In the last list of the top Chess players we published, we went over the best English Chess players. Now in this article, we’re ranking the best French Chess players from France.
All of these players are Chess Grandmasters, meaning they have achieved FIDE ratings of 2500. For more information on FIDE ratings, see the step-by-step guide on how to get a FIDE rating.
10. Matthieu Cornette
Full name: Matthieu Cornette
Title: Grandmaster
Born: 1985
Federation: France
Ratings
World ranking: #314
Rapid: 2546
Blitz: 2500
Classical: 2570
Profiles
The French national was currently a chess coach crowned the grandmaster title and the French chess tournament title in 2008 and 2016. Before these significant titles Cornette, as early as eleven years old, had already established his name in chess tournaments by winning the French under e18 and 20 chess competitions. His significant achievements include winning the French chess tournament in 2016 and the saint – AFRIQUE open contest in 2019.
Cornette Matthieu began playing chess at a young age of about eleven years old at his school. Upon winning the French U18 and U20 championship, he decided to become a professional chess player. He attained his grand master title by 2008. He is the winner of the French chess championship in 2016 in Agen.
Apart from playing chess, Cornette is a chase coach during part time. In 2019, he won the 27th Saint Affrique open whereby he scores 8/9. Previously he acquired the second position in the saint Affrique championship in 2016 and in 2018 tied for first position.
9. Romain Edouard
Full name: Edouard, Romain
Title: 296
Born: 1990
Federation: France
Ratings
World ranking: 296
Rapid: 2623
Blitz: 2521
Classical: 2575
Profiles
Romain has played chess from the age of five, and he entered the first tournament of his life in 2001. At puberty, he had Oliver Renet, a grandmaster in France, teaching him. 2006 was when he carried the European Youth Chess Championship when he was only fifteen years of age. Edouard secured an international master’s title in the year 2007.
Romain started playing chess since he was five years old. At eleven years, he joined his first tournament. He took chess training classes from his fellow chess grandmaster, Olivier Renet. At fifteen years old, he won the European Youth Chess Championship under-16 category.
In 2007, he was granted the international master title. Romain played for French national team at Chess Olympiads in 2009, 2013 and 2015. In 2013 at the event, he won his teammates a silver medal and a gold medal for individual board.
8. Yannick Gozzoli
Full name: Yannick Gozzoli
Title: Grandmaster
Born: 1983
Federation: France
Ratings
World ranking: 236
Rapid: 2621
Blitz: 2609
Classical: 2591
Profiles
Gozzoli won the title of international chess master in 2003 and the grandmaster title he earned in 2012. In August of 2018, he was ranked the eighth player in France. He was competing against Gharamian and Edouard in a tie, but Gharamian ended up victorious by breaking the tie.
Yannick acquired his international master title in 2003 and nine later he attained the grand master title. In 2018, he held the eighth position of best chess French player. In 2018, he tied for the number one position with Tigran Gharamian and Roman Edourdo for the French Chess Championship. After playoff, Tigran won the game.
7. Christian Bauer
Full name: Bauer, Christian
Title: Grandmaster
Born: 1977
Federation: France
Ratings
World ranking: number 226
Rapid: 2608
Blitz: 2727
Classical: 2596
Profiles
Christian has won for France 3 times in 1996, 2012, and 2015. In 2010, he tied with the other seven players for position one. 2005 was when he secured the Calvia Chess Festival, and 2009 was when he was ranked as the first in the Vicente Bonil, earlier than the 21 grandmasters and thirty-three players.
Apart from playing chess, Bauer is an author. He has won three French Chess Championships in 1996, 2012 and 2015. He won the second Calvia Chess festival in 2005 and became number one at Vincente where he was ahead of 21 GMs and 33 players. Bonil in 2009.
Bauer has written several books such as Dynamic and Hypermodern Opening System for Black as well as The Philidor among others.
6. Maxime Lagarde
Full name: Lagarde, Maxime
Title: Grandmaster
Born: 1994
Federation: France
Ratings
World ranking: #142
Rapid: 2682
Blitz: 2622
Classical: 2628
Profiles
Maxime gained his international master crown in 2011, but he earned the grandmaster title in 2013. In August 2021, he was graded as the number 5 top player in France. He emerged in position two during the 2018 Reykjavik opening. 2019 was a good year for him since he won the Chess championship for France after beating Fressient in a deciding game after they had tied.
Maxime is a chess grand master who won French Championship in 2019. He acquired his grand master title in 2013 and international master title in 20122. In August, he was ranked as the number five top French Chess player. Maxime finished in the second position at Reykjavik open in 2019 where he scored 7/9 points. He further won the 22nd Trieste Festival in 2020.
5. Laurent Fressinet
Full name: Laurent Fressinet
Title: Grandmaster
Born: 1981
Federation: France
Ratings
World ranking: 138
Rapid: 2676
Blitz: 2677
Classical: 2630
Profiles
Laurent took the French championship title in 2010 as well as that in 2014. Despite being a resilient player who was #2, two times in the European Individual Chess Championship and the European Blitz championship, and was frequently challenged by Maxime and Etienne. He ended in position six in the Alekhine Memorial tournament in 2013. In October 2015, he tied with two other chess players at position.
Laurent acquired his grand master title in 2000. He also succeeded at becoming a two-time French Championship Master in 2010 and 2014. He is ranked number 27 in the peak rating as per 2010.In 2021 he held the second position in the Grand-Prix final in Ajjacco. He broke the record by been one of the Magnus Carlsen’s second to be in the Magnus team. At that period, he was participating in World Chess Championship matches. Laurent, Josif Dorfman and Jean Baptiste joined cess24 where they became the lead figure of site’s French team.
4. Etienne Bacrot
Full name: Etienne Bacrot
Title: Grandmaster
Born: 1983
Federation: France
Ratings
World ranking: number 120
Rapid: 2720
Blitz: 2673
Classical: 2638
Profiles
Etienne participated in the Candidates matches in 2007 and managed to secure an Aeroflot opening in 2009. 2004 happened the year that Bacrot suppressed the 2700 rating by FIDE. In 2005 however, he emerged as one of the best ten in the world. On top of that, Etienne carried a bronze honor in 2006 when he was playing with the thirty-seventh chess olympiad for his presentation on the first board.
Bacrot started playing chess at a very young age of around four years. When he reached ten years old, he was already winning junior championship competitions.
Bacrot was a chess prodigy as a young child and later on a chess grand master at 14 years. This made him the youngest person to enter the grand master at the time. He participated the Candidate matches in 2007 and 2009 won the Aeroflot Open.
In 2007, two years after passing the 2700 FIDE rating bracket in 2005, he was celebrated for becoming the first chess player to enter the top ten. He was one of the four advisors in world team at Kasparov versus the world event in 1999.
Bacrot won a personal bronze medal at 37th Chess Olympiad in 2006 and 4 other medals in World Team Championships.
3. Jules Moussard
Full name: Jules Moussard
Title: Grandmaster
Born: 1995
Federation: France
Ratings
World ranking: #97
Rapid: 2626
Blitz: 2589
Classical: 2651
Profiles
His first major title was in 2002, when he won the under-8 French tournament. Apart from this, he also won the under-10 game (2005), under-12 tournament (2006), under-14 title (2009), under-16 title (2011), under-18 title (2012), and under-20 title (2015), which was his seventh and final title in the French youth tournament.
He was accorded the Grandmaster title in 2015 by FIDE. He clinched the Paris tournament, which he later reclaimed in 2018. In the London chess tournament, Moussard garnered 7.5 points but won the competition above his closest competitor Nicholaus Pert by a landslide.
Jules acquired his first title in 2002 at the French Youth Championship under-8. He also won six more titles at the French Youth Championship. Thereafter, Jules won under-12 championship in 2006 at Aix-les-Bains, under-14 in 2009 and under-16 championship in 2011. In 2016, FIDE awarded him the grand master title.
In 2011, Jules attained the International Master title. In 2018, he played in London Chess Classic where he tied on 71/2 points out of nine.
2. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
Full name: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
Title: Grandmaster
Born: 1990
Federation: France
Ratings
World ranking: 15
Rapid: 2743
Blitz: 2813
Classical: 2750
Profiles
Up to date, he dates still holds the world blitz chess title. He has crowned the Grandmaster title at the age of fourteen and went on to win the French chess tournament in 2007. World junior chess tournament and Biel grandmaster competition in 2009 made him one of the greatest players in chess history.
Among some of the matches he participated in and performed good well include: the French game, which he won in 2004, the international championship -and he earned 8 points which placed him fifth in 2007, FIDE Grand Prix and world cups -he finished the ninth during the chess world cup in 2009, 2020-2021 candidate’s tournament he came second with 8 points out of the possible fourteen.
Maxime, commonly known by his initials “MVL” is a grandmaster chess player currently reigning World Blitz Chess Championship. He started participating in chess tournaments as early as six years where he won the French Under-8 championship in 1997.
MVL is the seventh top highest rated player in the chess history. He attained his grandmaster title by the age of fourteen. MVL won the French Chess Championship in 2007 and World Junior Chess Championship in 2009. MVL became an international Chess Master in 2004.
His latest achievement was in 2021, in Sinquefield Cup where he was the first player to win the number one position twice.
1. Alireza Firouzja
Full name: Alireza Firouzja
Title: Grandmaster
Born: 2003
Federation: France
Ratings
World ranking: #3
Rapid: 2670
Blitz: 2791
Classical: 2804
Profiles
He began playing chess as early as he was 12 years of age. He currently ranks third in the FIDE world chess rankings with an outstanding rating of 2804, setting a better record than Magnus Carlsen. in addition to being on the short list of Super Grandmasters.
Alireza was awarded the Grandmaster title at just 14 years. He earned silverware in the 2019 world rapid chess tournament and went on to win the FIDE grand Swiss competition in 2021. His outstanding performance in the European chess tournament earned him a gold medal. He clinched the bronze medal at the world blitz chess competition in 2021.
Firouzja was number two since 2021 December for the FIDE World Chess ranking. When he was 12 years, he won the Iranian Chess Championship. He gained the grand master title at the age of 14. By age of 16, Firouzja was the second youngest 2700-rated player. He attended the World Rapid Chess Championship and won a silver medal.
The Super Grandmaster was under the Iranian federation where he left due to policies against Israeli chess players. He became a French citizen in 2021, where he is living up to date. Firouzja set the record of the youngest ever 2800-rated player.
That concludes the list of the ten best French Chess players. If you like list posts like this, you may also be interested in seeing the ten best Indian Chess players or the best Canadian Chess players.