ChessEver News · August 16, 2026
Etienne Bacrot and Sophie Milliet win 2026 French titles
Both championships were decided in rapid tiebreaks after the classical finals finished level.
Etienne Bacrot won the 2026 French Championship Open final by defeating Maxime Lagarde 2–0 in the rapid tiebreak. Their two classical games had both ended in draws.
Bacrot won both rapid games to claim his ninth French Championship, extending his record for Open titles. The victory came 26 years after his second national title in Vichy.
In the 2026 French Women’s Championship final, Sophie Milliet defeated Pauline Guichard 1.5–0.5 in the rapid tiebreak after the classical match also finished 1–1. The first rapid game was drawn before Milliet won the second to secure her seventh national title, tying the championship record.
Both champions had qualified through the knockout semifinals earlier in Vichy.
Image: French Chess Federation.