Pterodactyl Defense
32 variations · 830K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · Overall
49.5%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 49.6%.
Measured over 830K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 3.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 830K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- #15 of 62
- Games in this context
- 830K
- Best context
- 59.7% at 0-999 Bullet
- Worst context
- 43.7% at 2200-2499 Rapid
- Variations measured
- 32
- Average game length
- 35 moves
Best and worst are the strongest and weakest squares with at least 500 games behind them. The table further down shows every square, including thinner ones.
What to play from here
Black · OverallThese are the moves players actually choose from here, ranked by how they score. A higher score is a better bet on the numbers alone — familiarity and playstyle still matter.
Where it holds · Black score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for Black, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It falls away as the rating rises: 50.8% at 0-999, 43.1% at 2500+.
| Rating | UB | Bulle | Blitz | Rapid | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-999 | |||||
| 1000-1199 | |||||
| 1200-1399 | |||||
| 1400-1599 | |||||
| 1600-1799 | |||||
| 1800-1999 | |||||
| 2000-2199 | |||||
| 2200-2499 | |||||
| 2500+ |
Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control
- 0-999 rating, UltraBullet: 44.2% expected score (7 games)
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 59.7% expected score (1,334 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 51.8% expected score (2,093 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 48.3% expected score (269 games)
- 0-999 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, UltraBullet: 50.0% expected score (18 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 51.5% expected score (5,170 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.8% expected score (4,839 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 51.8% expected score (1,063 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (12 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 50.7% expected score (71 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 51.7% expected score (11,241 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 49.8% expected score (13,376 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 50.4% expected score (3,195 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Classical: 42.5% expected score (45 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 53.9% expected score (258 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 51.7% expected score (21,537 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 49.5% expected score (29,477 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 48.9% expected score (7,387 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 56.2% expected score (216 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, UltraBullet: 48.1% expected score (537 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 51.9% expected score (39,044 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 49.8% expected score (52,107 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 47.9% expected score (12,156 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 52.1% expected score (511 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, UltraBullet: 47.0% expected score (281 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 50.4% expected score (67,348 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (78,853 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 48.0% expected score (12,915 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 44.0% expected score (647 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 41.8% expected score (133 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.1% expected score (100,068 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 49.5% expected score (82,122 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 46.8% expected score (8,140 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 41.9% expected score (263 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, UltraBullet: 49.2% expected score (121 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 49.3% expected score (140,732 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 47.3% expected score (57,478 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 43.7% expected score (3,299 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 28.5% expected score (75 games)
- 2500+ rating, UltraBullet: 39.1% expected score (58 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 47.3% expected score (63,981 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 43.9% expected score (7,118 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 35.1% expected score (119 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (4 games)
32 variations · ranked by floor
Floor — the worst score you would still get, 90% confident.
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Pterodactyl Defense family scores 49.5% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 49.4% and 49.6% — from 830K Lichess games across 32 variations. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.
How the figures are made
- Whose games these are
- 830K+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-12 to 2025-11). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt January 2026.
- Which games we count
- Rated games only — nothing casual.
- Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
- At least 2 moves played.
- A game is filed under White’s rating.
- Why every number comes with a range
- A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
- How much we need before we say anything
- An opening page needs 100 games. A gambit needs 50 games at a rating before we will say whether it pays there. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Pterodactyl Defense win rate?
Across the Pterodactyl Defense's 32 variations, Black wins 47.5%, draws 3.9% and loses 48.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.5%. It rests on 830K rated games from Lichess.
How many Pterodactyl Defense variations are there?
32 Pterodactyl Defense variations have a page of their own, each broken down by rating and by clock.
At what rating does the Pterodactyl Defense perform best?
The Pterodactyl Defense family performs best for Black at 0-999, with an Expected Score of 54.3% (3.7K games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read. Performance may vary by specific variation.
Is the Pterodactyl Defense better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Pterodactyl Defense scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 49.2% in Blitz (327K games) against 47.8% in Rapid (49K games).
How sharp is the Pterodactyl Defense?
Pterodactyl Defense games are 96.1% decisive (non-draws), with an average length of 35 moves. Sharpness varies by specific variation.
Is the Pterodactyl Defense a good opening family?
The Pterodactyl Defense family is about level overall. Across its games, Black wins 47.5% and loses 48.6%. Results differ between its 32 variations, so open the one you play for its own figures.