Caissa Codex
B06

Pterodactyl Defense: Austrian, Grand Prix Pterodactyl

Chess diagram: Pterodactyl Defense: Austrian, Grand Prix Pterodactyl after 4…Qa5

Type a move and press Enter: e4, Nf3, O-O, or from and to squares like g1f3 (e7e8q to promote). The board is also played with the mouse.

Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.

Statistics from Lichess

644 games: White 55.6% / Draw 1.9% / Black 42.5%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
368368
7272
6868
4444
2020
1616
1616
1010

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

Engine evaluation

+0.81 White is better

Best play: 5. Bc4 a6 6. d3 b5 7. Bd5 Ra7 8. O-O d6 9. Bb3 Nc6

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

Overview

Pterodactyl Defense: Austrian, Grand Prix Pterodactyl (ECO B06, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Modern Defense, reached after 1. e4 g6 2. Nc3 Bg7 3. f4 c5 4. Nf3 Qa5 (4 moves).

In 644 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 55.6%, Black 42.5% and 1.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 5. Bc4, in 57% of those games.

Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.

Write a description or report a mistake
What would you like to send?

Markdown supported (headings ###, bold, lists, links). Submissions are reviewed before publishing.

Other lines from the same position

Instead of 2. Nc3 Bg7 3. f4 c5 4. Nf3 Qa5, the position after Modern Defense also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Pterodactyl Defense: Austrian, Grand Prix Pterodactyl (B06)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/pterodactyl-defense-austrian-grand-prix-pterodactyl

https://chesscodex.org/openings/pterodactyl-defense-austrian-grand-prix-pterodactyl