♟️ The French cities with the most chess players

Per inhabitant, the town with the most licensed chess players in France is Gien, with 14.9 / 1 000 hab., ahead of Sanary-sur-Mer (13.8 / 1 000 hab.) and Amilly (9.9 / 1 000 hab.).

What are the 10 French cities with the most chess players per inhabitant?
In order: Gien, Sanary-sur-Mer, Amilly, Fontenay-le-Fleury, Carrières-sur-Seine, Corbas, Allauch, Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Clichy and Châlons-en-Champagne.
What is the top 5 of French cities with the most chess players per inhabitant?
Gien (14.9 / 1 000 hab.), Sanary-sur-Mer (13.8 / 1 000 hab.), Amilly (9.9 / 1 000 hab.), Fontenay-le-Fleury (9.4 / 1 000 hab.) and Carrières-sur-Seine (9.3 / 1 000 hab.).
Which city is 2nd in the ranking of French cities with the most chess players per inhabitant?
Sanary-sur-Mer, at 13.8 / 1 000 hab., just behind Gien (14.9 / 1 000 hab.).
Is Gien really the French city with the most chess players per inhabitant?
Yes, at 14.9 / 1 000 hab., ahead of Sanary-sur-Mer (13.8 / 1 000 hab.) and Amilly (9.9 / 1 000 hab.).
In which département is Gien?
Gien is in département 45, in the Centre-Val de Loire region.
What is the difference between Gien and Sanary-sur-Mer?
Gien is at 14.9 / 1 000 hab., Sanary-sur-Mer at 13.8 / 1 000 hab. The table gives the same figure for all 100 places, so any two of them can be compared the same way.
Which city is 10th in the ranking of French cities with the most chess players per inhabitant?
Châlons-en-Champagne, at 6.3 / 1 000 hab.
How many French cities does this ranking compare?
1,002, with the top 100 listed in full in the table below.
What are the French cities with the most chess players per inhabitant in 2026?
This ranking uses the most recent official figures published as of 2026: Gien leads with 14.9 / 1 000 hab.
Is there a complete ranking of French cities with the most chess players per inhabitant?
Yes, the table below: the top 100 of 1,002, each with its département and its region, and the exact method and scope stated underneath it.
Which French city has the most chess players?
Per inhabitant, Gien, at 14.9 / 1 000 hab. In raw numbers the biggest cities lead, as they do for every federation.

The table below ranks the top 100 of the 1,002 cities in the dataset, each with its département, its region and the figure it is ranked on (chess players per 1,000 inhabitants), so you can see not just the order but how far apart the places are. The numbers are official public data: INSEE legal populations and the IGN commune registry, with the exact method and the exact scope stated under the table rather than left to be guessed at.

The same data answers neighbouring questions too: see The most populated cities in France and The densest cities in France, or all rankings for the full list. All of it comes from Hexagone, a free daily game that gives you five French cities and one of these statistics and asks you for the order.

Top 100 of 1,002 cities
#CityRegionPlayers / 1,000Population
145GienCentre-Val de Loire14.9 / 1 000 hab.13,459
283Sanary-sur-MerProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur13.8 / 1 000 hab.18,538
345AmillyCentre-Val de Loire9.9 / 1 000 hab.13,582
478Fontenay-le-FleuryÎle-de-France9.4 / 1 000 hab.13,680
578Carrières-sur-SeineÎle-de-France9.3 / 1 000 hab.14,791
669CorbasAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes9.3 / 1 000 hab.11,315
713AllauchProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur7.6 / 1 000 hab.21,443
847Villeneuve-sur-LotNouvelle-Aquitaine6.6 / 1 000 hab.22,350
992ClichyÎle-de-France6.5 / 1 000 hab.64,410
1051Châlons-en-ChampagneGrand Est6.3 / 1 000 hab.42,971
1139Lons-le-SaunierBourgogne-Franche-Comté6.1 / 1 000 hab.16,618
1291YerresÎle-de-France5.9 / 1 000 hab.27,906
1383Le MuyProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur5.9 / 1 000 hab.10,118
1429FouesnantBretagne5.6 / 1 000 hab.10,436
1554Vandœuvre-lès-NancyGrand Est5.5 / 1 000 hab.29,942
1692Bois-ColombesÎle-de-France5.3 / 1 000 hab.28,909
1767ErsteinGrand Est5.2 / 1 000 hab.10,790
1846CahorsOccitanie5.1 / 1 000 hab.20,050
1967BischwillerGrand Est5.1 / 1 000 hab.12,242
2091OrsayÎle-de-France5 / 1 000 hab.16,498
2106CannesProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur4.8 / 1 000 hab.74,350
2278Triel-sur-SeineÎle-de-France4.6 / 1 000 hab.12,206
2378Le VésinetÎle-de-France4.4 / 1 000 hab.15,554
2456PloërmelBretagne4.4 / 1 000 hab.10,163
2545OlivetCentre-Val de Loire4.3 / 1 000 hab.23,507
2695FranconvilleÎle-de-France4.2 / 1 000 hab.37,754
2725BesançonBourgogne-Franche-Comté4.1 / 1 000 hab.118,489
2814LisieuxNormandie4.1 / 1 000 hab.19,645
2983OllioulesProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur4.1 / 1 000 hab.14,568
3050La HagueNormandie4 / 1 000 hab.11,484
3150Saint-LôNormandie3.9 / 1 000 hab.19,471
3234LattesOccitanie3.9 / 1 000 hab.17,351
3383HyèresProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur3.8 / 1 000 hab.55,858
3495Enghien-les-BainsÎle-de-France3.8 / 1 000 hab.11,432
3533ArcachonNouvelle-Aquitaine3.8 / 1 000 hab.11,092
3692SuresnesÎle-de-France3.7 / 1 000 hab.48,956
3754NancyGrand Est3.6 / 1 000 hab.103,671
3806Mandelieu-la-NapouleProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur3.6 / 1 000 hab.21,640
3967ObernaiGrand Est3.6 / 1 000 hab.12,587
4047AgenNouvelle-Aquitaine3.5 / 1 000 hab.32,801
4176DieppeNormandie3.5 / 1 000 hab.28,496
42974L'Étang-SaléLa Réunion3.5 / 1 000 hab.14,464
4333ParempuyreNouvelle-Aquitaine3.5 / 1 000 hab.10,672
4492PuteauxÎle-de-France3.4 / 1 000 hab.44,002
4528ChartresCentre-Val de Loire3.4 / 1 000 hab.38,324
4684OrangeProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur3.4 / 1 000 hab.29,706
4791Juvisy-sur-OrgeÎle-de-France3.4 / 1 000 hab.19,292
4877AvonÎle-de-France3.4 / 1 000 hab.13,651
4935PacéBretagne3.4 / 1 000 hab.11,703
5035DinardBretagne3.4 / 1 000 hab.10,772
5159Neuville-en-FerrainHauts-de-France3.4 / 1 000 hab.10,002
522BBastiaCorse3.3 / 1 000 hab.46,867
5354Villers-lès-NancyGrand Est3.1 / 1 000 hab.14,718
5429PlouzanéBretagne3.1 / 1 000 hab.13,567
5559TourcoingHauts-de-France3 / 1 000 hab.98,772
5694VincennesÎle-de-France3 / 1 000 hab.48,193
5794Chennevières-sur-MarneÎle-de-France3 / 1 000 hab.18,710
5845MontargisCentre-Val de Loire3 / 1 000 hab.14,825
5945Châlette-sur-LoingCentre-Val de Loire3 / 1 000 hab.12,677
6005GapProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur2.9 / 1 000 hab.41,293
6192SèvresÎle-de-France2.9 / 1 000 hab.22,303
6294Saint-MandéÎle-de-France2.9 / 1 000 hab.21,071
6357SarregueminesGrand Est2.9 / 1 000 hab.20,143
6457YutzGrand Est2.9 / 1 000 hab.17,391
6553Château-Gontier-sur-MayennePays de la Loire2.9 / 1 000 hab.16,584
6677FontainebleauÎle-de-France2.9 / 1 000 hab.15,583
6777Dammartin-en-GoëleÎle-de-France2.9 / 1 000 hab.11,907
6859La MadeleineHauts-de-France2.8 / 1 000 hab.21,790
6906MouginsProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur2.8 / 1 000 hab.19,782
7054LaxouGrand Est2.8 / 1 000 hab.14,771
7195L'Isle-AdamÎle-de-France2.8 / 1 000 hab.12,493
7294Maisons-AlfortÎle-de-France2.7 / 1 000 hab.56,799
7373Aix-les-BainsAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes2.7 / 1 000 hab.32,406
7444CarquefouPays de la Loire2.7 / 1 000 hab.20,921
7522LannionBretagne2.7 / 1 000 hab.20,315
7622PlérinBretagne2.7 / 1 000 hab.14,425
7735BettonBretagne2.7 / 1 000 hab.12,964
7878Voisins-le-BretonneuxÎle-de-France2.7 / 1 000 hab.10,624
7929QuimperBretagne2.6 / 1 000 hab.64,385
8084L'Isle-sur-la-SorgueProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur2.6 / 1 000 hab.20,244
8149Segré-en-Anjou BleuPays de la Loire2.6 / 1 000 hab.17,667
8266Canet-en-RoussillonOccitanie2.6 / 1 000 hab.13,227
8392Asnières-sur-SeineÎle-de-France2.5 / 1 000 hab.93,941
8492MalakoffÎle-de-France2.5 / 1 000 hab.30,557
8583La GardeProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur2.5 / 1 000 hab.26,476
8614Hérouville-Saint-ClairNormandie2.5 / 1 000 hab.23,470
8791Gif-sur-YvetteÎle-de-France2.5 / 1 000 hab.22,544
8832AuchOccitanie2.5 / 1 000 hab.22,428
8995VauréalÎle-de-France2.5 / 1 000 hab.16,079
90972Le FrançoisMartinique2.5 / 1 000 hab.15,778
9101Divonne-les-BainsAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes2.5 / 1 000 hab.10,464
9283La Seyne-sur-MerProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur2.4 / 1 000 hab.63,732
9306Le CannetProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur2.4 / 1 000 hab.41,938
9478Montigny-le-BretonneuxÎle-de-France2.4 / 1 000 hab.32,465
9595PontoiseÎle-de-France2.4 / 1 000 hab.31,970
9695ErmontÎle-de-France2.4 / 1 000 hab.29,489
9781GaillacOccitanie2.4 / 1 000 hab.16,162
9860SenlisHauts-de-France2.4 / 1 000 hab.15,157
9969FeyzinAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes2.4 / 1 000 hab.10,304
10013La CiotatProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur2.3 / 1 000 hab.38,477

Scope: France, metropolitan and overseas, Corsica and the DROM included. This dataset holds every commune of 10,000 inhabitants or more, plus smaller communes famous enough to be household names, 1,131 in all. It is not the full list of 35,000 French communes, so a village can sit outside a ranking whose extreme it would otherwise hold. This particular ranking is a rate per inhabitant, so it covers towns of 10,000 people or more only: in a village of a hundred, three licence holders would read as thirty per thousand and outrank a town with a professional club, so no rate is published below that size rather than a meaningless one.

Method and sources: populations are the INSEE legal populations, boundaries and coordinates come from the IGN commune registry, both served by geo.api.gouv.fr. Density is the population divided by the commune's area; distances are measured as the crow flies from the commune's centre. Data read on August 11, 2026.

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FAQ

Which French city plays the most chess?

Per inhabitant, the town with the most licensed chess players in France is Gien, with 14.9 / 1 000 hab., ahead of Sanary-sur-Mer (13.8 / 1 000 hab.) and Amilly (9.9 / 1 000 hab.).

What are the top 10?

In order: Gien (14.9 / 1 000 hab.), Sanary-sur-Mer (13.8 / 1 000 hab.), Amilly (9.9 / 1 000 hab.), Fontenay-le-Fleury (9.4 / 1 000 hab.), Carrières-sur-Seine (9.3 / 1 000 hab.), Corbas (9.3 / 1 000 hab.), Allauch (7.6 / 1 000 hab.), Villeneuve-sur-Lot (6.6 / 1 000 hab.), Clichy (6.5 / 1 000 hab.), Châlons-en-Champagne (6.3 / 1 000 hab.).

Does this say where the best players are?

No, and it is worth being blunt about it: this counts licence holders per inhabitant, which measures how many people belong to a club, not how well they play. Chess licences are also far rarer than football or tennis ones, so a single active club can lift a mid-size town to the top of the table while the big cities, which have more players in total, sit lower. Paris was the chess capital of Europe for two centuries; it does not lead this ranking.

Other rankings

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