Vasja Pirc (/ˈʋâːsja ˈpîːrt͡s/) (December 19, 1907 – June 2, 1980) was a leading Yugoslav (Slovenian) chess player. His name is most familiar to contemporary players as the originator of the hypermodern Pirc Defense. Pirc was champion of Yugoslavia five times: 1935, 1936, 1937, 1951, and 1953. He was awarded the International Master (IM) title in 1950, and the Grandmaster (GM) title in 1953.