Corsican Chess League

♟️ About Lega Corsa di Scacchi – Ligue Corse d’Échecs

The Lega Corsa di Scacchi – Ligue Corse d’Échecs is the official regional chess federation for Corsica, France. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Bastia, it operates within the structure of the Fédération Française des Échecs (FFE) and coordinates organized chess across the island. Its responsibilities include regional championships, club competition, youth development, school chess, training and certification, tournament homologation, arbitration, and support for Corsican players competing at French and international level. The league is particularly distinctive for the scale of its school-chess program. Since its creation, chess instruction has been integrated into schools across Corsica in partnership with educational authorities and local communities. In addition, the league coordinates the Corsican Individual and Team Championships, youth championships, veterans competition, instructor and arbiter training, and a large network of club tournaments. Its international calendar includes the Corsican Circuit, with major events in Porticcio and Quenza that bring titled players and leading grandmasters to the island. Akkhavanh “Akkha” Vilaisarn is the current President of the Ligue Corse des Échecs, having succeeded founder Léo Battesti in 2020. The FFE continues to list him as President in 2026, with Jean-François Luciani responsible for the secretariat and Guillaume Gerandi for technical matters. The 2026 season combined mass school events, regional championships, instructor education, and international competition. Matteo Ratier-Fontana retained the Corsican individual title, Scacchera Llu Pazzu 1 became Corsican team champion, while the summer Corsican Circuit produced victories for IM Tobias Koelle in Porticcio and Corsican GM Marc’Andria Maurizzi in Quenza.

📜 History and Development

The Ligue Corse des Échecs was created in 1998, when organized chess in Corsica separated from the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regional structure. At the time, the new league had approximately 250 licensed players. From the beginning, its strategy focused heavily on introducing chess through schools. This approach transformed the scale of participation on the island. The league’s official historical presentation reported 6,977 affiliated players by 2022 and approximately 50,000 young Corsicans introduced to chess over two decades. Founder Léo Battesti served as President for 23 years before stepping down in 2020. Akkhavanh Vilaisarn, already an experienced trainer and arbiter within Corsican chess, was elected unanimously by the island’s clubs to succeed him.

🎓 School and Youth Chess

School chess remains one of the league’s largest programs. During spring 2026, major school championships were staged across Ajaccio, Ghisonaccia, Corte and Balagne, the Greater Bastia area, Costa Verde, and Porto-Vecchio. The scale is substantial. The Greater Bastia championship alone brought together approximately 1,200 pupils from 55 classes and 18 schools. Around 750 pupils from 34 classes were expected for the inaugural Centre Corse and Balagne championship, while the Costa Serena event involved approximately 800 children. Hundreds more participated in Ajaccio, Costa Verde, and Porto-Vecchio. These events are the culmination of chess instruction delivered throughout the school year. The league also organizes the Corsican Youth Championships, school-team competitions, qualification events, and pathways toward the French Youth Championships.

🏆 Corsican Championships and Club Chess

The league administers official territorial championships in individual and team chess. In the 2026 Corsican Individual Championship, Matteo Ratier-Fontana successfully defended his title after defeating Pierre-Joseph Bonelli Maestracci in the rapid playoff of the final. The 2025–2026 Corsican Team Championship was won by Scacchera Llu Pazzu 1, which completed the competition with a perfect record. The league also held its youth championship finals in Corte and organized the Corsican Veterans Championship for players aged 65 and over for the second consecutive year. Alongside these championships, affiliated clubs organize Opens, rapid and blitz competitions throughout the island. The calendar extends from Bastia and Ajaccio to Balagne, Casinca, Fium’Orbu, Porto-Vecchio, Alta Rocca, and other Corsican communities.

🌟 Corsican Circuit

The Corsican Circuit is the league’s best-known international tournament project and combines strong competitive chess with events staged in distinctive locations around the island. The 11th Open International Marina Viva de Purtichju took place from June 27 to July 3, 2026 at Hotel Club Marina Viva in Porticcio. The festival featured three nine-round competitions, including an international section for players above 1900 Elo with opportunities for FIDE title norms. The main Open produced an exceptionally close finish. Seven players scored 6.5/9, with German IM Tobias Koelle taking first place on tiebreak ahead of GMs Sergey Fedorchuk, Piotr Brodowski, Zbigniew Pakleza, Andrey Sumets, Gudmundur Kjartansson, and Loïc Travadon. The Circuit then moved to the Alta Rocca for the 15th Open International de Blitz de Quenza on July 4–5, 2026. The nine-round event used a 5 minutes plus 3 seconds per move format and offered €20,000 in prizes and awards. The field contained 18 titled players, including 10 grandmasters. Corsican GM Marc’Andria Maurizzi dominated the tournament with 8.5/9, ahead of GM Maxime Lagarde on eight points and IM Tobias Koelle on seven.

🏛️ Organization, Training and Development

The current league structure is headed by President Akkhavanh Vilaisarn. Jean-François Luciani oversees the secretariat and arbitration, Sauveur Giannoni is responsible for finances, and Guillaume Gerandi handles technical matters. Jean-Philippe Orsoni remains another central operational figure and is responsible for youth competition and tournament homologation. Pierre-Louis Pieri oversees training. The league also develops the people needed to sustain its tournament network. In May 2026, it organized a new DIFFE federal chess-instructor course in Ajaccio, adding to its long-running program for coaches, instructors, and arbiters. This combination of school chess, club competition, technical education, and international events has created an unusually broad chess structure for an island region.