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Pterodactyl Defense

Central, Benoni Quetzalcoatlus

B06offbeatpositional

  1. 1.e4g6
  2. 2.d4Bg7
  3. 3.c4c5
  4. 4.d5d6
  5. 5.Nc3Qa5
117 games50%46%

A Pterodactyl Defense line in which Black meets White's d5 advance with ...Qa5, pinning the c3-knight in a Benoni-type pawn structure.

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About the Benoni Quetzalcoatlus

The Benoni Quetzalcoatlus arises when White answers the early fianchetto and ...c5 by advancing 4. d5, fixing a Benoni-style structure with pawns on c4, d5 and e4 against c5 and d6. Black then plays 5...Qa5, pinning the knight on c3 to the king along the empty diagonal. The usual reply, 6. Bd2, breaks the pin; 6. Qc2 and 6. Bd3 are rarer. Engine analysis gives White a clear advantage, although results in the small sample of games are fairly even.

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