Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Benoni
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Statistics from Lichess
210,775 games: White 49.9% / Draw 4.7% / Black 45.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 147,472147K | ||
| 13,80614K | ||
| 11,94512K | ||
| 10,66011K | ||
| 9,9499,949 | ||
| Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Benoni Pterodactyl | 5,4615,461 | |
| 4,4774,477 | ||
| 3,9413,941 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Nov 9, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.69 White is slightly better
Best play: 4... d6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Bc4 O-O 7. O-O Na6 8. a4 Nc7 9. Bf4
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 better this line does for White: White scores 51% under 1400, 54% at 2200 and up and 60% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 8,847 | |
| 1400–1799 | 45K | |
| 1800–2199 | 114K | |
| 2200 and up | 67K | |
| Masters, over the board | 396 |
Master games
- Mamedyarov, S. – Nakamura, H.
- Swiercz, D. – Jones, G. C. B.
- Rapport, R. – Pantsulaia, L.
- Bacrot, E. – Piorun, K.
- Short, N. D. – Adianto, U.
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
Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Benoni (ECO B06, Semi-Open Games) is a chess opening that starts 1. d4 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5 4. d5.
In 210,775 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.9%, Black 45.4% and 4.7% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…d6, in 70% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Benoni
4…a6 scores best for Black: 49.0%, with Black winning 46.8% and White 48.8% of 12K games. The most played, 4…d6, scores 48.6% in 147K games, and 4…Bxc3+ scores lowest: 42.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 4…d6.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black'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 Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Benoni has gained ground since 2016: 0.0089% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.0057%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0057% | 2,043 |
| 2017 | 0.0076% | 4,164 |
| 2018 | 0.0083% | 6,551 |
| 2019 | 0.0085% | 10,587 |
| 2020 | 0.0083% | 24,265 |
| 2021 | 0.0078% | 30,511 |
| 2022 | 0.0076% | 28,428 |
| 2023 | 0.0079% | 29,704 |
| 2024 | 0.0085% | 30,493 |
| 2025 | 0.0089% | 30,844 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0089% | 9,810 |
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Benoni (B06)”. Lichess data as of 9 Nov 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/pterodactyl-defense-eastern-benoni