Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus
5.4K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
47.4%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 48.5%.
Measured over 5.4K games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 3.2 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 5.4K games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 5.4K
- Best context
- 55.1% at 2000-2199 Bullet
- Worst context
- 44.5% at 2200-2499 Bullet
- Average game length
- 35 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 96.8%
- Draws
- 3.2%
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 holds about the same all the way up, near 42.0%.
| 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: 50.0% expected score (6 games)
- 0-999 rating, Blitz: 44.9% expected score (18 games)
- 0-999 rating, Rapid: 31.0% expected score (9 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 40.4% expected score (45 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 55.3% expected score (84 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Rapid: 47.0% expected score (15 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 48.5% expected score (128 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 50.7% expected score (232 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 57.2% expected score (40 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, UltraBullet: 38.9% expected score (3 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 47.3% expected score (239 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 48.8% expected score (454 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 44.9% expected score (115 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 46.1% expected score (367 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 47.5% expected score (740 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 41.9% expected score (225 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 68.2% expected score (4 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 46.5% expected score (305 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 44.7% expected score (658 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 44.2% expected score (154 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 28.3% expected score (10 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, UltraBullet: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 55.1% expected score (613 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 51.8% expected score (247 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 35.9% expected score (48 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 50.0% expected score (2 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 44.5% expected score (522 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 35.1% expected score (69 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 56.7% expected score (6 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 41.6% expected score (40 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus scores 47.4% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 46.3% and 48.5% — from 5.4K 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
- 5.4K+ 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 Quetzalcoatlus win rate?
Playing the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus, Black wins 45.8%, draws 3.2% and loses 51.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.4%. It rests on 5.4K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus perform best?
The Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus performs best for Black at 2000-2199, with an Expected Score of 53.1% (911 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus better in blitz or rapid?
For Black, the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus scores higher in Blitz: an Expected Score of 47.6% in Blitz (2.5K games) against 43.6% in Rapid (612 games).
How sharp is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus?
The Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus has a sharpness score of 96.8 (very decisive), meaning 96.8% of games end decisively. Average game length is 35 moves.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus win rate at 1000-1199?
At 1000-1199, Black wins 48.5%, draws 2.4% and loses 49.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.7%. It rests on 144 Lichess games, which average 29 moves.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus win rate at 1200-1399?
At 1200-1399, Black wins 49.4%, draws 2.4% and loses 48.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 50.6%. It rests on 400 Lichess games, which average 30 moves.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, Black wins 46.5%, draws 2.5% and loses 51.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.8%. It rests on 814 Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, Black wins 44.5%, draws 3.3% and loses 52.1%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 46.2%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games, which average 34 moves.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, Black wins 43.0%, draws 3.8% and loses 53.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 44.9%. It rests on 1.1K Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, Black wins 51.3%, draws 3.5% and loses 45.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 53.1%. It rests on 911 Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, Black wins 41.7%, draws 3.6% and loses 54.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.5%. It rests on 597 Lichess games, which average 37 moves.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, Black wins 47.0%, draws 2.5% and loses 50.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.3%. It rests on 2.3K Lichess games.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, Black wins 45.8%, draws 3.7% and loses 50.6%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.6%. It rests on 2.5K Lichess games.
What is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, Black wins 41.6%, draws 3.8% and loses 54.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 43.6%. It rests on 612 Lichess games.
Is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus a good opening?
The Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 45.8% of its games and loses 51.0%. It performs best at 2000-2199. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.