Previewing The Sinquefield Cup (6): Can Vachier-Lagrave Beat Carlsen?

In a previous article Previewing The Sinquefield Cup (5): Can Topalov Beat Carlsen?, I discussed the likelyhood of Topalov beating Carlsen during the upcoming Sinquefield Cup. In this follow-up I want to take a look at the number six on the starting list, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, or "MVL" for friends.

Statistics

In the database I found only 5 encounters in classical chess between Magnus Carlsen and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. In the overall head to head Vachier-Lagrave is behind with 40%, but with so little data, there is no real pattern yet. With two draws he has beaten Carlsen once, whereas Carlsen has beaten him twice.

Last Encounter

The last encounter in a classical game between the two is from a while back. It was played in 2011 in Biel. I will annotate the game below.

Considering the small number of games and the fact that both contenders have not played in over three years, I find it hard so say anything useful about how these two players will compete.

Later today the fun starts.
Let the strongest man win the tournament (and I don't necessarily mean Carlsen)!

By the way, enjoy the Karpov game:

Waldemar Moes
Chess Trainer, Lecturer & Blogger
www.betteryourchess.com
"down-to-earth-advice for the aspiring chess player"