Chess: 2026 National Championships   |11 July 2026

The winners in a family photo, with a representative of the sponsors (Photo: Contributed)

Hoareau, Abel, Gobin the winners

Candidate Master Benjamin Hoareau, Jeanne d’Arc Abel and Sebastien Gobin emerged as champions in their respective categories at the 2026 Seychelles National Chess Championship, held over two Saturdays, at the St Louis community centre.

Organised by the Seychelles Chess Federation (SCF), this year's championship attracted 39 players from across the country, who competed in the open, women's and under-14 (U14) categories.

Fresh from winning the inaugural Seychelles–Russia Friendship Tournament, Candidate Master (CM) Hoareau continued his winning run by claiming the open national title.

He finished unbeaten on 5½ points, winning five games and drawing one against eventual runner-up Sam Laurent in the fourth round.

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