It rests on 1.1K Lichess games, which average 25 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, White wins 49.0%, draws 1.8% and loses 49.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.9%. It rests on 3.9K Lichess games, which average 27 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, White wins 50.9%, draws 2.2% and loses 46.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.0%. It rests on 10K Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 49.3%, draws 2.7% and loses 48.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.7%. It rests on 23K Lichess games, which average 31 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 48.4%, draws 3.3% and loses 48.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.1%. It rests on 44K Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 48.1%, draws 3.7% and loses 48.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.0%. It rests on 70K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 48.9%, draws 4.6% and loses 46.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.3%. It rests on 66K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 51.2%, draws 5.4% and loses 43.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.9%. It rests on 49K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 54.0%, draws 6.6% and loses 39.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 57.3%. It rests on 11K Lichess games, which average 40 moves.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 49.5%, draws 3.1% and loses 47.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.1%. It rests on 110K Lichess games.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 49.0%, draws 4.7% and loses 46.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.4%. It rests on 145K Lichess games.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 50.3%, draws 5.1% and loses 44.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 52.9%. It rests on 23K Lichess games.
What is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation win rate in Classical?
In Classical, White wins 50.2%, draws 5.7% and loses 44.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.1%. It rests on 854 Lichess games.
Is the Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation a good opening?
The Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Weiss Variation is about level. Across all ratings, White wins 49.3% of its games and loses 46.6%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.