Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Rhamphorhynchus
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Statistics from Lichess
181,022 games: White 52.0% / Draw 5.2% / Black 42.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Pterodactyl | 67,79468K | |
| 63,42363K | ||
| 26,93327K | ||
| 7,5157,515 | ||
| 5,8415,841 | ||
| 3,9473,947 | ||
| 2,3052,305 | ||
| 1,4751,475 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.93 White is better
Best play: 4... Nc6 5. Bd2 Nf6 6. Bd3 O-O 7. Nf3 d5 8. cxd6 Qxd6 9. Qe2
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 52% under 1400, 56% at 2200 and up and 64% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 8,340 | |
| 1400–1799 | 31K | |
| 1800–2199 | 93K | |
| 2200 and up | 68K | |
| Masters, over the board | 357 |
Master games
- Saric, I. – Piorun, K.
- Solodovnichenko, Y. – Guseinov, G.
- Korneev, O. – Danielsen, H.
- Ponkratov, P. – Pridorozhni, A.
- Sveshnikov, E. – Romanishin, O. M.
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, Rhamphorhynchus (ECO B06, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Modern Defense: Modern Pterodactyl, reached after 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5 4. dxc5 (4 moves).
In 181,022 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 52.0%, Black 42.8% and 5.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 4…Qa5, in 37% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Pterodactyl and Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Pteranodon.
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, Rhamphorhynchus
4…Bxc3+ scores best for Black: 47.4%, with Black winning 44.3% and White 49.4% of 63K games. The most played, 4…Qa5, scores 44.7% in 68K games, and 4…Nc6 scores lowest: 44.1%. Stockfish's first choice is 4…Nc6.
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, Rhamphorhynchus peaked in 2018 at 0.0084% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.0065% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.0056% | 2,005 |
| 2017 | 0.0072% | 3,940 |
| 2018 | 0.0084% | 6,620 |
| 2019 | 0.0084% | 10,467 |
| 2020 | 0.0081% | 23,730 |
| 2021 | 0.0072% | 28,208 |
| 2022 | 0.0066% | 24,800 |
| 2023 | 0.0066% | 24,844 |
| 2024 | 0.0067% | 23,962 |
| 2025 | 0.0065% | 22,426 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.0066% | 7,218 |
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 (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Rhamphorhynchus (B06)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/pterodactyl-defense-eastern-rhamphorhynchus