Pirc Defense
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6
The Pirc (prounounced 'Peerts') is a newer, radical kind of opening, in which Black allows White to occupy the center with pawns, and then attempts to counterattack the pawn center and prove it to be over-extended. It is named after the Slovenian Grandmaster Vasja Pirc. The Pirc Defense always involves the fianchetto of the black king's bishop; if the move ...g6 is not played soon, then it is not the Pirc.
Pros:
- Black has a lot of freedom of different ways to play
- A tricky, active defense
- White can be provoked easily
Cons:
- White has several systems which lead to a raging attack
- White can also play carefully to restrict Black
- White has many different ways to combat the Pirc