Library/Openings/Queen's Pawn Game/London System/Pterodactyl Variation ECO D02
Opening· 10 plies

Queen's Pawn Game: London System, Pterodactyl Variation

An entry in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO D02), reached after 10 half-moves: 1. d4 g6 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. Bf4 c5 4. c3 cxd4 5. cxd4 Qa5+.

Queen's Pawn Game: London System, Pterodactyl Variation ECO D02
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Black rook
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Black king
Black knight
Black rook
Black pawn
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Black pawn
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Black queen
White pawn
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White knight
White pawn
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White pawn
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White rook
White knight
White queen
White king
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White rook
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End of this line

No further variations branch from this position in our database. To explore neighbouring ideas:

About this opening

Queen's Pawn Game: London System, Pterodactyl Variation is an opening in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, classified under code D02. ECO group D (D00–D99) covers closed games and semi-closed games beginning 1.d4 d5, covering the Queen's Gambit, Slav, Grünfeld and related queen-pawn structures. This particular variation is reached after 10 half-moves from the starting position, with the move sequence 1. d4 g6 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. Bf4 c5 4. c3 cxd4 5. cxd4 Qa5+.

It belongs to the Queen's Pawn Game family. Within that family this is a level-2 branch (the London System → Pterodactyl Variation line). The immediate parent line is Queen's Pawn Game: London System, transitioned via 5…Qa5+.

The opening sequence in prose form: 1.d4 g6, 2.Nf3 Bg7, 3.Bf4 c5, 4.c3 cxd4, 5.cxd4 Qa5+. From this position the encyclopaedia records no further canonical continuations — practical play branches into unnamed transpositions or returns to the parent line for alternative ideas.