diff --git a/src/search.cpp b/src/search.cpp
index af010502..c7798c87 100644
--- a/src/search.cpp
+++ b/src/search.cpp
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ void Search::init() {
 /// Search::perft() is our utility to verify move generation. All the leaf nodes
 /// up to the given depth are generated and counted and the sum returned.
 
-size_t Search::perft(Position& pos, Depth depth) {
+static size_t perft(Position& pos, Depth depth) {
 
   StateInfo st;
   size_t cnt = 0;
@@ -163,12 +163,15 @@ size_t Search::perft(Position& pos, Depth depth) {
   for (MoveList<LEGAL> it(pos); *it; ++it)
   {
       pos.do_move(*it, st, ci, pos.move_gives_check(*it, ci));
-      cnt += leaf ? MoveList<LEGAL>(pos).size() : perft(pos, depth - ONE_PLY);
+      cnt += leaf ? MoveList<LEGAL>(pos).size() : ::perft(pos, depth - ONE_PLY);
       pos.undo_move(*it);
   }
   return cnt;
 }
 
+size_t Search::perft(Position& pos, Depth depth) {
+  return depth > ONE_PLY ? ::perft(pos, depth) : MoveList<LEGAL>(pos).size();
+}
 
 /// Search::think() is the external interface to Stockfish's search, and is
 /// called by the main thread when the program receives the UCI 'go' command. It