MVL: I Struggled to Make Ends Meet at 2680. The Future Was Insecure

In an exclusive interview with World Chess, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, a French “super GM” (a chess-speak for one of the world’s strongest chess players), said that on his way to becoming an elite chess player, he thought that he reached his peak at 2680. At that level, he could not secure enough stable income to feel safe.

2680 is a rating that very few people will ever reach (you earn a grandmaster title, the highest in the sport, at 2500). Yet MVL still failed to earn stable income. Most players make money by coaching, competing for monetary prizes, getting government stipends, or scoring sponsorship endorsements, but most of the sponsorship money goes towards the top-20, leaving thousands of professional players on the sidelines.

It became easier, according to MVL, when he broke 2700 and burst into the top 10 in 2015. Then things got better financially, admits Maxime.

Watch the full interview with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave on World Chess YouTube channel.