Maxime Vachier-Lagrave hits 2800

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, The french champ, is over 2800 rating.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxime_Vachier-Lagrave

Looking good.

Awesome! MVL's style is among my favourites.

Still he can't hold a candle to GM Tal Baron in a blitz game.

Counter performances happen and people usually don't have the same level in normal games and in blitz. :)

No but I tell you, if Tal Baron comes back and play in some other Titled Tuesday, he will crush MVL once again as he did in Titled Tuesday 12 and 14.

It's a scandal that Tal Baron doesn't get invited to official blitz tournaments : he is obviously much stronger than the over-hyped MVL. Looks like an anti-jewish conspiracy against this very talented young guy.

But you're right that some people don't have the same level in normal games and blitz. In normal OTB games, Tal Baron is just your regular GM, but in blitz, I bet he would beat Carlsen or Nakamura in a regular match.

Exactly, Tal Baron is the best online blitz player in the world. Period.

MVL, Andreikin and Carlsen are jokes compared to him.

Maybe you should settle down, you're a bit overeacting, don't you think? ;)

So far, he's leading the Dortmund sparkassen

http://www.sparkassen-chess-meeting.de/2016/index.php/ergebnisse

Is Tal Baron really all that mighty in blitz? 

You bet he is ! He crushed Vachier-Lagrave twice like a bug (see video above), and annihilated Andreikin twice as well.

In online blitz, he is World top 10 material for sure !

Wait - does he have a FIDE blitz rating? If so, what is it and why didn't we hear about him in the big lists? 

Anyone can win games against much stronger players from time to time... what you write is indeed very impressive - but if he was really at the level of the world elite - his rating would tell that story. No?

His OTB blitz rating is rather average. I guess he didn't have the opportunity to show his true blitz strength yet. But in the Titled Tuesdays tournaments, he beat everybody without ever being in danger of losing.

Look in the above video how he crushes Maxime Vachier Lagrave almost without thinking. Yes, this is the same Vachier-Lagrave that finished 3rd at the World Blitz championship and won easily this event in Corsica :

https://scr.hu/107DG4

<Hicetnunc>

I'm impressed by that 12/14 score you mentioned - but it's ONE tournament. 

And how come no opportunity to show his mettle OTB? He's a GM... he must be capable of playing tournaments from time to time :-)

And blitz tournaments are cheaper and much easier to play in....

Nah - I don't buy this explanation. 

I get it that he had some really really good games - but old trusty Mr. Rating certainly tells a more complete story... :-) 

Your rating is determined by your worst games, at least as much as it is by your best ones. 

That was two tournaments actually (Titled Tuesdays 12 & 14), and Tal scored 16,5/18, so it was clearly not a one-off !

I bet when Tal Baron feels like playing in Titled Tuesday again, he will sweep the field. His domination was just too great, and his engine correlation was greater than Carlsen in his recently won match against Petrosian !

So I stand by my words : Tal Baron is the greatest online blitz player in the world. You'll see !

https://ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?event=2809958

Who knows, Hicetnunc - when this becomes official and proven, we'll remember where we heard it first!!!

That's quite amazing indeed, about the engine correlation!!!

Deservingly so, as he's the most brilliant player of his generation.

Now if he'll only fix his attitude, then it might be world champion next.

Not only that, but after today's round in Dortmund he will be #2 on the live rating list, and it must be close to 60 games since his latest loss.

He wins the Dortmund sparkassen and is #2 in the ratings.

Keep it up.