"BAD FAITH from Hikaru", Candidates HOT TAKES | MVL PODCAST

Try Chessreps and check out my lines here: https://www.chessreps.com/opening/mustreader-s-milner-barry-gambit-vs-the-french-6sbbek Today I’m joined by one of the best chess players in the world — GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. We dive into the biggest topics in chess right now: the 2026 calendar clash, Hikaru’s criticism video, chess as part of esports, the 2026 Olympiad, and more. MVL also explains what went wrong in his attempt to qualify for the Candidates, and together we build a Candidates 2026 tier list — with some very spicy takes. And of course, as always, we finish with a blitz game — don’t miss it! Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mustreader My DISCORD server: https://discord.gg/bXZN36xb My X: https://x.com/mustreader My channel with podcast highlights: https://www.youtube.com/@CwMClips My chess.com club: https://go.chess.com/MustreaderClub Collabs: [email protected] MVL's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MVLChess MVL's X: https://x.com/Vachier_Lagrave MVL's website: https://www.mvlchess.com Listen on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chess-with-mustreader/id1745521337 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2mU5WbBXgDklyN3jm6GMSN All platforms: https://mustreaderchess.mave.digital My previous podcast with MVL: https://youtu.be/6sIBWByqqG8 My podcast with Caruana: https://youtu.be/1LMPYFf1iLo My podcast with Magnus’s coach Peter Heine Nielsen: https://youtu.be/bXQAvKUiA7A My podcast with Wei Yi: https://youtu.be/TeQ-yS9EWRY My podcast with Pragg: https://youtu.be/LYURIPGuMjs My podcast with Giri: https://youtu.be/eFWwfFySx2Q Many thanks to my Patreon supporter: Sarterus 00:00 — Intro 01:13 — How have you changed this year? 03:30 — 2026 calendar clash: MVL’s take 08:24 — MVL on Hikaru’s criticism 11:09 — Will organizers find a compromise? 12:59 — Esports World Cup or Sinquefield Cup? 13:53 — Has Vitality changed you? 15:24 — Chess as an esport 18:01 — What went wrong with Candidates? 22:23 — “The most talented player is…” 25:14 — Back to Candidates qualification 26:33 — How to reach next Candidates? 28:09 — Olympiad 2026 29:47 — Candidates 2026 tier list 30:52 — Don’t underrate Bluebaum 32:19 — Esipenko plays incredible chess 33:57 — Sindarov’s great future 35:56 — Wei Yi: “it’s controversial, but…” 37:32 — Hot take on Pragg 41:29 — Anish impressed in 2025 43:09 — Fabi: six Candidates later... 45:37 — Hikaru: his best chance? 49:25 — Last takes on Candidates 51:37 — Blitz vs MVL My name is Greg Mustreader, I am a Candidate Master in chess, an entrepreneur and host of several podcasts. On the Chess with Mustreader channel, I interview top chess players, play against chess AIs, analyze the most interesting chess games and combinations of today and of the past, as well as show you my path in chess and the way I work on my chess improvement (including recaps from the tournaments I play). I live in Almaty, Kazakhstan and travel the world extensively (been to 50 countries). I'm 32 years old, I have a girlfriend, three dogs and four cats. I speak English, Russian, German, and a bit of French and Chinese. Don't forget to subscribe! #maximevachierlagrave #candidates2026 #chess #hikarunakamura #mvl #chesswithmustreader #mustreaderchess #gregmustreader #cwm