On to the finals
The semifinals of the 2025 French Chess Championship in Vichy provided excitement and surprises, paving the way for two high-class final matches.
The final pairings of Maurizzi v. Fressinet and Hejazipour v. Iglesias now pit two generations against each other: up-and-coming talents seeking their place in the international spotlight and veterans who have proven their class over decades.
The two classical games of each final will be played on Friday and Saturday at 2:30 p.m. local time (if necessary, tiebreaks will be played at noon on Sunday). Then it will be time for the titles and the coronation of the new French champions.
Open tournament
In the open tournament, young grandmaster Marc'Andria Maurizzi prevailed over experienced Etienne Bacrot in a tiebreaker with a score of 1½-½ after signing two draws in the classical encounters. Maurizzi, who has already caused a sensation by becoming the youngest-ever French GM, once again demonstrated his strong nerves and creativity. This is his first time in the final of the national championship.
The videos deal with the exciting French Advance Variation, starting with 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5. Besides numerous sidelines, the main focus is on the two most played systems with 3...c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 and 5...Bd7.Maurizzi's opponent will be none other than Laurent Fressinet, who prevailed in his semifinal against Sébastien Mazé thanks to his victory in the first semifinal game. Fressinet, a multiple French champion and long-time member of the national team, used his experience and precision to outplay Mazé, who missed out on a place in the final despite playing energetically. Bacrot and Mazé will now compete for third place.
All games
Women's tournament
There were also exciting confrontations in the women's tournament. Former Iranian representative and 2023 French women's champion Mitra Hejazipour advanced after prevailing in a hard-fought duel against defending champion Deimanté Daulyte-Cornette. Although Hejazipour won the first game of the semifinal, she lost the second. In the ensuing tiebreaker, she also won game one, but then managed to steer the rematch to a draw.
In this two-volume video course former world-champion and startrainer Rustam Kasimdzhanov shows you the ins and outs of this hugely complex opening.Her opponent in the final will be Yosha Iglesias, who defeated Anastasia Savina with a win in game one and a draw in game two. Iglesias, who has caused a stir in recent years, particularly in rapid and blitz chess, has thus crowned her rise by reaching the national final. Daulyte-Cornette and Savina will compete for the bronze medal, which represents an important opportunity for both to end the tournament on a high note.
All games
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