RamaChess 
Magnus Carlsen Games GM
Read more about Magnus Carlsen
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.
- Peak rating: 2882 peak
- FIDE profile
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How many games has Magnus Carlsen played?
There is no official count of every game Magnus Carlsen has ever played, because most of his games are rapid, blitz and online games. This archive holds 7,484 of his games from 2001 to 2025: he won 4,072, drew 2,288 and lost 1,124, a score of 69.7%.
The number grew fast after 2019, when most top events moved to rapid, blitz and online play: 994 games in 2023, 953 in 2024 and 869 in 2025, against 83 in 2013, the year he became World Champion.
Magnus Carlsen in numbers
Titles and peak rating: FIDE. Game numbers: the Rama Chess database (7,484 games, 2001–2025; type of event read from the event name).
His record in classical, rapid and blitz
| Type of event | Games | Carlsen won | Drawn | Opponents won | Carlsen score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classical | 1483 | 566 | 733 | 184 | 62.9% |
| Rapid | 1570 | 700 | 645 | 225 | 65.1% |
| Blitz and bullet | 3647 | 2413 | 658 | 576 | 75.2% |
| Knockout tie-breaks | 27 | 9 | 12 | 6 | 55.6% |
| Armageddon | 41 | 25 | 7 | 9 | 69.5% |
| Other events | 716 | 359 | 233 | 124 | 66.4% |
| All games | 7484 | 4072 | 2288 | 1124 | 69.7% |
Magnus Carlsen's results by year, 2001–2025
How many times has Magnus Carlsen won the World Championship?
Five times. He took the title from Viswanathan Anand in 2013 and defended it four times. The scores below are counted from the match games in our database.
| Year | Place | Opponent | Games | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Chennai | Viswanathan Anand | 10 | 6.5–3.5 | Carlsen won the match |
| 2014 | Sochi | Viswanathan Anand | 11 | 6.5–4.5 | Carlsen won the match |
| 2016 | New York | Sergey Karjakin | 12 | 6–6 | 6–6 in classical; Carlsen won the rapid tie-break 3–1 |
| 2018 | London | Fabiano Caruana | 12 | 6–6 | 12 draws in classical; Carlsen won the rapid tie-break 3–0 (tie-break games not in our database) |
| 2021 | Dubai | Ian Nepomniachtchi | 11 | 7.5–3.5 | Carlsen won the match |
The 10 players he has played most
| Opponent | Games | Carlsen won | Drawn | Carlsen lost | Carlsen score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hikaru Nakamura | 408 | 144 | 182 | 82 | 57.6% |
| Alireza Firouzja | 266 | 135 | 66 | 65 | 63.2% |
| Levon Aronian | 237 | 82 | 115 | 40 | 58.9% |
| Wesley So | 235 | 100 | 102 | 33 | 64.3% |
| Fabiano Caruana | 216 | 99 | 82 | 35 | 64.8% |
| Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | 208 | 78 | 86 | 44 | 58.2% |
| Ian Nepomniachtchi | 173 | 67 | 81 | 25 | 62.1% |
| Viswanathan Anand | 143 | 40 | 82 | 21 | 56.6% |
| Andrew Tang | 142 | 82 | 15 | 45 | 63.0% |
| Anish Giri | 130 | 41 | 78 | 11 | 61.5% |
More about Magnus Carlsen
- Magnus Carlsen Win Rate, Win-Loss Record and Games Played
- Magnus Carlsen vs Bobby Fischer: Who Was Better?
- How Magnus Carlsen Became World Champion
- What Opening Does Magnus Carlsen Play? His Favorite Openings
- Magnus Carlsen and the King's Gambit: All 36 Games, Replayed
- Gukesh vs Magnus Carlsen, Norway Chess 2025: Gukesh's First Classical Win
Questions
How many chess games has Magnus Carlsen played?
There is no official total, because most of his games are rapid, blitz and online games. Our database has 7,484 of his games from 2001 to 2025: 1,483 classical, 1,570 rapid and 3,647 blitz or bullet (by event name), plus others.
How many games has Magnus Carlsen won?
In the 7,484 games in our database he won 4,072, drew 2,288 and lost 1,124, a score of 69.7%.
How many times has Magnus Carlsen won the World Championship?
Five times in classical chess: 2013 and 2014 against Viswanathan Anand, 2016 against Sergey Karjakin, 2018 against Fabiano Caruana and 2021 against Ian Nepomniachtchi. He chose not to defend the title in 2023. He has also won the World Rapid and World Blitz titles many times.
Is Magnus Carlsen still number 1?
Yes. He has been world No. 1 on the FIDE rating list since 2011 and is No. 1 on the October 2026 list. See who is world No. 1 in chess for the full top 20.
Who has Magnus Carlsen played the most?
Hikaru Nakamura: 408 games in our database, followed by Alireza Firouzja (266) and Levon Aronian (237).
What openings does Magnus Carlsen play?
The openings seen most in his games are the Sicilian Defense (1,271), Ruy Lopez (727), Queen's Gambit Declined (604). With White he starts with 1.e4 most often (1,651 games), then 1.d4 (1,129), 1.Nf3 (354) and 1.c4 (311). See all his openings.
In which year did Magnus Carlsen play the most games?
In 2023, with 994 games in our database, most of them rapid and blitz.
Can Magnus Carlsen beat Stockfish?
No human can beat a modern engine like Stockfish in a normal game. See Stockfish vs Magnus Carlsen for how big the gap is.