Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

Often referred to as MVL, he came to prominence in 2009 after winning the title of World Junior Chess Champion. He is currently the No. 1 ranked player in France as well as a three-time French champion (2007, 2011, shared in 2012). He is also a four-time winner of the Biel Grandmaster Tournament (2009, 2013, 2014, 2015) and a former World Junior Champion (2009). His biggest tournament victory to date has been the 2017 Sinquefield Cup, where he finished first ahead of Magnus Carlsen. He won the Sharjah Grand Prix in the same year and the 2018 Shenzhen Masters. MVL has been part of the Grand Chess Tour since 2015 and finished second in both the 2018 and 2019 editions. Vachier-Lagrave was a late addition to the 2020 Candidates tournament, replacing GM Teimour Radjabov who withdrew due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 26, 2020, the Candidates tournament was postponed. At the halfway point, Vachier-Lagrave is currently leading the tournament with a +2 score.