Caïssa Trophy Final in Lyon

by ChessBase
6/12/2026 – This event takes place from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 June 2026. Coming to Lyon – and in particular to the Lyon Olympique Échecs club – are a World Vice-Champion and European Champion, one French champion and one World Chess Champion! The hosts are delighted to announce the visit of Anna Ushenina, 2012 Women's World Chess Champion, for the event!
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
FRITZ is more than just a chess engine – it’s a training revolution! Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.

Today, 12 June, from 7.30pm/8pm, at the launch of this major Caïssa event, IGM Christian Bauer, accompanied by his talented 13-year-old son Pierre Bauer, will take on 35 players simultaneously. On Saturday 13 June, the Caissa Mixed Tournament, open to everyone, will take place from 3pm to 7.30pm, followed by a pizza blitz from 7.30pm to 10pm featuring surprise guests!

At 4 pm, several champions, including Director Jocelyne Wolfangel, will visit the flagship apartment/studio of the moment belonging to the great Lyon and Villeurbanne surrealists Max and Marie-Claude Schoendorff. It is a house we will cover in a separate story next week.

  

The Caïssa Trophy will be staged on Sunday from 10am to 6pm. It is one of the most important national women’s competitions, bringing together several French Champions and a World and European Vice-Champion! Participants include:

  • WGM Silvia Alexieva, French Champion 2007, European Women’s 50+ Champion in 2024 and 2026, and Women’s 50+ World Vice-Champion in 2024, who represented the French team at the highest level for two decades.
  • Nino Maisuradze, French Champion in 2013 and 2014.
  • Several French Youth and U20 Champions, including Elise Tomasi, Sarah Djidjeli, Sophia Lordier and Sélénia Riss, the brand-new French Junior Champion! 
  • The French Youth and U20 Champions will also be there, including Elise Tomasi, Sarah Djidjeli, Sophia Lordier and Sélénia Riss, the brand-new French Junior Champion! 

On Sunday 14 June, at around 3pm, former Women's World Champion Anna Ushenina will be arriving at the Lyon Olympique Echecs club, located at 5, Place du Marché, 69009 Lyon (Metro line, Valmy stop). From 4pm to 6.30pm, she will play a simultaneous exhibition against around fifteen people.

Location and contacts

Club Lyon Olympique Échecs (LOE)
5, Place du Marché, 69009 Lyon
Tel. 04 78 28 85 87
lyon.o.echecs@gmail.com

Full information:

<< Phases 1 and 2
Reports about chess: tournaments, championships, portraits, interviews, World Championships, product launches and more.
Discussion and Feedback Submit your feedback to the editors

See also

Sam Sevian wins Stepan Avagyan Memorial after obtaining dramatic final-round victory

6/7/2026 – Sam Sevian won the Stepan Avagyan Memorial for a second time after catching Vladislav Artemiev in the final round and taking first place on Sonneborn-Berger tiebreaks. Both players finished unbeaten on 5½/9 in Jermuk. Sevian's final-round win over defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram allowed him to share first place, while Nihal Sarin and Ray Robson finished half a point behind. | Photo: Official website
More...
 1

See also

Praggnanandhaa takes Norway Chess title after scoring four wins in a row

6/6/2026 – Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu won the fourteenth edition of Norway Chess after beating Vincent Keymer in the final round, completing an impressive run of four consecutive classical victories. The 20-year-old from Chennai overtook Wesley So, who drew Alireza Firouzja in classical play and won the Armageddon decider to finish second. Firouzja took third place, while Magnus Carlsen climbed to fourth by defeating world champion Gukesh Dommaraju. | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza
More...
 7

Video

60m The Two Knights

This entry into the 60 minutes series concentrates on the Modern variation of the Italian game where White opens the centre early : 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d4 exd4 5 e5!. This line can be reached by various move orders, most frequently from the Scotch 3 d4 exd4 4 Bc4. It's a sharp variation and Grandmasters such as Evgeny Sveshnikov have used it frequently,with very good results. It's a perfect line for club players to adopt which is relatively easy to learn and which contains many traps. All the main responses are covered here, including 5...d5, 5...Ng4 and 5...Ne4 and the conclusion is that is is difficult for Black to equalize in a straightforward way. Problems are being posed, which over the board might prove tough to solve.