Player profile · Updated October 2026

Magnus Carlsen World Champion 2013–2023 and the highest-rated player in history

Norwegian grandmaster, World Champion 2013–2023 and the highest-rated player in history (2882). Carlsen wins positions other grandmasters agree to draw. He plays almost any opening, steers for a small edge, and then presses for hours in endgames until the defence cracks. His strength in rapid and blitz is as great as in classical chess.

Replay 7,484 games Play chess bots Analyse a game
2882 peak rating Norway 54.4% wins 2001–2025
Magnus Carlsen
At a glance

Magnus Carlsen: key facts

Full name
Magnus Carlsen
Born
November 30, 1990, Tønsberg, Norway
Country
Norway
Title
Grandmaster
Peak rating
2882
Games in the archive
7,484 (2001–2025)
Record in the archive
4,072 wins · 2,288 draws · 1,124 losses
Win rate
54.4%
Timeline

Magnus Carlsen's career

The results that made the name

2004
Becomes a grandmaster at 13, one of the youngest in history at the time.
2010
Reaches world number one at 19, the youngest player ever to do so.
2013
Beats Viswanathan Anand in Chennai and becomes World Champion.
2014
Reaches a rating of 2882, the highest ever recorded, and defends the title against Anand.
2016
Defends the title against Sergey Karjakin in New York after rapid tiebreaks.
2018
Defends the title against Fabiano Caruana in London: twelve draws, then a win in the rapid tiebreaks.
2021
Defends the title against Ian Nepomniachtchi in Dubai.
2023
Gives up the classical title without playing a match, after ten years as champion.
Record

Carlsen in numbers

From the 7,484 games in the Rama Chess archive

Games
7,484
2001–2025
Wins
4,072
54.4% of games
Draws
2,288
30.6% of games
Losses
1,124
15% of games

Sixteenth World Champion and the highest-rated player in history at 2882. He held the classical title from 2013 to 2023 before declining to defend it, has been world number one since 2011, and has held the classical, rapid and blitz world titles at the same time. His endgame technique and his ability to win from positions others call dead are without equal in the modern game.

Head to head

Carlsen's most frequent opponents

Tap a name to replay every game between the two

Hikaru Nakamura408 games Alireza Firouzja266 games Levon Aronian237 games Wesley So235 games Fabiano Caruana216 games Maxime Vachier-Lagrave208 games Ian Nepomniachtchi173 games Viswanathan Anand143 games Andrew Tang142 games Anish Giri130 games Ding Liren129 games Alexander Grischuk114 games
Archive

Replay Magnus Carlsen's games

Every game opens on a board you can step through, analyse or practise

All Games7,484 games — every game in our archive SacrificesQueen, rook, bishop, knight, and exchange sacrifices By OpeningBrowse by ECO code and opening name By YearCareer chronology, year by year By EventTournaments and matches Top OpponentsMost-played opponents
Magnus Carlsen games archive
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Questions

Frequently asked questions

Who is Magnus Carlsen?
Magnus Carlsen: World Champion 2013–2023 and the highest-rated player in history. Norwegian grandmaster, World Champion 2013–2023 and the highest-rated player in history (2882).
What is Magnus Carlsen's peak rating?
Magnus Carlsen's highest rating is 2882.
What is Magnus Carlsen's win rate?
In the 7,484 games of Magnus Carlsen in the Rama Chess archive he won 4,072, which is 54.4%. He drew 30.6% and lost 15%.
When and where was Magnus Carlsen born?
Magnus Carlsen was born on November 30, 1990, Tønsberg, Norway.
How many Magnus Carlsen games can I replay on Rama Chess?
The archive has 7,484 games of Magnus Carlsen from 2001–2025: 4,072 wins, 2,288 draws and 1,124 losses. Every game can be played through move by move.
Who has Magnus Carlsen played most often?
In the Rama Chess archive the most frequent opponents are Hikaru Nakamura (408 games), Alireza Firouzja (266 games), Levon Aronian (237 games).
What is Magnus Carlsen's playing style?
Carlsen wins positions other grandmasters agree to draw. He plays almost any opening, steers for a small edge, and then presses for hours in endgames until the defence cracks. His strength in rapid and blitz is as great as in classical chess.