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London System · As White · updated October 2026

Play the London System like Magnus Carlsen

A repertoire in the London System built from 60 of Magnus Carlsen's public Chess.com blitz games. At every position you play the move Magnus Carlsen chose most often. Where Magnus Carlsen has fewer than 3 games, the course takes the other top-50 players' most played move, then Stockfish's. Learn a line on the board, then each position comes back in a short daily review until it sticks.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by Magnus Carlsen or Chess.com.

  • Magnus Carlsen was #2 in Chess.com blitz in October 2026 (3,391) and scored 79% against opponents averaging 3,069 in these games.
  • You play Magnus Carlsen's own move in 16 of 40 positions.
  • The whole course is free, and it is updated monthly.

Train lines

Learn a new line move by move. Lines due for review go to your daily review first.

Next: line 1

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#2

Chess.com

Rating

3,391

Games

60

in this opening

Score

79%

in these games

Opponents

3,069

average rating

More about Magnus Carlsen

Use arrow keys to navigate the board. Press Enter to select a piece, then use arrow keys and Enter to move. Press Escape to cancel a move.
Line 1 after 10 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 9% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 a6 4.e3 e6 5.g4 Bb4 6.Bg2

    Next

  2. Line 2 · 9% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 cxd4 5.exd4 Bg4 6.Be2 Bxe2 7.Qxe2

    New

  3. Line 3 · 6% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 cxd4 5.exd4 a6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 Nc6 9.O-O-O e6 10.Kb1

    New

  4. Line 4 · 6% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 e6 4.Nb5

    New

  5. Line 5 · 5% at top level

    1…d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.Bg3 O-O 6.c4

    New

  6. Line 6 · 4% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 g6 4.e3 Bg7 5.h4 h5 6.Nf3 O-O 7.Ne5 c5 8.Qd2

    New

  7. Line 7 · 4% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 a6 4.e3 h6 5.h4 c5 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.dxc5

    New

  8. Line 8 · 4% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 a6 4.e3 h6 5.h4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Ne5 Bf5 8.dxc5

    New

  9. Line 9 · 4% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 a6 4.e3 h6 5.h4 c5 6.Nf3 cxd4 7.exd4

    New

  10. Line 10 · 4% at top level

    1…d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 g6 4.Nf3

    New

  11. Line 11 · 4% at top level

    1…d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nd2 e6 6.Bg3 Bd6 7.Ngf3

    New

  12. Line 12 · 3% at top level

    1…d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Nf3 c5 5.Nbd2 Bd6 6.dxc5

    New

  13. Line 13 · 3% at top level

    1…d5 2.Bf4 Nc6 3.e3

    New

  14. Line 14 · 3% at top level

    1…e6 2.Nf3

    New

Ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. Learned lines join your daily review.

Magnus Carlsen's main line in the London System, move by move

The most common line at top level: 1…Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 a6 4.e3 e6 5.g4 Bb4 6.Bg2.

  1. 1…Nf6 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 1…Nf6. At top level, this comes up about 67% of the time.
  2. 2.Nc3 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 2.Nc3 in 22 games, scoring 68%.
  3. 2…d5 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 2…d5.
  4. 3.Bf4 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 3.Bf4 in 22 games, scoring 68%.
  5. 3…a6 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 3…a6. At top level, this comes up about 27% of the time.
  6. 4.e3 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 4.e3 in 9 games, scoring 67%.
  7. 4…e6 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 4…e6. At top level, this comes up about 12% of the time.
  8. 5.g4 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 5.g4 in 4 games, scoring 75%.
  9. 5…Bb4 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 5…Bb4. At top level, this comes up about 9% of the time.
  10. 6.Bg2 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 6.Bg2 in 2 games, scoring 50%.

Questions about this course

How does Magnus Carlsen play the London System?
After 1.d4, Magnus Carlsen's most common line is 1…Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bf4 a6 4.e3 e6 5.g4 Bb4 6.Bg2. At top level it comes up about 9% of the time.
Is this Magnus Carlsen's course?
No. ChessDrills builds it automatically from Magnus Carlsen's public Chess.com blitz games.
What is this London System course based on?
60 of Magnus Carlsen's Chess.com blitz games in the London System as White, against opponents with an average rating of 3,069. Magnus Carlsen scored 79% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
14 lines covering 40 positions, ordered by how often they come up in top-level games. The first 5 lines need no account; saving your progress with an email unlocks the rest, free.
Who is Magnus Carlsen?
GM Magnus Carlsen was ranked number 2 on the Chess.com blitz leaderboard with a rating of 3,391 when this course was built.

More openings to play like Magnus Carlsen

Play the London System like other top players