Magnus Collection › Openings › Benoni Defense
Opening · 39 games
Magnus Carlsen in the Benoni Defense
39 games of Magnus Carlsen in the Benoni Defense, 2004 to 2025: 26 wins, 5 draws, 8 losses. Every game can be replayed move by move.
Quick answer · Updated October 2026
Does Magnus Carlsen play the Benoni Defense?
Yes. Magnus Carlsen has played the Benoni Defense in 39 games in our database (2004–2025): 26 wins, 5 draws and 8 losses, a score of 73.1%. He had it 11 times with White (7–2–2) and 28 times with Black (19–3–6).
| Type of event | Games | Carlsen won | Drawn | Opponent won | Carlsen score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classical | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 90.0% |
| Rapid | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 83.3% |
| Blitz and bullet | 20 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 75.0% |
| Knockout tie-breaks | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Other events | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 65.0% |
| All games | 39 | 26 | 5 | 8 | 73.1% |
First game in our databaseMagnus Carlsen vs R Janssen · GMC · 17 January 2004 · ½-½
Latest gameMagnus Carlsen vs Fabiano Caruana · chess.com SpeedChess 2025 · 14 November 2025 · 1-0
Classical games5: 4–1–0 (won–drawn–lost)
His most played move order1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 (8 games)
Busiest year2024, with 8 games
Replay all 39 gamesMagnus Carlsen profileAll Magnus openingsLearn the Benoni DefensePractice it in the trainer
Source: the Rama Chess database of 7,484 Magnus Carlsen games, 2001 to 2025 (many of his games, not all of them). Opening names follow the ECO code of each game. The type of event is read from the event name.
The opening
The Benoni Defense: the starting moves
In his own games the line he reached most often is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 (8 games).
Best wins
Magnus Carlsen's Benoni Defense wins against top players
- Vincent Keymer vs Magnus Carlsen, 0-1GRENKE Chess Classic 2024 · 28 March 2024 · Classical · 66 moves
- Magnus Carlsen vs Richard Rapport, 1-0GRENKE Chess Classic 2024 · 28 March 2024 · Classical · 32 moves
- Vincent Keymer vs Magnus Carlsen, 0-1GRENKE Chess Classic 2019 · 20 April 2019 · Classical · 81 moves
- Le Tuan Minh vs Magnus Carlsen, 0-1Titled Tue 28th Jan Early · 28 January 2025 · Blitz and bullet · 42 moves
- Le Tuan Minh vs Magnus Carlsen, 0-1Titled Tue 11th Mar Early · 11 March 2025 · Blitz and bullet · 52 moves
- Magnus Carlsen vs Fabiano Caruana, 1-0chess.com SpeedChess 2025 · 14 November 2025 · Blitz and bullet · 41 moves
Results by year
The Benoni Defense by year (2004–2025)
Carlsen wonDrawnOpponent won
Record · Updated October 2026
Magnus Carlsen's record in the Benoni Defense
The Rama Chess archive holds 39 games in which Magnus Carlsen played the Benoni Defense, from 2004 to 2025. He won 26, drew 5 and lost 8, a score of 73.1%. The games come from all time controls (classical, rapid and blitz).
He has had this opening on the board mostly with Black: 11 games as White (7 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses) and 28 games as Black (19 wins, 3 draws, 6 losses).
His most frequent opponents here are I Cheparinov (3), K Lie (2), Ding Liren (2). The earliest game is from 2004 (GMC) and the most recent from 2025 (Titled Tue 21st Jan Early). The ECO code seen most often is A43.
By colour
With White and with Black
| Carlsen played | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 73% |
| Black | 28 | 19 | 3 | 6 | 73% |
| All games | 39 | 26 | 5 | 8 | 73% |
Year by year
Benoni Defense games by year
| Year | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 67% |
| 2005 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% |
| 2006 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
| 2007 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 50% |
| 2009 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| 2017 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 83% |
| 2019 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 83% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
| 2021 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 67% |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| 2023 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| 2024 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 75% |
| 2025 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 86% |
Opponents
Who he played most in the Benoni Defense
I Cheparinov · 3K Lie · 2Ding Liren · 2Wesley So · 2Vincent Keymer · 2Le Tuan Minh · 2R Janssen · 1F Doettling · 1
All 39 games: Magnus Carlsen in the Benoni Defense
Year
Game
ECO
Result
2004
Magnus Carlsen vs R Janssen
GMC
A61
½–½
2004
Magnus Carlsen vs K Lie
ch-NOR
A67
1–0
2004
Magnus Carlsen vs K Lie
Politiken Cup
A77
½–½
2005
Magnus Carlsen vs I Cheparinov
WCC
A43
0–1
2005
Magnus Carlsen vs I Cheparinov
WCC
A43
1–0
2006
F Doettling vs Magnus Carlsen
VII Dos Hermanas Internet
A44
1–0
2007
PH Nielsen vs Magnus Carlsen
Faaborg Midtfyn Cup Blindfold Final
A56
0–1
2007
Teimour Radjabov vs Magnus Carlsen
Amber Rapid
A56
½–½
2007
Levon Aronian vs Magnus Carlsen
WCh Candidates s/f
A62
1–0
2009
Magnus Carlsen vs Vassily Ivanchuk
XXII Rapid KO
A70
1–0
2014
Magnus Carlsen vs K Drozdowski
Carlsen vs chess.com
A56
1–0
2017
Ding Liren vs Magnus Carlsen
Carlsen-Ding Showdown G5
A56
0–1
2017
Ding Liren vs Magnus Carlsen
Carlsen-Ding Showdown G5
A56
0–1
2017
Wesley So vs Magnus Carlsen
chess.com Speed 5m+2spm 2017
A43
½–½
2019
Vincent Keymer vs Magnus Carlsen
GRENKE Chess Classic 2019
A56
0–1
2019
Yu Yangyi vs Magnus Carlsen
7th Norway Blitz 2019
A56
0–1
2019
Wesley So vs Magnus Carlsen
Tata Steel India Blitz
A56
½–½
2020
I Cheparinov vs Magnus Carlsen
Chess24 Banter Blitz Cup
A43
1–0
2021
Andrew Tang vs Magnus Carlsen
Carlsen-Tang Bullet 2021
A56
0–1
2021
Alireza Firouzja vs Magnus Carlsen
Magnus-Alireza Bullet
A56
1–0
2021
S Khademalsharieh vs Magnus Carlsen
Carlsen vs. Challengers
A43
0–1
2022
Anish Giri vs Magnus Carlsen
Oslo Esports Cup 2022
A79
0–1
2023
L R Srihari vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 8th Aug Early
A43
0–1
2023
Vidit Gujrathi vs Magnus Carlsen
chess.com SpeedChess 2023
A78
0–1
2024
Nico Chasin vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 20th Feb Late
A43
1–0
2024
Vincent Keymer vs Magnus Carlsen
GRENKE Chess Classic 2024
A61
0–1
2024
Magnus Carlsen vs Richard Rapport
GRENKE Chess Classic 2024
A61
1–0
2024
Denis Pershin vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 21st May Late
A43
0–1
2024
Magnus Carlsen vs Matvey Galchenko
Titled Tue 21st May Late
A67
1–0
2024
Mikolaj Nowak vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 20th Aug Early
A43
1–0
2024
G B Harshavardhan vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 10th Sep Late
A56
0–1
2024
Sondre Melaa vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 12th Nov Early
A43
0–1
2025
Magnus Carlsen vs Milosz Szpar
Titled Tue 21st Jan Early
A61
0–1
2025
Le Tuan Minh vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 28th Jan Early
A43
0–1
2025
Le Tuan Minh vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 11th Mar Early
A70
0–1
2025
P Ollier vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 22nd Apr Early
A56
0–1
2025
R Terry vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 16th Sep 2025
A43
0–1
2025
Felix-Antonio Ilinca vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 7th Oct 2025
A43
0–1
2025
Magnus Carlsen vs Fabiano Caruana
chess.com SpeedChess 2025
A64
1–0
Questions
Magnus Carlsen and the Benoni Defense: questions and answers
Does Magnus Carlsen play the Benoni Defense?
Yes. Our database has 39 games of Magnus Carlsen in the Benoni Defense from 2004–2025: 11 with White and 28 with Black.
What is Magnus Carlsen's record in the Benoni Defense?
26 wins, 5 draws and 8 losses in 39 games, a score of 73.1%. With White 7–2–2, with Black 19–3–6 (won–drawn–lost).
Has Magnus Carlsen played the Benoni Defense in classical chess?
Yes, 5 games in classical events in our database (4–1–0). The other games come from rapid, blitz and other events.
Which line of the Benoni Defense does Carlsen play most?
The move order seen most often in his games is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 (8 games).
What are Magnus Carlsen's best Benoni Defense games?
Good places to start are his wins against top players: Vincent Keymer vs Magnus Carlsen (GRENKE Chess Classic 2024, 2024); Magnus Carlsen vs Richard Rapport (GRENKE Chess Classic 2024, 2024); Vincent Keymer vs Magnus Carlsen (GRENKE Chess Classic 2019, 2019); Le Tuan Minh vs Magnus Carlsen (Titled Tue 28th Jan Early, 2025).
When did Magnus Carlsen last play the Benoni Defense?
The latest game in our database is Magnus Carlsen vs Fabiano Caruana at the chess.com SpeedChess 2025 (14 November 2025), result 1-0.
Can I replay Magnus Carlsen's Benoni Defense games?
Yes. All 39 games are listed on this page. Each one opens on a board where you can step through the moves, check them with the engine, or practise the position.
All numbers count the games in the Rama Chess database (2001 to 2025), not every game he has ever played.