Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (MVL)

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, widely known as MVL, is a French Super-Grandmaster. He has been a fixture in the world's top 10 for over a decade and is considered one of the greatest attacking players of his generation.

He is a "Concrete" player. He doesn't play on general principles; he calculates specific variations deeper than almost anyone else. He is famous for defending dangerous positions by finding the *only* moves to survive.

Most players switch openings to avoid preparation. MVL does the opposite: he plays the Sicilian Najdorf almost exclusively. He dares opponents to beat him in his home territory, and they rarely succeed.

He reached a peak classical rating of 2819 in August 2016, making him the 7th highest-rated player in the history of chess.

His crowning achievement. He won the World Blitz Championship in Warsaw, defeating Duda in the tiebreaks after a grueling tournament.

At his peak in 2016/2017, he was ranked the second-best player in the world, behind only Magnus Carlsen.

He won one of the strongest tournaments in history, the Sinquefield Cup, in 2017 (beating Carlsen) and again in 2021.

He earned a degree in Mathematics in 2010. His playstyle reflects this logic—he treats chess positions as equations to be solved.

He dominated the Biel Grandmaster Tournament, winning it a record five times (2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016).

He won the World Junior title in Argentina, signaling his arrival as the leader of the next generation.

He came heartbreakingly close to challenging Carlsen, finishing 2nd in the Candidates Tournament behind Ian Nepomniachtchi.

With Black against 1.d4, he is the world's leading authority on the Grunfeld Defense, proving it is sound even against engines.

He earned the GM title at 14 years and 4 months in 2005, one of the youngest ever at the time.

He is one of the select few "Super GMs" to have crossed the elite 2800 ELO barrier.

He won the French National Championship in 2007, 2011, and 2012.

He famously plays the Poisoned Pawn variation of the Najdorf, walking his Queen into danger and surviving through calculation.

He won the Croatia Grand Chess Tour (Rapid & Blitz) in 2021, showing he is a double threat in speed chess.

His victory against Magnus Carlsen at the 2017 Sinquefield Cup was a masterclass in converting an initiative.

In 2022, he signed with the esports organization Team Vitality, bridging the gap between chess and professional gaming.

He won the prestigious Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Meeting in 2016.

He is famous for holding "lost" endgames. His ability to find fortresses and stalemate tricks is legendary.

He shared first place in the London Chess Classic, capping off a brilliant year.

His fans sometimes call him Spiderman because of his ability to spin webs of tactical complications that trap his opponents.

Despite offers from other federations, he has remained the face of French chess, leading their Olympiad team for over a decade.