Queen's Pawn Game: London System, Pterodactyl Variation
Play any move on the board to explore from there, or step through the line with ‹ › and the arrow keys.
Statistics from Lichess
1,302 games: White 53.5% / Draw 5.1% / Black 41.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 774774 | ||
| 294294 | ||
| 184184 | ||
| 5050 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 26, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.66 White is slightly better
Best play: 6. Bd2 Qd8 7. e4 Nf6 8. Bd3 d5 9. e5 Ne4 10. Be3 Nc6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Queen's Pawn Game: London System, Pterodactyl Variation (ECO D02, Closed & Semi-Closed Games) is a chess opening that starts 1. d4 g6 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. Bf4 c5 4. c3 cxd4 5. cxd4 Qa5+.
In 1,302 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 53.5%, Black 41.4% and 5.1% were drawn. White's most played move here is 6. Nc3, in 59% 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 Queen's Pawn Game: London System, Pterodactyl Variation
The most played answer, 6. Nc3, also scores best for White: 56.8%, with White winning 54.3% and Black 40.7% of 774 games. Of the main answers, 6. Nbd2 scores lowest: 52.4%. Stockfish's first choice is 6. Bd2.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Queen's Pawn Game: London System, Pterodactyl Variation (D02)”. Lichess data as of 26 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/queens-pawn-game-london-system-pterodactyl-variation