France climbs to No. 6 among federations, Moussard wins the Sants Open
By Louis · October 1, 2026 · 4 min read
Photo: FIDEFrance climbs from No. 7 to No. 6 among federations by the average of its 10 best active players (2630.0), after a Chess Olympiad where the open team finished 9th and the women's team 12th. Jules Moussard won the Sants Open with 9/10 and climbs from No. 7 to No. 4 in France at 2620 (+18 this month). Alireza Firouzja remains France's top-rated player at 2757. Marc'Andria Maurizzi (19) climbs from No. 5 to No. 3 in the French top 10 at 2624 after a +12 month, +12.0 at the Chess Olympiad (open) with 7.5/10.
France top 10
Etienne Bacrot slips from No. 3 to No. 6 in the French top 10 at 2612 after a -8 month, -5.3 at the Spanish Primera División with 3/7.
| # | Player | World | Elo | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  GMAlireza Firouzja | 10 | 2757 | 0 |
| 2 |  GMMaxime Vachier-Lagrave | 22 | 2717 | -1 |
| 3 |  GMMarc'Andria Maurizzi | 101 | 2624 | +12 |
| 4 |  GMJules Moussard | 109 | 2620 | +18 |
| 5 |  GMPouya Idani | 117 | 2615 | 0 |
| 6 |  GMEtienne Bacrot | 124 | 2612 | -8 |
| 7 |  GMLaurent Fressinet | 130 | 2610 | 0 |
| 8 |  GMMaxime Lagarde | 154 | 2597 | +4 |
| 9 |  GMGata Kamsky | 167 | 2592 | 0 |
| 10 | GMChristian Bauer | 270 | 2556 | +4 |
Top 20 — who moved
| # | Player | Federation | Elo | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | GMJoseph Girel | FRA | 2508 | 0 |
France women's top 10
Marie Sebag remains the top-rated French woman at 2402 (+1 this month).
| # | Player | World | Elo | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  GMMarie Sebag | 45 | 2402 | +1 |
| 2 |  IMDeimante Daulyte-Cornette | 59 | 2385 | -6 |
| 3 |  IMAlmira Skripchenko | 72 | 2375 | -1 |
| 4 |  IMSophie Milliet | 92 | 2348 | -10 |
| 5 |  IMPauline Guichard | 95 | 2345 | +1 |
| 6 |  WGMMitra Hejazipour | 96 | 2344 | 0 |
| 7 | WFMEmilie Negre | 108 | 2337 | +106 |
| 8 |  IMAnastasia Savina | 118 | 2325 | +1 |
| 9 |  WIMCecile Haussernot | 181 | 2287 | 0 |
| 10 | WIMManon Schippke | 192 | 2281 | +10 |
Full France women's ranking →
Beyond the top 10
The biggest gain among French players rated 2200+ belongs to Negre, 16, with +106 to 2337, +106.4 at the Aogée festival in Nîmes (tournament A) with 5/9. Valentin Nicot (13) crosses 2300 for the first time on FIDE lists since 2001, now at 2345. Erwan Lever crosses 2300 for the first time on FIDE lists since 2001, now at 2301. Camille Blanquet, rated 2078, beat Rajat Makkar (2458) at the Aogée festival in Nîmes (tournament A), a 380-point gap.
New titles
The October list brings 1 new FIDE master.
Juniors — under 20
25 active French players aged 20 or under are rated 2300+, against 27 of the same age a year ago.
Full France U20 ranking →
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave has held France's No. 1 the longest
Alireza Firouzja has been No. 1 since Oct 2021. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave holds the record for most time at the top: 10 years and 4 months in total. 6 players have led France since 2001.
All 25 reigns with dates
- TkachievJan 2001 → Apr 20016m
- LautierJul 2001 → Oct 20021y 6m
- BacrotJan 2003 → Jan 20033m
- LautierApr 2003 → Apr 20041y 3m
- BacrotJul 2004 → Jul 20084y 3m
- Vachier-LagraveOct 2008 → Oct 20083m
- BacrotJan 2009 → Jul 20098m
- Vachier-LagraveSep 2009 → Mar 20108m
- BacrotMay 2010 → May 20102m
- Vachier-LagraveJul 2010 → Sep 20104m
- BacrotNov 2010 → Jan 20114m
- Vachier-LagraveMar 2011 → Sep 20118m
- BacrotNov 2011 → Mar 20126m
- FressinetMay 2012 → Sep 20125m
- BacrotOct 2012 → Oct 20121m
- Vachier-LagraveNov 2012 → Apr 20136m
- BacrotMay 2013 → Jun 20132m
- Vachier-LagraveJul 2013 → Aug 20132m
- BacrotSep 2013 → Sep 20131m
- Vachier-LagraveOct 2013 → Oct 20131m
- BacrotNov 2013 → Nov 20131m
- Vachier-LagraveDec 2013 → Jun 20217y 7m
- FirouzjaJul 2021 → Aug 20212m
- Vachier-LagraveSep 2021 → Sep 20211m
- FirouzjaOct 2021 → Oct 20265y 1m
Marie Sebag has been No. 1 since Apr 2006, and no one has spent longer at the top: 21 years and 7 months in total. 3 players have led France's women since 2001.
All 7 reigns with dates
- SebagJan 2001 → Apr 20016m
- Te-LlalemandJul 2001 → Jul 20013m
- SebagOct 2001 → Oct 20013m
- SkripchenkoJan 2002 → Apr 20053y 6m
- SebagJul 2005 → Jul 20053m
- SkripchenkoOct 2005 → Jan 20066m
- SebagApr 2006 → Oct 202620y 7m
Where France played
The event with the most French players rated 2300+ was the Aogée festival in Nîmes (tournament A) (64 French players, 18 of them rated 2300+), won by Pierre Laurent-Paoli. 112 French players received their first FIDE standard rating on the October list.
| Event | FRA players |
|---|---|
| Aogée festival in Nîmes (tournament A) · NIMES | 64 |
| Chess Olympiad (open) · Samarkand | 5 |
| Sestao Open · Sestao (Vizcaya) | 10 |
| Spanish Primera División · Linares (Jaen) | 4 |
| Chess Olympiad (women) · Samarkand | 5 |
| Sants Open · Barcelona | 13 |
| Polish Team Championship (First League) · Chotowa | 2 |
| Monthey Grand Prix · Monthey | 4 |
Top games of the month · France players
The standout games of the month involving France players. Replay them move by move.
Starting position
Masters0 games
| Masters 2400+ · OTB only | You | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Games | Results | Games | Score | ≈ Elo |
Written by
Louis
Founder & product
Chasing 2300. Started Chess Second to train smarter and get there.
Methodology
Computed from the official FIDE standard rating list of October 2026, compared with the previous monthly list and the monthly archive since 2001. Active players only (no inactivity flag on the list). Federation = the federation shown on each list, not today's. Age = list year minus birth year. Tournament results come from rated event files (classical only); events not yet published by FIDE may be missing. Every figure in this report is generated from the data and checked automatically against it.