MARK RUBERY CHESS

Chess.com interviewed the French GM Maxime Vachier Lagrave. Here follow a few illuminating extracts…

Chess.com: When did you first know you had an aptitude for chess?

MVL: My father took me to a local club when I was six, and I didn’t know it then, but that’s where I was detected as a talent. That year I played my first three tournaments, and I ended up becoming French champion in my age group, which made me realize I had potential to be a decent player. The main thing I remember though, is that I was always getting accused of playing too fast. At the French championships we had one hour each on the clock, and I finished some games in five minutes. But that’s what kids do. As a six-yearold, one hour felt like a lifetime! Little by little, people managed to convince me that making use of all your time is kind of useful.

What was it that you liked most about the game?

At some point with chess, you understand you never finish learning. It’s an unlimited process for humans. That appealed to me. And when you win, you’re sort of proving a point to your opponent and to other people. That feels nice, especially as a kid. It still feels nice today when it happens!

You were unusual for an elite chess player, in that you went to university, and turned professional a bit later, in your early 20s. Was it ever a problem, balancing your chess career with the urge to party with friends?

My urge for parties actually started a bit later, when I was 22, 23, a full-time professional and already closing in on the top 20. I got to understand, what we might describe as “the Frenchman’s call” a bit more. As a professional player, I got to see the other top French players more often, who were already partying quite a lot. But I don’t think it ever hindered my chess. It’s important for feel good, relax, and think about something else for a while. I also enjoy doing that through sport. I like to play tennis, table tennis, and even football, even though I am particularly horrible at it.

What do you think is the main difference between the elite and those grandmasters ranked outside the top 50 and top 100?

The big thing is the depth of opening preparation. When you’re rated 2500, you don’t need that. If you are preparing like a 2800 player, it’s not going to be useless; it’ll get you wins, but you’re missing the entire point. You have to improve in other areas, before such preparation is critical. When it comes to the elite, people don’t realize it, but the amount of lines we have to learn just to get a game with White is huge. I’m not even talking an advantage, just a chance to fight with your opponent.

Give us an idea of the amount of memorization you have to do.

We all have these deep files, which contain everything you’ve worked on. And for any line, they can contain between 3,000 and 6,000 moves, sometimes even more. And this is the case for every single line in an opening like the Sicilian Najdorf. It can be a long list, especially if you want a variety of backup ideas to surprise your opponent. Of course, you don’t have to remember every single move in these files, but many of the positions and how to get there.

Do you feel the time pressure for you to make it to a world championship match in the next few years?

The clock is ticking. Chess is getting younger and younger, and other players are coming up. They’re probably 18, 19 right now, but in six years they could be top players. Of course there are players like Vishy Anand who still perform admirably at 50, but they are an exception.You can expect your career to be more or less over by the age of 40. Even at 36, 38, it’s very hard to be fighting for the world title. I need to find a way to make that extra step, and get through the Candidates’.

WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN

At the halfway stage of the 2020 Candidates Tournament Vachier Lagrave is tied for the lead with Ian Nepomniachtchi with 4,5/7 before the event was halted by the Covid pandemic. The tournament is expected to resume in the Spring (March-May) 2021.