Maxime Vachier-Lagrave won his first world title after triumphing in the world blitz championship held recently in Warsaw.
The 31-year-old French grandmaster after beating Polish grandmaster Jan-Krzysztof Duda in a tiebreaker, told RFI “it’s a great feeling and a relief”.
Though obviously delighted, Maxime, who is also known by his initials MVL, had to pay a price for his achievement - by colouring his hair pink!
Maxime also commented on the world championship match in which the Norwegian Magnus Carlsen dominated Ian Nepomniachtchi. He said he did not expect the match to be so one-sided.
The 31-year-old Carlsen defeated the Russian challenger Nepomniachtchi with the black pieces in game 11, to clinch the best-of-14 world championship match with three games to spare. It is the fourth time Carlsen has defended the title since he first claimed it with victory.
He also spoke about the 18-year-old sensation Alireza Firouza, an Iranian-French chess grandmaster, who has rocketed to No. 2 in world rankings.
Firouzja has held the No. 2 position in the FIDE world chess rankings since December 1, 2021, and is the youngest ever rated player, beating the previous record set by Magnus Carlsen by more than five months.
Speaking of his young compatriot, Maxime said it was the first time he had seen someone from the younger generation becoming so strong.
