As a feat, crossing 2800 Elo points in chess shares similarities with scoring 10,000 runs in Tests. Only 14 batters have scaled that peak. Only 14 Grandmasters have touched that magical mark. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is one of them. The Frenchman, usually referred to by his initials MVL, reached the milestone in 2016, during his triumph at the Sparkassen Chess Meeting in Dortmund. His peak rating, achieved the same year, is 2819 — the seventh-highest in history. A former World No. 2, he won the World blitz championship in 2021. Among his recent significant triumphs is the Tata Steel Chess India rapid title in Kolkata, making his first visit to the country truly memorable. Excerpts from an interview he granted The Hindu:
