Magnus Collection › Openings › Old Indian Defense
Opening · 27 games
Magnus Carlsen in the Old Indian Defense
27 games of Magnus Carlsen in the Old Indian Defense, 2007 to 2025: 18 wins, 2 draws, 7 losses. Every game can be replayed move by move.
Quick answer · Updated October 2026
Does Magnus Carlsen play the Old Indian Defense?
Yes. Magnus Carlsen has played the Old Indian Defense in 27 games in our database (2007–2025): 18 wins, 2 draws and 7 losses, a score of 70.4%. He had it 8 times with White (6–0–2) and 19 times with Black (12–2–5).
| Type of event | Games | Carlsen won | Drawn | Opponent won | Carlsen score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 66.7% |
| Blitz and bullet | 21 | 15 | 0 | 6 | 71.4% |
| Other events | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66.7% |
| All games | 27 | 18 | 2 | 7 | 70.4% |
First game in our databaseMagnus Carlsen vs S Rublevsky · World Blitz · 21 November 2007 · 0-1
Latest gameMagnus Carlsen vs R Nazin · Titled Tue 24th Jun Early · 24 June 2025 · 1-0
His most played move order1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c6 3.Bf4 Qb6 4.Qd2 Ne4 (3 games)
Busiest year2024, with 13 games
Replay all 27 gamesMagnus Carlsen profileAll Magnus openingsLearn the Old Indian 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 Old Indian Defense: the starting moves
In his own games the line he reached most often is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c6 3.Bf4 Qb6 4.Qd2 Ne4 (3 games).
Best wins
Magnus Carlsen's Old Indian Defense wins against top players
- Magnus Carlsen vs Olexandr Bortnyk, 1-0Titled Tue 23rd Apr Early · 23 April 2024 · Blitz and bullet · 45 moves
- Le Tuan Minh vs Magnus Carlsen, 0-1chess.com SpeedChess 2024 · 26 July 2024 · Blitz and bullet · 44 moves
- Andrew Tang vs Magnus Carlsen, 0-1Titled Tue 27th Aug Late · 27 August 2024 · Blitz and bullet · 55 moves
- Dmitry Andreikin vs Magnus Carlsen, 0-1Titled Tue 24th Sep Late · 24 September 2024 · Blitz and bullet · 36 moves
- Fabiano Caruana vs Magnus Carlsen, 0-1CCT Final KO 2023 · 13 December 2023 · Rapid · 55 moves
- Magnus Carlsen vs Vladislav Artemiev, 1-0DM Carlsen-Artemiev 2021 · 21 April 2021 · Other events · 39 moves
Results by year
The Old Indian Defense by year (2007–2025)
Carlsen wonDrawnOpponent won
Record · Updated October 2026
Magnus Carlsen's record in the Old Indian Defense
The Rama Chess archive holds 27 games in which Magnus Carlsen played the Old Indian Defense, from 2007 to 2025. He won 18, drew 2 and lost 7, a score of 70.4%. The games come from all time controls (classical, rapid and blitz).
He has had this opening on the board mostly with Black: 8 games as White (6 wins, 0 draws, 2 losses) and 19 games as Black (12 wins, 2 draws, 5 losses).
His most frequent opponents here are Andrew Tang (5), Olexandr Bortnyk (2), S Rublevsky (1). The earliest game is from 2007 (World Blitz) and the most recent from 2025 (Titled Tue 21st Jan Early). The ECO code seen most often is A50.
By colour
With White and with Black
| Carlsen played | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 75% |
| Black | 19 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 68% |
| All games | 27 | 18 | 2 | 7 | 70% |
Year by year
Old Indian Defense games by year
| Year | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
| 2019 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 75% |
| 2020 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% |
| 2021 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 60% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| 2024 | 13 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 81% |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
Opponents
Who he played most in the Old Indian Defense
Andrew Tang · 5Olexandr Bortnyk · 2S Rublevsky · 1Shakhriyar Mamedyarov · 1Pentala Harikrishna · 1Leon Luke Mendonca · 1Vladislav Artemiev · 1Kirill Shevchenko · 1
All 27 games: Magnus Carlsen in the Old Indian Defense
Year
Game
ECO
Result
2007
Magnus Carlsen vs S Rublevsky
World Blitz
A53
0–1
2019
Magnus Carlsen vs Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
Saint Louis Blitz 2019
A50
1–0
2019
Pentala Harikrishna vs Magnus Carlsen
Tata Steel India Rapid
A50
½–½
2020
Andrew Tang vs Magnus Carlsen
Katara Bullet Final 2020
A50
0–1
2020
Andrew Tang vs Magnus Carlsen
Katara Bullet Final 2020
A50
1–0
2021
Andrew Tang vs Magnus Carlsen
Carlsen-Tang Bullet 2021
A53
1–0
2021
Andrew Tang vs Magnus Carlsen
Carlsen-Tang Bullet 2021
A53
1–0
2021
Magnus Carlsen vs Leon Luke Mendonca
Carlsen vs. Challengers
A50
1–0
2021
Magnus Carlsen vs Vladislav Artemiev
DM Carlsen-Artemiev 2021
A50
1–0
2021
Magnus Carlsen vs Olexandr Bortnyk
Katara Bullet Final 2021
A55
1–0
2022
Magnus Carlsen vs Kirill Shevchenko
Solidarity NOR-UKR Match
A50
0–1
2023
Fabiano Caruana vs Magnus Carlsen
CCT Final KO 2023
A50
0–1
2024
I Msellek vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 9th Jan Late
A50
0–1
2024
Rudik Makarian vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 9th Apr Late
A55
0–1
2024
Magnus Carlsen vs Olexandr Bortnyk
Titled Tue 23rd Apr Early
A50
1–0
2024
Sergei Lobanov vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 14th May Late
A55
1–0
2024
Ian Nepomniachtchi vs Magnus Carlsen
CrunchLab Masters Div 1 L
A50
½–½
2024
Arystanbek Urazayev vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 23rd Jul Late
A50
0–1
2024
Le Tuan Minh vs Magnus Carlsen
chess.com SpeedChess 2024
A50
0–1
2024
Julius Ohler vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 30th Jul Early
A50
0–1
2024
M Bluebaum vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 30th Jul Early
A50
1–0
2024
Andrew Tang vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 27th Aug Late
A50
0–1
2024
B Harsha vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 24th Sep Late
A50
0–1
2024
Dmitry Andreikin vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 24th Sep Late
A50
0–1
2024
SaA Manukyan vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 15th Oct Late
A50
0–1
2025
Barad Yeganegi vs Magnus Carlsen
Titled Tue 21st Jan Early
A50
0–1
2025
Magnus Carlsen vs R Nazin
Titled Tue 24th Jun Early
A55
1–0
Questions
Magnus Carlsen and the Old Indian Defense: questions and answers
Does Magnus Carlsen play the Old Indian Defense?
Yes. Our database has 27 games of Magnus Carlsen in the Old Indian Defense from 2007–2025: 8 with White and 19 with Black.
What is Magnus Carlsen's record in the Old Indian Defense?
18 wins, 2 draws and 7 losses in 27 games, a score of 70.4%. With White 6–0–2, with Black 12–2–5 (won–drawn–lost).
Has Magnus Carlsen played the Old Indian Defense in classical chess?
Not in our database. All 27 games come from rapid, blitz, bullet or other fast events.
Which line of the Old Indian Defense does Carlsen play most?
The move order seen most often in his games is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c6 3.Bf4 Qb6 4.Qd2 Ne4 (3 games).
What are Magnus Carlsen's best Old Indian Defense games?
Good places to start are his wins against top players: Magnus Carlsen vs Olexandr Bortnyk (Titled Tue 23rd Apr Early, 2024); Le Tuan Minh vs Magnus Carlsen (chess.com SpeedChess 2024, 2024); Andrew Tang vs Magnus Carlsen (Titled Tue 27th Aug Late, 2024); Dmitry Andreikin vs Magnus Carlsen (Titled Tue 24th Sep Late, 2024).
When did Magnus Carlsen last play the Old Indian Defense?
The latest game in our database is Magnus Carlsen vs R Nazin at the Titled Tue 24th Jun Early (24 June 2025), result 1-0.
Can I replay Magnus Carlsen's Old Indian Defense games?
Yes. All 27 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.