I wonder how Maxime Vachier-Lagrave feels about being supplanted as France's #1? At this rate, he'll be in great company, as 18-year-old Alireza Firouzja has passed almost everyone in the world, not just in France, and sits at #4 in the Live Rating List.
The penultimate match of the round of 16 was played earlier today (if you want to know the result, see the first comment, below, or click here to see Chess.com's report on the match), and it was a good one that came down to the final segment.
As the World Championship match draws near, we'll throw in some preview links from time to time. Today, here are a couple that focus on the challenger, Ian Nepomniachtchi. The first is a profile from Chess.com from a Russian GM going by the pseudonym "SavelijTartakover"...