Skip to main content

English Opening · As White · updated October 2026

Play the English Opening like Magnus Carlsen

A repertoire in the English Opening built from 116 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 78% against opponents averaging 3,048 in these games.
  • You play Magnus Carlsen's own move in 29 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

116

in this opening

Score

78%

in these games

Opponents

3,048

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 · 6% at top level

    1…e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.Nf3 e4 5.Nd4 Qb6 6.e3

  2. Line 2 · 6% at top level

    1…c6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nc3

  3. Line 3 · 5% at top level

    1…e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.O-O O-O 6.b3 b6 7.cxd5

  4. Line 4 · 5% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.Nf3

  5. Line 5 · 4% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.d3 Bb4 5.Bd2 O-O 6.g3

  6. Line 6 · 4% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.e4 d6 4.d4 Bg7 5.Be2 O-O 6.Be3

  7. Line 7 · 4% at top level

    1…e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Nc3

  8. Line 8 · 3% at top level

    1…Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 c5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.d4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 Bb4 7.Nxc6

  9. Line 9 · 3% at top level

    1…e6 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 d5 4.Nf3

  10. Line 10 · 3% at top level

    1…e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.Qa4+ Nbd7 6.Qxc4

  11. Line 11 · 3% at top level

    1…g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.e4

  12. Line 12 · 3% at top level

    1…c5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2

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

Magnus Carlsen's main line in the English Opening, move by move

The most common line at top level: 1…e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.Nf3 e4 5.Nd4 Qb6 6.e3.

  1. 1…e5 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 1…e5. At top level, this comes up about 18% of the time.
  2. 2.g3 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 2.g3 in 17 games, scoring 74%.
  3. 2…Nf6 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 2…Nf6. At top level, this comes up about 12% of the time.
  4. 3.Bg2 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 3.Bg2 in 10 games, scoring 55%.
  5. 3…c6 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 3…c6. At top level, this comes up about 8% of the time.
  6. 4.Nf3 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 4.Nf3 in 4 games, scoring 75%.
  7. 4…e4 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 4…e4.
  8. 5.Nd4 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 5.Nd4 in 4 games, scoring 75%.
  9. 5…Qb6 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 5…Qb6. At top level, this comes up about 6% of the time.
  10. 6.e3 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 6.e3 in 2 games, scoring 50%.

Questions about this course

How does Magnus Carlsen play the English Opening?
After 1.c4, Magnus Carlsen's most common line is 1…e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.Nf3 e4 5.Nd4 Qb6 6.e3. At top level it comes up about 6% 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 English Opening course based on?
116 of Magnus Carlsen's Chess.com blitz games in the English Opening as White, against opponents with an average rating of 3,048. Magnus Carlsen scored 78% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
12 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.