Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl
3.5K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
49.5%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 50.9%.
Measured over 3.5K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 3.5 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 3.5K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 3.5K
- Best context
- 51.2% at 2000-2199 Blitz
- Worst context
- 50.2% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.5%
- Draws
- 3.5%
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.
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: 49.6% at 0-999, 47.5% 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, Bullet: 57.7% expected score (5 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 55.5% expected score (17 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 50.0% expected score (17 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, UltraBullet: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 34.2% expected score (27 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 51.8% expected score (54 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 35.2% expected score (12 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 48.5% expected score (65 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 47.4% expected score (93 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 44.2% expected score (24 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 60.5% expected score (89 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 52.2% expected score (267 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 52.9% expected score (33 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 43.4% expected score (157 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 47.8% expected score (499 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 29.1% expected score (32 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 21.5% expected score (2 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 47.2% expected score (214 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.2% expected score (592 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 49.1% expected score (51 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 35.7% expected score (2 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 53.1% expected score (444 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 50.2% expected score (538 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 32.8% expected score (13 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 48.3% expected score (198 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 46.7% expected score (58 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl scores 49.5% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 48.1% and 50.9% — from 3.5K Lichess games. 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
- 3.5K+ 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: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl win rate?
Playing the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl, Black wins 47.7%, draws 3.5% and loses 48.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.5%. It rests on 3.5K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl perform best?
The Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl performs best for Black at 1600-1799, with an Expected Score of 54.4% (390 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 50.0% in Blitz (2.1K games) against 41.7% in Rapid (168 games).
How sharp is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl?
The Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl has a sharpness score of 96.5 (very decisive), meaning 96.5% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 45.8%, draws 2.4% and loses 51.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.0%. It rests on 183 Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 53.0%, draws 2.7% and loses 44.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 54.4%. It rests on 390 Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 43.3%, draws 4.7% and loses 52.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.7%. It rests on 690 Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 48.4%, draws 3.2% and loses 48.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.0%. It rests on 859 Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 49.6%, draws 3.2% and loses 47.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 51.2%. It rests on 995 Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, Black wins 45.2%, draws 5.2% and loses 49.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.9%. It rests on 256 Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 48.7%, draws 2.5% and loses 48.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.0%. It rests on 1.2K Lichess games.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 48.0%, draws 4.0% and loses 48.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.0%. It rests on 2.1K Lichess games.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 39.2%, draws 5.0% and loses 55.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 41.7%. It rests on 168 Lichess games.
Is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl a good opening?
The Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Beefeater Pterodactyl is about level. Across all ratings, Black wins 47.7% of its games and loses 48.8%. It performs best at 1600-1799. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.