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Caro-Kann Defense · As Black · updated October 2026

Play the Caro-Kann like Magnus Carlsen

A Caro-Kann repertoire built from 43 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 (3,413) and scored 67% against opponents averaging 3,077 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.

Free · first 5 lines need no account

Blitz rank

#2

Chess.com

Rating

3,413

Games

43

in this opening

Score

67%

in these games

Opponents

3,077

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 16 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 9% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 a5 6.O-O a4 7.Nc3 Nd7 8.Bd2 h6 9.b3 a3

  2. Line 2 · 8% at top level

    2.Nf3 d5 3.d3 Bg4 4.h3 Bh5

  3. Line 3 · 6% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.h4 c5 5.dxc5 Nc6 6.Bb5 Qc7

  4. Line 4 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 a6 4.d4 dxe4

  5. Line 5 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 a5 6.O-O a4 7.Nc3 Nd7 8.Bd2 h6 9.Bd3 Ne7

  6. Line 6 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 a5 6.O-O a4 7.Nc3 Nd7 8.Bd2 h6 9.Rc1 Bb4

  7. Line 7 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5

  8. Line 8 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.Qh5 g6 8.Qh6 Bf8

  9. Line 9 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6 6.Be3 Bd6 7.Bd3 O-O 8.Ne2 Re8

  10. Line 10 · 4% at top level

    2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 a6 4.h3 d4 5.Ne2 c5

  11. Line 11 · 3% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6 6.c3 Bd6

  12. Line 12 · 3% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6 6.c3 Bd6 7.Bd3 O-O 8.Qc2 Re8+ 9.Ne2 h5 10.O-O h4

  13. Line 13 · 3% at top level

    2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 e5 4.Ngf3 Bd6

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

Magnus Carlsen's main line in the Caro-Kann, move by move

The most common line at top level: 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 a5 6.O-O a4 7.Nc3 Nd7 8.Bd2 h6 9.b3 a3.

  1. 2.d4 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 2.d4. At top level, this comes up about 65% of the time.
  2. 2…d5 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 2…d5 in 28 games, scoring 71%.
  3. 3.e5 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 3.e5. At top level, this comes up about 35% of the time.
  4. 3…Bf5 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 3…Bf5 in 15 games, scoring 67%.
  5. 4.Nf3 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 4.Nf3. At top level, this comes up about 21% of the time.
  6. 4…e6 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 4…e6 in 9 games, scoring 83%.
  7. 5.Be2 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 5.Be2. At top level, this comes up about 19% of the time.
  8. 5…a5 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 5…a5 in 6 games, scoring 75%.
  9. 6.O-O Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 6.O-O.
  10. 6…a4 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 6…a4 in 5 games, scoring 70%.
  11. 7.Nc3 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 7.Nc3.
  12. 7…Nd7 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 7…Nd7 in 4 games, scoring 88%.
  13. 8.Bd2 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 8.Bd2.
  14. 8…h6 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 8…h6 in 4 games, scoring 88%.
  15. 9.b3 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 9.b3. At top level, this comes up about 9% of the time.
  16. 9…a3 Your move · Stockfish The games give no move to follow here, so this is Stockfish's choice.

Questions about this course

How does Magnus Carlsen play the Caro-Kann?
After 1.e4 c6, Magnus Carlsen's most common line is 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 a5 6.O-O a4 7.Nc3 Nd7 8.Bd2 h6 9.b3 a3. 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 Caro-Kann course based on?
43 of Magnus Carlsen's Chess.com blitz games in the Caro-Kann Defense as Black, against opponents with an average rating of 3,077. Magnus Carlsen scored 67% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
13 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 3,413 when this course was built.