French Championships: A Family Affair
The 2010 French Championships were held in Belfort from 9-21 August.
The men's championship was a 12-player single round robin event, and the women's a 6-player double round-robin.
The men's championship was closely contested, with a tie-break needed to separate Laurent Fressinet (pictured) and Romain Edouard after both finished on 8/11.
Edouard had made the early pace during the event, but Fressinet won the second game of the rapid playoff to take the title.
The women's championship produced a clearer winner, with Almira Skripchenko justifying her Elo advantage by finishing 1.5 points ahead of her nearest rival.
Almira Skripchenko also just happens to be the wife of Laurent Fressinet, so it was a double celebration for this chess couple!
The final standings:
| Edouard, Romain | 2620 | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 8 |
| Fressinet, Laurent | 2697 | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Bacrot, Etienne | 2720 | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 7 |
| Bauer, Christian | 2612 | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 6 |
| Dorfman, Iossif D | 2583 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 5½ |
| Tkachiev, Vladislav | 2639 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 5½ |
| Bricard, Emmanuel | 2478 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 5 |
| Sokolov, Andrei | 2596 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 4½ |
| Charnushevich, Aliaksei | 2497 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | ½ | 4½ |
| Hamdouchi, Hicham | 2600 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | 0 | ½ | 4 |
| Degraeve, Jean-Marc | 2569 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | * | 0 | 4 |
| Cornette, Matthieu | 2543 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | * | 4 |
The women's final standings:
| Skripchenko, Almira | 2458 | * | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7½ |
| Milliet, Sophie | 2367 | ½ | ½ | * | * | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Leconte, Maria | 2337 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | * | * | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 5½ |
| Collas, Silvia | 2333 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | * | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 5 |
| Guichard, Pauline | 2320 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | * | * | ½ | 1 | 4 |
| Roumegous, Marina | 2181 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | * | * | 2 |
