Actually more players in the top 100: 13 US grandmasters vs 12 from Russia, down from 22 five years ago. But even the total is closing: In total Russia still has 246 grandmasters, compared to 101 from the US. Many Russian GMs from the older generation, like Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik, have dropped out of the rating list, but the main reason for the decline is the reaction of players to Russia's war invasion of Ukraine. | Newsweek photo Getty
It has been more than a year since Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (MVL) finished second in the Candidates tournament. Ideally, the French Grandmaster should have been playing in this year’s edition too. However, he missed out following disappointing performances in the Fide Grand Prix events. With the 2021 Candidates tournament relatively fresh in mind, Dhananjay Khadilkar spoke to MVL on a range of issues including his pick for the 2022 Candidates, skipping this year’s Olympiad and the possibility of Magnus Carlsen not defending the world championship title.
Norway Chess 3: Carlsen and MVL move up chess24.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chess24.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.