Modern Defense: Modern Pterodactyl
1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5
The Modern Defense: Modern Pterodactyl is a chess opening classified as ECO B06, reached after 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5. It is a line of the Modern Defense. White is to move. 6 named lines continue from this position.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 1,078 times by this move order. White won 50%, 5% were drawn and Black won 45%. The most popular continuation is 4. Be3 (29% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.72 (Stockfish, depth 60; best line 4. dxc5 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 Nf6 6. e5 Ne4)
- ECO
- B06
- Moves
- 6 plies
- FEN
rnbqk1nr/pp1pppbp/6p1/2p5/3PP3/2N5/PPP2PPP/R1BQKBNR w KQkq - 0 4- PGN
1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 29 | |
| 1500-1999 | 389 | |
| 2000+ | 660 | |
| All | 1,078 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 4. Be3 Eastern, Anhanguera | 312 (29%) | |
| 4. Nf3 | 284 (26%) | |
| 4. dxc5 | 233 (22%) | |
| 4. d5 | 197 (18%) | |
| 4. Nge2 | 32 (3%) | |
| 4. e5 | 10 (1%) | |
| 4. f4 | 8 (1%) | |
| 4. Be2 | 1 (0%) |
Master games
923 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 46%, draw 13%, Black 41%). The strongest:
- GM Alireza Firouzja (2737) – GM Nihal Sarin (2669) 1-0 · Bullet Chess Losers 2024 · 2024-06-12
- GM Fabiano Caruana (2764) – GM Aram Hakobyan (2608) 1-0 · Titled Tue 11th Apr Late · 2023-04-11
- IM Patryk Cieslak (2482) – GM Hikaru Nakamura (2810) 1-0 · 2nd 3-0 Thu 12th Feb 2026 · 2026-02-12
- GM Zoltan Almasi (2689) – GM Andrei Istratescu (2602) 1-0 · Corsican Circuit Final · 2015-10-18
- GM Etienne Bacrot (2678) – GM Kacper Piorun (2608) 1-0 · FIDE World Cup 2021 · 2021-07-27
Search all games of the Modern Defense: Modern Pterodactyl and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- Normal_one (2689) – Pblu35 (2636) 0-1 · 2026-09-07 · 180 + 0s
- Zashibeatles_Chess (2648) – Pblu35 (2642) 1/2-1/2 · 2026-09-07 · 180 + 0s
- FNENAD (2565) – Dziczkacy (2621) 1-0 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
Comes from
Modern Defense: Standard Line 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3
Continuations
- Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Anhanguera B06 · 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5 4. Be3
- Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Rhamphorhynchus B06 · 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5 4. dxc5 Qa5
- Pterodactyl Defense: Sicilian, Siroccopteryx B06 · 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5 4. Nf3 Qa5 5. Bc4
- Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Benoni Pteranodon B06 · 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5 4. d5 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 Qa5
- Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Pteranodon B06 · 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5 4. dxc5 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 Qa5
- Pterodactyl Defense: Sicilian, Quetzalcoatlus B06 · 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5 4. Nf3 Qa5 5. Be2 d6
More Modern Defense lines (all)
- Modern Defense: Semi-Averbakh Variation, Polish Variation A04
- Modern Defense: Semi-Averbakh Variation, Pterodactyl Variation A04
- Modern Defense: Semi-Averbakh Variation, Pterodactyl Variation Accepted A04
- Modern Defense: Beefeater Variation A40
- Modern Defense: Lizard Defense, Pirc-Diemer Gambit A40
- Modern Defense (3. Nc3 d6) A41
- Modern Defense: Neo-Modern Defense A41
- Modern Defense: Averbakh System A42
- Modern Defense: Averbakh Variation, Pseudo-Sämisch A42
- Modern Defense: Kotov Variation A42
- Modern Defense: Randspringer Variation A42
- Modern Defense (1. e4 g6) B06
Opening names and moves from the Lichess openings dataset; statistics from the Lichess open database, 2026-09 (CC0), sample of 12.6 million games, bots excluded; evaluations from Lichess cloud analysis (all CC0). Master games from The Week in Chess #920–#1664 by Mark Crowther, used with permission.