Vasja Pirc

Vasja Pirc (Slovene: December 19, 1907, Idrija - June 2, 1980, Ljubljana) was a Yugoslav chess player, grandmaster (1953) and chess theorist. Chess writer. Editor of the magazine Chess Bulletin (1934-1941) and Chess (1938, 1949-1950). Winner of the IX Chess Olympiad as part of the team of Yugoslavia (1950).

Achieved his first success in 1927 at the Amateur Tournament in Karlovac - 1st place. In 1929 he made his debut in international competitions: Rogaška Slatina (1929) - 3rd-5th place. In the 1930s and 50s he was one of the strongest chess players in Yugoslavia. Best results in the national championships: 1935 1-2nd, 1936 and 1937 1st, 1945 3rd, 1948 1-2nd, 1949 2nd and 1953 1st. As a member of the team of Yugoslavia he participated in 6 Olympiads (1931-1954), a number of matches USSR vs. Participated in the 1st Interzonal Tournament (Saltsjöbaden, 1948) on 11-13th places and in two FIDE Zonal Tournaments. His name is most familiar to contemporary players as a strong exponent of the hypermodern defense now generally known as the '''Pirc Defense'