Maxime Vachier-Lagrave shared thoughts on his chess preparation in an interview at the GCT Sinquefield Cup 2026. MVL says that he needs to train constantly to compete with elite players.

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

France's No. 2

“If I want to be challenging to all the top guns, should they be young or as old as me, I do need to work on my chess all the time. Otherwise, there’s no point in even playing. I can do something else with my time.

And here at GCT, I must say, I had one month free. I had the pairings. So obviously I had all the time in the world and the motivation to prepare well. And I’m glad I at least manage that. And it does give me some certainties for the future.”

The GCT Sinquefield Cup 2026 took place from August 10 to 20, at the Saint Louis Chess Club in Missouri, USA. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave finished 7th out of 10 and earned $27,312. MVL gained +4.8 Classical points during the event and moved up to 25th place in live rating.

Credit: Crystal Fuller