Étienne Bacrot and Sophie Milliet were crowned French chess champions, winning their ninth and seventh national titles, respectively.
The 2026 edition of the French Championship took place from August 7 to 16 in Vichy and featured 16-player knockout competitions in the Open and Women’s sections, as well as several side Swiss tournaments. In the main events, if a match was tied after two classical games, a 2-game rapid tiebreak (15+10) was played, followed by a 2-game blitz tiebreak (5+3) and an Armageddon game if necessary.
Bacrot smoothly advanced to the quarterfinals, where he defeated IM Peio Dubois in a tiebreak. His semifinal match against GM Laurent Fressinet followed the same script: after two draws in the classical games, Bacrot prevailed in the rapid tiebreak.
On his way to the final, Lagarde played just one tiebreak, defeating Sébastien Mazé in the Round of 16. His quarterfinal and semifinal matches against Yannick Gozzoli and Marc’Andria Maurizzi (the defending champion), respectively, were more straightforward, as Lagarde won both classical matches by the identical score of 1.5-0.5.
As many expected, the final was a tightly contested match, with both classical games ending in draws. The momentum shifted in the tiebreak, which was dominated by Bacrot, who won both rapid games to claim the title.
The match for bronze between Maurizzi and Fressinet was even closer, coming down to the blitz tiebreak. Maurizzi won both games, securing the victory and completing the podium.
The Women’s competition was equally tense. On her way to the final, Milliet battled past Nino Maisuradze, Manon Schippke, and the defending champion, Yosha Iglesias, while Pauline Guichard consecutively eliminated Natacha Benmesbah, Anastasia Savina, and Marie Sebag.
Similarly to the Open final, the Women’s national title was also decided in a tiebreak. After three straight draws (two classical and one rapid), Milliet came out victorious in the fourth game to secure the title.
In the match for third place, Sebag overcame Iglesias after winning the first classical game and drawing the second.
Photos: Ambrose Ducable
Official website: https://vichy2026.ffechecs.org/