Caissa Codex
B06

Pterodactyl Defense: Sicilian, Quetzalcoatlus

Chess diagram: Pterodactyl Defense: Sicilian, Quetzalcoatlus after 5…d6

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.

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Statistics from Lichess

92 games: White 54.3% / Draw 5.4% / Black 40.2%

The moves played next. Pick one to see it on the board.
Next moveGamesWhite / Draw / BlackW / D / B
6868
1010
55
44
33
22

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

Engine evaluation

+0.98 White is better

Best play: 6. d5 Bg4 7. a4 Bxf3 8. gxf3 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Nd7 10. Rb1 O-O-O

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

Overview

Pterodactyl Defense: Sicilian, Quetzalcoatlus (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. Nf3 Qa5 5. Be2 d6 (5 moves).

In 92 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 54.3%, Black 40.2% and 5.4% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. O-O, in 74% of those games. That is too few games for the percentages to mean much.

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Other lines from the same position

Instead of 4. Nf3 Qa5 5. Be2 d6, the position after Modern Defense: Modern Pterodactyl also goes on to:

Cite this page

Caissa Codex. “Pterodactyl Defense: Sicilian, Quetzalcoatlus (B06)”. Lichess data as of 30 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/pterodactyl-defense-sicilian-quetzalcoatlus

https://chesscodex.org/openings/pterodactyl-defense-sicilian-quetzalcoatlus