The game of chess is enjoying a resurgence in France, thanks largely to Covid-19 lockdowns and a hit Netflix series.
As of 2025, France has 964 chess clubs and 15 regional chess leagues run by the French Chess Federation.
“The discipline is currently enjoying unprecedented popularity,” the federation’s president, Eloi Relange, told The Connexion.
Membership has broken records in each of the past four years, and is set to exceed 100,000, far above the 50,000-member average over the last 20 years, according to Mr Relange.
Online explosion
He said the Covid-19 pandemic played an important role in reviving interest in chess. Stuck indoors, many people got out their old board, or started playing online.
Netflix TV series The Queen’s Gambit, about a fictional US chess prodigy struggling with a drug and alcohol addiction, also brought the game to a new audience.
There has been an “explosion” in online gaming too. Specialised streamers on Twitch and YouTube now boast large communities of chess fans, while content creators provide live commentary, analysis and reviews of games.
“With the emergence of a very active digital ecosystem around content creators, chess has become a genuine pop culture phenomenon,” said Mr Relange.
France already had a strong tradition of chess, with over 25 million people, or a third of the country, knowing the rules of the game, according to the French Chess Federation. It also has some of the world’s best players.
French-Iranian grandmaster Alireza Firouzja, 22, became the youngest player to surpass a World Chess Federation rating of 2800, while grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is the seventh-highest-rated player in history, with a peak of 2819.
Social links
The sport is also credited with creating social links. Chess café Blitz Society opened in 2021 in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighbourhood of Paris.
“The idea is quite simple: we see it as a kind of physical social network,” said Blitz Society CEO Romain Benhamou.
“Instead of connecting people online, we wanted to create a real place where people can meet, talk and connect naturally around a chessboard.”
The idea for Blitz Society formed during the pandemic. “Chess was becoming popular again, especially with the rise of the blitz format [more commonly known as speed chess].
Blitz games are fast, energetic and much more social than traditional long games, which made them perfect for the kind of place we wanted to create.”
Mr Benhamou attributes the strong increase in interest since Covid to better visibility and accessibility thanks to online platforms, social media and streaming.
“Many people are rediscovering it, often in a more relaxed and social way.”
Blitz Society, designed as a social space rather than a competitive club, attracts a more diverse clientele than the traditional male-dominated image of chess.
“One of the most interesting things for us has been the increasing number of women who come to play or simply enjoy the atmosphere. The more open and social environment seems to make the game feel much more welcoming.”
There has also been a greater push to make chess more accessible – the Class’Échecs programme, launched in 2022, aims to introduce primary school children to the game.
The programme has gone from 1,200 partner schools in 2022 to 3,500 in 2024, with 160,000 children taking part, up from 60,000.
A study by the French Chess Federation found the programme helped with classroom behaviour, provided transferable skills for other subjects and was beneficial for students with learning difficulties.
“Chess is a remarkable social tool,” said Mr Benhamou. “You can sit down with someone you have never met, start a game, and within minutes you are talking, joking or analysing the position together.”
To find a local chess club, see the Federation’s website.
Quirky French chess facts
1. A famous checkmate trick bears a French name
The classic pattern known as Legal’s Mate is named after François-Antoine de Legall de Kermeur, an 18th-Century master born near Versailles. The combination involves sacrificing the queen before delivering checkmate with minor pieces.
2. A Soviet champion later played for France
Former world champion Boris Spassky, famous for his 1972 match with Bobby Fischer, moved to France in the late 1970s. He later represented France in several Chess Olympiads during the 1980s.
3. A French phrase is used worldwide in chess
The move known as en passant – meaning “in passing” – allows a pawn to capture another pawn that has just advanced two squares. The term is rarely translated from French.
4. In French, the bishop is a “fool”
In English chess, the piece is called a bishop, reflecting its shape in medieval European sets. In French it is called a fou, meaning “fool” or court jester.
The name likely reflects older piece designs that resembled a jester’s cap rather than a church official. The difference highlights how chess pieces acquired different identities as the game spread across Europe.
5. Europe’s leading chess centre was once a Paris café
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the Café de la Régence in Paris became Europe’s leading chess centre. Famous players such as Philidor, Deschapelles and La Bourdonnais met there regularly, along with visiting masters including US star Paul Morphy.
