Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Bogolubovia
117 games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
Black expected score · All ratings · All speeds
36.1%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 43.4%.
Measured over 117 games at this level and clock.
Black comes out behind here — there are better weapons in the list.
Outcomes for Black
Draw 13.9 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 117 games
- Rank among the families Black can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 117
- Best context
- not measured yet
- Average game length
- 50 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 86.1%
- Draws
- 13.9%
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: 70.0% at 1400-1599, 42.0% 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
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 70.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 31.9% expected score (4 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 30.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 68.2% expected score (4 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 61.8% expected score (7 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 34.0% expected score (11 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 39.5% expected score (27 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 33.1% expected score (25 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 23.9% expected score (31 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 50.0% expected score (1 games)
- 2500+ rating, Classical: 61.1% expected score (3 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Bogolubovia scores 36.1% for Black — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 29.1% and 43.4% — from 117 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
- 117+ 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, Bogolubovia win rate?
Playing the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Bogolubovia, Black wins 29.1%, draws 13.9% and loses 57.0%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 36.1%. It rests on 117 rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Bogolubovia perform best?
The Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Bogolubovia performs best for Black at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 29.7% (60 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
How sharp is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Bogolubovia?
The Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Bogolubovia has a sharpness score of 86.1 (moderately decisive), meaning 86.1% of games end decisively. Average game length is 50 moves.
Is the Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Bogolubovia a good opening?
The Pterodactyl Defense: Central, Bogolubovia is hard work for Black — it favours White. Across all ratings, Black wins 29.1% of its games and loses 57.0%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.