The French Cup 2026 tournament concluded at the end of June. In the final, team ‘Marseille Echecs’ defeated ‘Saint Quentin’ on June 28. The French Chess Federation’s Sports Appeals Commission (CAS) annulled the match result on July 13.

In the semifinals, ‘Saint Quentin’ defeated ‘C’Chartres Echecs’. The decisive victory for the teams was the victory of Italian GM Sabino Brunello. ‘C’Chartres Echecs’ filed an appeal, citing Brunello’s incorrect registration for the tournament. Sabino Brunello registered on January 22, a week after the January 15 deadline.

Team ‘Saint Quentin’ was disqualified from the tournament. A new final will now be scheduled, in which ‘C’Chartres Echecs’ will play against ‘Marseille Echecs’.

Team ‘Marseille Echecs’ is considering appealing to the French National Olympic and Sports Committee to contest the CAS decision. ‘Marseille Echecs’ notes that they did not commit any wrongdoing.

The French Cup is an annual national team tournament, held since 1949. The event is organized by the French Chess Federation. The 2026 edition of the event took place from June 27 to 28 in Poitiers, France.

Credit: Frans Peeters