The French Chess Championship is the annual, national chess tournament of France. It was officially first played in 1923 after the formation of the Fédération Française des Echecs in 1921. The first unofficial national tournament was played in 1880, in the Café de la Régence, where further edition were held in 1881 and 1883. The 1903 and 1914 tournaments were the first real predecessors of the official championship. They ran under the name Championnat de France des amateurs (Championship of the chess enthusiasts).