# Maxime Vachier-Lagrave on Reddit (u/MVLchess)

Part of Athletes on Reddit, researched with Autumn (https://www.autumn.ai) from public sources. Updated 2026-11-07. Interactive version: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/athletes-on-reddit/maxime-vachier-lagrave

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave: French chess grandmaster.

- Reddit account: [u/MVLchess](https://www.reddit.com/user/MVLchess/) (AMA only)
- How we know it's theirs: [His 2021 r/chess AMA, posted from this account](https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/oabae9/hey_reddit_im_maxime_vachierlagrave_aka_mvl_chess/)
- Where they post, in the records we retrieved: r/chess (31)
- Known activity in the posts we found: 2021 to 2021
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxime_Vachier-Lagrave

## Moments

### u/MVLchess in r/chess, Jun 29, 2021 · Funny

Replying to a redditor:

> You must play a game against any of top 10 rapid players, if you lose, you die. Who do you pick and what do you play?

> Give me any opponent and I'll play the Najdorf or Grunfeld. Worst case I'll die happy!

Full thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/oabae9/comment/h3gppry/ · 595 points as of Nov 7, 2026

### u/MVLchess in r/chess, Jun 29, 2021 · AMA answer

Replying to a redditor:

> Hi Maxime. At what point in your career did you chose to pursue chess full time. I understand you have a degree in mathematics, what factors did you consider when choosing this path?

> I decided to pursue chess full time when I broke into top 100, when I was 16 years old. But I decided to get a math degree regardless, as some kind of safety net while maintaining a social circle outside of chess while I was still a teenager!

Full thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/oabae9/comment/h3goipu/ · 660 points as of Nov 7, 2026