Pterodactyl Defense: Sicilian, Anhanguera
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
18,248 games: White 44.7% / Draw 5.2% / Black 50.1%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 11,71812K | ||
| 2,9682,968 | ||
| 1,6151,615 | ||
| 723723 | ||
| 583583 | ||
| 428428 | ||
| 6464 | ||
| 4141 |
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: 5... Nf6 6. Qd2 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Ng4 8. Nb3 Bxc3 9. Nxa5 Bxd2+ 10. Bxd2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Pterodactyl Defense: Sicilian, Anhanguera (ECO B27, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Modern Defense: Pterodactyl Variation, reached after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 Bg7 4. Nc3 Qa5 5. Be3 (5 moves).
In 18,248 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 44.7%, Black 50.1% and 5.2% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 5…Nf6, in 64% 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
How to play against the Pterodactyl Defense: Sicilian, Anhanguera
The most played answer, 5…Nf6, also scores best for Black: 55.3%, with Black winning 52.6% and White 41.9% of 12K games. Of the main answers, 5…cxd4 scores lowest: 47.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 5…Nf6.
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
Transpositions
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Pterodactyl Defense: Sicilian, Anhanguera (B27)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/pterodactyl-defense-sicilian-anhanguera