Skip to main content

Sicilian Defense · As White · updated October 2026

Play against the Sicilian like Magnus Carlsen

A repertoire against the Sicilian built from 172 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 75% against opponents averaging 3,119 in these games.
  • You play Magnus Carlsen's own move in 20 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

172

in this opening

Score

75%

in these games

Opponents

3,119

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 15 moves

Lines to learn

  1. Line 1 · 12% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Nbd7 9.g4

  2. Line 2 · 10% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.f3 Be6 9.Qd2

  3. Line 3 · 7% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.a3

  4. Line 4 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 Ng4 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Bg3 Bg7 10.Be2 h5 11.h4 Nc6 12.Nb3 gxh4 13.Bxh4 Be6 14.Nd5

  5. Line 5 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 g6 3.c3 d5 4.e5 Bg4 5.Bb5+ Nc6 6.O-O

  6. Line 6 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.f3

  7. Line 7 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 h5 9.Nd5

  8. Line 8 · 6% at top level

    2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3

  9. Line 9 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.d3 Ne7 6.Nbd2

  10. Line 10 · 5% at top level

    2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bd3 d5 8.O-O Nf6 9.Qf3 Be7 10.e5

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

Magnus Carlsen's main line against the Sicilian, move by move

The most common line at top level: 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Nbd7 9.g4.

  1. 2.Nf3 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 2.Nf3 in 110 games, scoring 75%.
  2. 2…d6 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 2…d6. At top level, this comes up about 55% of the time.
  3. 3.d4 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 3.d4 in 38 games, scoring 70%.
  4. 3…cxd4 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 3…cxd4.
  5. 4.Nxd4 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 4.Nxd4 in 35 games, scoring 67%.
  6. 4…Nf6 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 4…Nf6.
  7. 5.Nc3 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 5.Nc3 in 35 games, scoring 67%.
  8. 5…a6 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 5…a6. At top level, this comes up about 39% of the time.
  9. 6.Be3 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 6.Be3 in 8 games, scoring 69%.
  10. 6…e5 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 6…e5. At top level, this comes up about 29% of the time.
  11. 7.Nb3 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 7.Nb3 in 5 games, scoring 70%.
  12. 7…Be6 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 7…Be6. At top level, this comes up about 18% of the time.
  13. 8.f3 Your move · Magnus Carlsen's games Magnus Carlsen played 8.f3 in 3 games, scoring 50%.
  14. 8…Nbd7 Reply · Magnus Carlsen's games A common reply here is 8…Nbd7. At top level, this comes up about 12% of the time.
  15. 9.g4 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 against the Sicilian?
After 1.e4 c5, Magnus Carlsen's most common line is 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Nbd7 9.g4. At top level it comes up about 12% 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 Sicilian course based on?
172 of Magnus Carlsen's Chess.com blitz games in the Sicilian Defense as White, against opponents with an average rating of 3,119. Magnus Carlsen scored 75% 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.