Skip to main content

French Defense · As Black · updated October 2026

Play the French like Magnus Carlsen

A French repertoire built from 74 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 73% against opponents averaging 3,071 in these games.
  • You play Magnus Carlsen's own move in 28 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

74

in this opening

Score

73%

in these games

Opponents

3,071

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 · 10% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6 gxf6

  2. Line 2 · 8% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 a6 5.exd5 exd5

  3. Line 3 · 6% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bd3 cxd4 6.O-O Nge7 7.Re1 Ng6 8.Nbd2 Qc7 9.Bxg6 hxg6

  4. Line 4 · 6% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 a6 8.Qd2 b5

  5. Line 5 · 6% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Nxf6+ Bxf6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Nf3 O-O

  6. Line 6 · 5% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bd7 6.Be2 cxd4 7.cxd4 Nge7 8.Na3 Nf5 9.Nc2 Be7 10.O-O O-O 11.Bd3 f6 12.Bxf5 exf5 13.Bf4 g5

  7. Line 7 · 4% at top level

    2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bb5 dxe4

  8. Line 8 · 4% at top level

    2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.h3 Bd6 6.c4 Nf6

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

Magnus Carlsen's main line in the French, move by move

The most common line at top level: 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6 gxf6.

  1. 2.d4 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 2.d4. At top level, this comes up about 89% of the time.
  2. 2…d5 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 2…d5 in 64 games, scoring 72%.
  3. 3.Nc3 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 3.Nc3. At top level, this comes up about 29% of the time.
  4. 3…Nf6 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 3…Nf6 in 9 games, scoring 67%.
  5. 4.Bg5 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 4.Bg5. At top level, this comes up about 16% of the time.
  6. 4…dxe4 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 4…dxe4 in 5 games, scoring 70%.
  7. 5.Nxe4 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 5.Nxe4.
  8. 5…Be7 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 5…Be7 in 5 games, scoring 70%.
  9. 6.Bxf6 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 6.Bxf6. At top level, this comes up about 10% of the time.
  10. 6…gxf6 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 6…gxf6 in 3 games, scoring 83%.

Questions about this course

How does Magnus Carlsen play the French?
After 1.e4 e6, Magnus Carlsen's most common line is 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6 gxf6. At top level it comes up about 10% 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 French course based on?
74 of Magnus Carlsen's Chess.com blitz games in the French Defense as Black, against opponents with an average rating of 3,071. Magnus Carlsen scored 73% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
8 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.