B06

Modern Defense: Modern Pterodactyl

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Statistics from Lichess

752,502 games: White 49.5% / Draw 4.9% / Black 45.6%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next move	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Anhanguera	202,341202K
	194,446194K
Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Rhamphorhynchus	165,852166K
Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Benoni	144,714145K
	23,39523K
	9,8999,899
	4,6034,603
	1,7381,738

Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 30, 2026

Engine evaluation

+1.00 White is better

Best play: 4. dxc5 Nc6 5. Bd2 Nf6 6. Nf3 O-O 7. Bc4 b6 8. cxb6 Qxb6

Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.

By rating

The stronger the players, the worse this line does for Black: Black scores 50% under 1400, 47% at 2200 and up and 40% in master games (wins plus half the draws).

Players	Games	White / Draw / BlackW / D / B
Under 1400	17K
1400–1799	112K
1800–2199	446K
2200 and up	228K
Masters, over the board	889

Master games

Mamedyarov, S. – Nakamura, H. 1–0, 2021
Sutovsky, E. – Kasimdzhanov, R. 0–1, 2001
Saric, I. – Piorun, K. 0–1, 2017
Almasi, Z. – Istratescu, A. 1–0, 2015
Bacrot, E. – Piorun, K. 1–0, 2021

Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026

Overview

Modern Defense: Modern Pterodactyl (ECO B06, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Modern Defense: Standard Line, reached after 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5 (3 moves).

In 752,502 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.5%, Black 45.6% and 4.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 4. Be3, in 27% of those games.

It branches into 5 named variations; the most played are Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Anhanguera and Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Rhamphorhynchus. In all, 7 named lines continue from it.

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Description

How to play against the Modern Defense: Modern Pterodactyl

4. dxc5 (Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Rhamphorhynchus) scores best for White: 55.0%, with White winning 52.3% and Black 42.4% of 166K games. The most played answer, 4. Be3, scores lowest: 50.5% in 202K games. Stockfish's first choice is also 4. dxc5.

Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings

Popularity by year

The Modern Defense: Modern Pterodactyl peaked in 2018 at 0.036% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.027% in 2025.

0.024%0.027%0.036%

Numbers by year

Year	Share of games	Games
2016	0.024%	8,742
2017	0.032%	17,574
2018	0.036%	28,183
2019	0.034%	42,260
2020	0.033%	95,883
2021	0.029%	114,726
2022	0.027%	102,645
2023	0.028%	105,093
2024	0.028%	99,963
2025	0.027%	95,227
2026 (Jan–Apr)	0.028%	30,443

Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling

Variations (5)

Transpositions

B06 Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Benoni after 4. d5

All 7 named lines that continue from here

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Modern Defense: Modern Pterodactyl (B06)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/modern-defense-modern-pterodactyl