Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack & Unzicker Attack

Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack

Definition

The Austrian Attack is the most aggressive reply to the Pirc Defense. It arises after the moves 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4. White immediately erects a broad pawn center with e4–d4–f4 and signals his intention to seize space and launch a direct kingside offensive. In ECO it is coded B09.

Typical move-orders

• 4…Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.O-O
• 4…Bg7 5.Nf3 c5 (the most combative) 6.dxc5 Qa5
• 4…Nc6 (immediate pressure on d4) 5.Nf3 Bg7 6.e5

Strategic Ideas

• Central wedge: The pawns on e4–d4–f4 restrict Black’s pieces. White often pushes e4-e5 to cramp the knight on f6.
• Kingside expansion: g2-g4 (sometimes h2-h3 first) supports f4-f5 and a pawn-storm against Black’s fianchetto.
• Piece placement: White usually keeps the dark-square bishop on d3 or e2 aiming at h7, while the queen often swings to e1–h4.
• Black’s plans:
  • Counter-blow in the center with …c5, …e5 or …d5.
  • Minor-piece pressure on the d4-pawn (…Nc6, …Bg4, …Qb6).
  • Queenside expansion with …a6, …b5 when the position gets closed on the kingside.

Historical Significance

The variation became popular in Vienna during the 1920s and 1930s— hence “Austrian.” It featured in landmark games by Rudolf Spielmann, Karl Gilg and later by attacking greats such as Mikhail Tal and Bobby Fischer. Modern champions of the line include Mihail Marin, Veselin Topalov and rapid-play specialist Baadur Jobava.

Famous Example

Tal’s dazzling win over Larsen at the 1965 Capablanca Memorial shows the attacking potential:

Interesting Facts

• Even though the Pirc invites flexibility, after 4.f4 Black must choose a concrete plan immediately, or risk being steam-rolled.
• Because the center can lock, opposite-wing castling (White short, Black long) sometimes occurs—the inverse of many Sicilians.
• Grandmaster Evgeny Bareev calls the Austrian Attack “a King’s-Gambit + Benoni rolled into one” because of its typical pawn structure.

Unzicker Attack

Definition

The name “Unzicker Attack” is attached to White’s plan in the Nimzo-Indian Defense where the bishop quickly develops to d3 and White castles short, aiming for an e3-e4 pawn break. A common move-order is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3. After 5…d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.O-O the tabiya is reached. The variation is named after the German grandmaster Wolfgang Unzicker (1925-2006), who employed it with great success in the 1950s and 1960s.

Strategic Themes

• Flexible center: White keeps the option of e3-e4 or c4-c5, depending on Black’s set-up.
• Bishop pair: By delaying the capture on c4, White preserves the dark-squared bishop, hoping to exploit the two-bishops in an open position.
• Minor-piece tension: Black can exchange on c3 (doubling pawns) or maintain the pin to fight for e4.
• Typical plans for Black:
  1. …dxc4 followed by …c5 and …b6, targeting the c-pawn chain.
  2. …Nc6 and …Re8, pressuring e4 if White pushes.
  3. Queenside play with …a6, …b5, …Bb7 (à-la Queen’s Indian).

Historical & Practical Significance

The Unzicker Attack gives White a solid yet dynamic alternative to the heavily analyzed Classical (4.Qc2) and Rubinstein (4.e3, 5.Nf3) systems. Unzicker’s choice suited his positional, “classical” style, but the line can also lead to sharp play—as shown in modern games by Peter Leko, Levon Aronian and Hou Yifan.

Illustrative Game

Unzicker himself demonstrates the idea:

Wolfgang Unzicker – Lajos Portisch, Interzonal 1964

Interesting Tidbits

• The same early Bd3 idea can be used against the Bogo-Indian and even certain lines of the Queen’s Indian, making the Unzicker repertoire conceptually easy to learn.
• Unzicker was nick-named “The Amateur World Champion” because he worked as a judge while competing at elite level; his opening choices favoured soundness over the latest fashions.
• Modern engines evaluate the line as ≈ 0.20 for White—small but persistent pressure with minimal risk.