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Ruy Lopez · As White · updated October 2026

Play the Ruy Lopez like Magnus Carlsen

A Ruy Lopez repertoire built from 31 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 77% against opponents averaging 3,151 in these games.
  • You play Magnus Carlsen's own move in 7 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

31

in this opening

Score

77%

in these games

Opponents

3,151

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 14 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 26% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4 Rb8 9.axb5 axb5 10.h3

  2. Line 2 · 7% at top level

    3…Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.Nbd2

  3. Line 3 · 7% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4 Bd7 9.c3 O-O 10.Re1 Na5 11.Bc2 c5 12.Nbd2

  4. Line 4 · 5% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Bc5 6.c3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.d4 Bb6 9.a4 Bb7 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bxf6 Qxf6 12.axb5

  5. Line 5 · 5% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Bc5 6.c3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.d4 Bb6 9.a4 Bd7 10.Bg5 Rb8 11.axb5 axb5 12.Bh4

  6. Line 6 · 5% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.Nc3 d6 9.a3 Rb8 10.h3 h6 11.Re1 Re8 12.Be3 Bf8 13.d4 exd4 14.Nxd4

  7. Line 7 · 5% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4 Bd7 9.c3 O-O 10.Re1 h6 11.Bc2

  8. Line 8 · 5% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O d6 6.Re1 Bd7 7.c3 g6 8.d4 Bg7 9.h3 O-O 10.Bc2

  9. Line 9 · 4% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.a4

  10. Line 10 · 3% at top level

    3…a6 4.Ba4 Nge7 5.c3

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

Magnus Carlsen's main line in the Ruy Lopez, move by move

The most common line at top level: 3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4 Rb8 9.axb5 axb5 10.h3.

  1. 3…a6 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 3…a6. At top level, this comes up about 84% of the time.
  2. 4.Ba4 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 4.Ba4 in 25 games, scoring 76%.
  3. 4…Nf6 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 4…Nf6. At top level, this comes up about 77% of the time.
  4. 5.O-O Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 5.O-O in 14 games, scoring 79%.
  5. 5…Be7 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 5…Be7. At top level, this comes up about 50% of the time.
  6. 6.d3 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 6.d3 in 5 games, scoring 80%.
  7. 6…b5 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 6…b5.
  8. 7.Bb3 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 7.Bb3 in 5 games, scoring 80%.
  9. 7…d6 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 7…d6. At top level, this comes up about 40% of the time.
  10. 8.a4 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 8.a4 in 3 games, scoring 67%.
  11. 8…Rb8 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 8…Rb8. At top level, this comes up about 26% of the time.
  12. 9.axb5 Your move · Stockfish The games give no move to follow here, so this is Stockfish's choice.
  13. 9…axb5 Reply · Top-50 players In the other top players' games, a common reply here is 9…axb5.
  14. 10.h3 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 Ruy Lopez?
After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5, Magnus Carlsen's most common line is 3…a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4 Rb8 9.axb5 axb5 10.h3. At top level it comes up about 26% 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 Ruy Lopez course based on?
31 of Magnus Carlsen's Chess.com blitz games in the Ruy Lopez as White, against opponents with an average rating of 3,151. Magnus Carlsen scored 77% in them.
How many lines does the course have?
10 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.