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National Champions

French Chess Champions

A list of French Chess Championship winners, covering the official national championship from 1923 to the latest completed event.

Current Champion

Étienne Bacrot

Current champion after defeating Maxime Lagarde in the 2026 French Championship final tiebreak in Vichy.

Most Championships

Étienne Bacrot, 9 when the shared 2012 title is counted

First Championship

Official French Championship first held in 1923

Champions

54

101 championships

Championship History

France had unofficial national tournaments as early as the Cafe de la Regence events of the 1880s, but the official championship line began in 1923 after the Federation Francaise des Echecs was formed.

The title has included multiple winners such as Maurice Raizman, César Boutteville, Jean-Luc Seret, and Étienne Bacrot. The 2012 title is listed as shared after the final round was cancelled.

The 2026 championship in Vichy used 16-player knockout brackets. Étienne Bacrot defeated Maxime Lagarde 2-0 in the rapid tiebreak after two classical draws to claim his ninth French title.

France Champion List

Champions appear from oldest to newest. Shared titles and tied first places appear under each player's name.

YearChampion
1923Georges Renaud
1924Robert Crépeaux
1925Robert Crépeaux
1926André Chéron
1927André Chéron
1928Aimé Gibaud
1929André Chéron
1930Aimé Gibaud
1931André Muffang
1932Maurice Raizman
1933Aristide Gromer
1934Victor Kahn
1935Aimé Gibaud
1936Maurice Raizman
1937Aristide Gromer
1938Aristide Gromer
1941Robert Crépeaux
1942Roger Daniel
1943Louis Bigot
1945César Boutteville
1946Maurice Raizman
1947Maurice Raizman
1948Nicolas Rossolimo
1949Claude Hugot
1950César Boutteville
1951Maurice Raizman
1952Maurice Raizman
1953Savielly Tartakower
1954César Boutteville
1955César Boutteville
1956Pierre Rolland
1957Volf Bergraser
1958Claude Lemoine
1959César Boutteville
1961Guy Mazzoni
1962André Thiellement
1963André Thiellement
1964Michel Roos
1965Guy Mazzoni
1966Volf Bergraser
1967César Boutteville
1968Jean-Claude Letzelter
1969Jacques Planté
1970Jacques Maclès
1971Jean-Claude Letzelter
1972Aldo Haïk
1973Michel Benoit
1974Jean-Claude Letzelter
1975Miodrag Todorcevic
1976François Chevaldonnet
1977Louis Roos
1978Nicolas Giffard
1979Bachar Kouatly
1980Jean-Luc Seret
1981Jean-Luc Seret
1982Nicolas Giffard
1983Aldo Haïk
1984Jean-Luc Seret
1985Jean-Luc Seret
1986Gilles Mirallès
1987Christophe Bernard
1988Gilles Andruet
1989Gilles Mirallès
1990Marc Santo-Roman
1991Marc Santo-Roman
1992Manuel Apicella
1993Emmanuel Bricard
1994Marc Santo-Roman
1995Éric Prié
1996Christian Bauer
1997Anatoly Vaisser
1998Josif Dorfman
1999Étienne Bacrot
2000Étienne Bacrot
2001Étienne Bacrot
2002Étienne Bacrot
2003Étienne Bacrot
2004Joël Lautier
2005Joël Lautier
2006Vladislav Tkachiev
2007Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
2008Étienne Bacrot
2009Vladislav Tkachiev
2010Laurent Fressinet
2011Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
2012Christian Bauer
2012Étienne Bacrot
2012Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
2012Romain Édouard
2013Hicham Hamdouchi
2014Laurent Fressinet
2015Christian Bauer
2016Matthieu Cornette
2017Étienne Bacrot
2018Tigran Gharamian
2019Maxime Lagarde
2022Jules Moussard
2023Yannick Gozzoli
2024Jules Moussard
2025Marc'Andria Maurizzi
2026Étienne Bacrot

Sources

Sources include federation archives, tournament reports, and historical winners tables.

Last reviewed: September 5, 2026.

By IgniteChess Editorial Published Reviewed by Patrik Tzortzakos on