Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Benoni
1. d4 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5 4. d5
The Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Benoni is a chess opening classified as ECO B06, reached after 1. d4 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5 4. d5. It is a line of the Pterodactyl Defense. Black is to move.
In 12.6 million rated Lichess games (blitz and slower), this position was reached 82 times by this move order. White won 41%, 5% were drawn and Black won 54%. The most popular continuation is 4… d6 (62% of games).
Engine evaluation: +0.76 (Stockfish, depth 54; best line 4… d6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Bc4 O-O 7. O-O)
- ECO
- B06
- Moves
- 7 plies
- FEN
rnbqk1nr/pp1pppbp/6p1/2pP4/4P3/2N5/PPP2PPP/R1BQKBNR b KQkq - 0 4- PGN
1. d4 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5 4. d5
Analyse with Stockfish · Board image (SVG) · Open on Lichess
Results by rating
| Average rating | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1499 | 5 | |
| 1500-1999 | 48 | |
| 2000+ | 29 | |
| All | 82 |
Most played moves
| Move | Games | White / draw / Black |
|---|---|---|
| 4… d6 | 51 (62%) | |
| 4… Bxc3+ | 13 (16%) | |
| 4… e6 | 7 (9%) | |
| 4… Qb6 | 4 (5%) | |
| 4… Qa5 | 2 (2%) | |
| 4… a6 | 2 (2%) | |
| 4… Nf6 | 2 (2%) | |
| 4… Nc6 | 1 (1%) |
Master games
136 over-the-board games are classified under this line (White 55%, draw 11%, Black 34%). The strongest:
- GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2770) – GM Hikaru Nakamura (2736) 1-0 · NIC Classic KO 2021 · 2021-04-30
- GM Quang Liem Le (2728) – GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2741) 1-0 · Meltwater Tour Final 2022 · 2022-11-20
- GM Fabiano Caruana (2804) – GM Jaan Ehlvest (2528) 1-0 · Titled Tue 5th Mar Late · 2024-03-05
- GM Fabiano Caruana (2804) – GM Jaan Ehlvest (2528) 1-0 · Titled Tue 13th Feb Late · 2024-02-13
- GM Alexey Sarana (2685) – GM Aram Hakobyan (2608) 1/2-1/2 · Titled Tue 11th Apr Early · 2023-04-11
Search all games of the Pterodactyl Defense: Eastern, Benoni and its sub-variations
Highest-rated Lichess games
- IM Jomajo (2663) – JackBauer42 (2361) 1-0 · 2026-09-05 · 180 + 0s
- PracticingEndgames (2445) – janqis (2386) 1-0 · 2026-09-03 · 180 + 0s
- AxelKl (2415) – Dialog12 (2400) 1-0 · 2026-09-01 · 180 + 2s
Comes from
Queen's Pawn Game: Modern Defense 1. d4 g6
More Pterodactyl Defense lines (all)
- Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl A40
- Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Pterodactyl A40
- Pterodactyl Defense: Fianchetto, Queen Benoni Pterodactyl A40
- Pterodactyl Defense: Fianchetto, Queen Pteranodon A40
- Pterodactyl Defense: Fianchetto, Queen Pterodactyl A40
- Pterodactyl Defense: Queen Pterodactyl, Quiet Line A40
- Pterodactyl Defense A42
- Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Bogolubovia A42
- Pterodactyl Defense: Austrian, Austriadactylus Western B06
- Pterodactyl Defense: Austrian, Grand Prix Pterodactyl B06
- Pterodactyl Defense: Austrian, Pteranodon B06
- Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Anhanguera 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.