!?/?! A bizarre idea in the pirc defence.

Against the Pirc i usually play 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.e5!?, (intending to play 5...dxe5 6.dxe5 Qxd1 7.Kxd1 which is not nearly as harmless as it looks).

In a recent game here on chess.com i had just played 5.e5 and was waiting for the answer and looking at the board i noticed that my opponent could have played 5...Bg4 instead of 5...dxe5. W can probably just play 6.Nf3...but i was immediately attracted by the bizarre 6.exf6!?/?!...just because it looked so shocking! This more or less forces 6...Bxd1 7.fxg2 Rg1 8.Kxd1(8.Nxd1!? looks too slow but might be an alternative).

I understand that this move is probably unnecessarily complicated and of no theoretical interest, but i'm just curious to know what is your evaluation. White has 3 pieces for the queen, and black can't castle kingside. It seems to me that white bishops can become quite dangerous, and i would probably have played the move had my opponent played 5...Bg5 (he went for the usual 5...dxe5 but i managed to win the game), just for the sake of trying this bizarre idea! I have never played with 3 minor pieces against the queen and i have not enough experience to evaluate the position. What is your opinion?

I think saccing your Queen for 3 pieces is, in most cases, a good trade. If you can trade off other additional pieces you will find the queen can do virtually nothing against the 3 pieces as long as you can co-ordinate them and don't blunder one of them away. If given the chance, I'll do it. Black will have to mount an attack and hope it succeeds before the endgame arrives.

I agree, expecially on the fact that 6.Be2 is nice for W and 6.exf6!? unclear at best. I was attracted mainly by the opportunity of playing with an unusual material imbalance, and by the possibility of playing such an "impossible move" I posted it here as a curiosity rather than as a suggestion, but i think that if the possibility will ever arise i will not be able restrain myself from playing 6.exf6

Thanks for the interesting comparison. I guess that having not a pawn on f4 hampering the DSB and the fact that white retains castling rights makes this variation more effective for white.

5...Bg4 is rarely played indeed. But also 5...Nd7 is not very common. The usual move is 5...dxe5.

Thanks for the information. Up to now people only played dxe5 against me but Nd7 looks challenging.

nice

In general I like to keep d7 open for the f6-knight in case of White establishing a pawn on e5. 

3...Nd7 is completely ok but is generally played with the idea of getting a hanham philidor setup with 4...e5. I have not enough experience in these benoni like structures to judge your line but i guess that having blocked the Bc8 might be a slight problem since an early h3 to stop Bg4 is often played by white in benoni lines. Here white can save this tempo.