The following is a history of World Chess Championships. It is the premier title in the game of chess, awarded to the player recognized as the best in the world through a formal competition. It is considered one of the most prestigious titles in the realm of competitive games and intellectual sports.

The history of the World Chess Championships traces the evolution of one of the most prestigious titles in the world of competitive sports. Over centuries, the championship has transitioned from informal beginnings to a globally structured event, producing some of the greatest minds in human history. The title not only crowns the best player of their era but also symbolizes the intellectual rigor and creativity inherent to the game of chess.^[1]

Chess evolved into its modern form in the late medieval period, gaining popularity in Europe and other parts of the world by the 16th century. However, the concept of an official World Chess Champion did not exist at this time. Instead, outstanding players were unofficially recognized as the best based on their reputations and tournament successes.

Prominent early figures include Ruy López de Segura, who dominated in Spain during the 16th century, and Gioachino Greco, a 17th-century Italian player renowned for his innovative ideas. In the 18th century, François-André Danican Philidor emerged as the most skilled player of his time, known for his treatise on chess strategy and his emphasis on pawn structures.^[2]

The 19th century saw competitive chess become increasingly organized. Players like Louis de La Bourdonnais and Alexander McDonnell contested matches that were widely regarded as determining the best player of their time. Later, Howard Staunton—a key figure in popularizing chess—contributed to formalizing rules and organizing the first international chess tournament in London (1851).

The modern World Chess Championship began in 1886, with Wilhelm Steinitz defeating Johannes Zukertort in the first official match. Steinitz’s victory marked the transition to a system where the titleholder could be challenged, establishing the championship as the highest honor in chess.^[3]

Steinitz, known for his pioneering work in positional play, held the title until 1894 when he lost to Emanuel Lasker. Lasker’s reign lasted 27 years, a record for longevity in the championship’s history. His adaptability and psychological insight into opponents set new standards for competitive chess.

Pre-FIDE Era (1886–1946). During this time, the World Chess Championship operated without an overarching governing body. The reigning champion often dictated the terms of matches, including conditions and prize funds, leading to irregular intervals between contests.

Prominent champions of this era include: José Raúl Capablanca (1921–1927), Alexander Alekhine (1927–1946): The lack of institutional oversight sometimes led to controversies, such as Alekhine’s refusal to grant a rematch to former champion Capablanca.^[4]

After World War II, the chess world sought a more structured approach to the championship. In 1948, FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs) organized a tournament to crown a new champion following Alekhine’s death in 1946. Mikhail Botvinnik emerged as the winner, marking the start of Soviet dominance in chess.

FIDE introduced a systematic cycle, including zonal tournaments, interzonals, and the Candidates Tournament, to determine challengers for the title. This era saw legendary champions such as: Mikhail Tal (1960–1961), Bobby Fischer (1972–1975).^[5]

In 1993, a dispute between Garry Kasparov, the reigning champion, and FIDE led to a split in the World Chess Championship. Kasparov established the Professional Chess Association (PCA) and conducted his title matches under its auspices, while FIDE continued organizing its own championships.

This period featured parallel lines of champions, creating confusion in the chess world. Despite the division, it produced memorable matches, including Kasparov’s rivalries with Anatoly Karpov and Vladimir Kramnik. In 2000, Kramnik defeated Kasparov in a pivotal match, ending Kasparov’s reign and marking a new era.

The title was reunified in 2006 when Kramnik defeated FIDE champion Veselin Topalov in a match held in Elista, Russia. Since then, FIDE has managed a unified championship cycle, ensuring transparency and consistency.

The modern era has been dominated by Magnus Carlsen, who became World Champion in 2013 by defeating Viswanathan Anand. Carlsen’s dynamic style and deep strategic understanding have elevated chess to unprecedented levels of popularity.^[6]

Recent matches have showcased thrilling battles, such as Carlsen’s defenses against Fabiano Caruana (2018) and Ian Nepomniachtchi (2021). In 2023, following Carlsen’s abdication of the title, Ding Liren defeated Nepomniachtchi to become the first Chinese World Chess Champion.

The World Chess Championship has grown from an informal contest of skill into a global event that captivates millions. It has shaped chess theory, inspired generations of players, and reflected the broader social and cultural contexts of its time. The championship remains the pinnacle of chess achievement, representing the ultimate test of mental acuity, creativity, and competitive spirit.^[7]

Before the establishment of an official World Chess Championship in 1886, the title of the world’s best chess player was informally contested and determined by general consensus, high-profile matches, or widespread recognition of a player's dominance. This period played a significant role in shaping the competitive and theoretical development of chess.

The key figures were :François-André Danican Philidor (1726–1795), Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais (1795–1840), Howard Staunton (1810–1874), Adolf Anderssen (1818–1879), Paul Morphy (1837–1884), Wilhelm Steinitz (1836–1900).

These matches and tournaments were not for the world championship, but retrospectively they have been fairly widely recognized as establishing the world's leading player at the time.

Year	Host country	Host city	Winner	Runner(s)-up	Won (+)	Lost (−)	Draw (=)	Format
1834	United Kingdom	London	Louis de La Bourdonnais	Alexander McDonnell	45	27	13
1843	United Kingdom and  France	London (6 rounds) Paris (21 rounds)	Howard Staunton	Pierre Saint-Amant	13	9	5
1846	United Kingdom	London	Howard Staunton (2)	Bernhard Horwitz	14	7	3
1851	United Kingdom	London	Adolf Anderssen	Marmaduke Wyvill	4	2	1	single-elimination tournament, best-of-7 final
1858	France	Paris	Paul Morphy	Adolf Anderssen	7	2	2	first to 7 wins
1862	United Kingdom	London	Adolf Anderssen (2)	Louis Paulsen	11	1	1	round robin tournament, 14 players
1866	United Kingdom	London	Wilhelm Steinitz	Adolf Anderssen	8	6	0	best of 15 games
1872	United Kingdom	London	Wilhelm Steinitz (2)	Johannes Zukertort	7	1	4	first to 7 wins
1876	United Kingdom	London	Wilhelm Steinitz (3)	Joseph Henry Blackburne	7	0	0
1883	United Kingdom	London	Johannes Zukertort	Wilhelm Steinitz	22	4	0	double round robin tournament, 14 players

The period of World Chess Championships from 1886 to 1946 is often referred to as the Pre-FIDE era, as it predates the establishment of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) as the governing body for the championship. During this time, the title of World Chess Champion was contested through privately arranged matches, with the reigning champion typically dictating the conditions for challengers. Despite the lack of a formal organizing body, this era witnessed some of the greatest players and matches in chess history.

Key champions: Wilhelm Steinitz (1886–1894), Emanuel Lasker (1894–1921), José Raúl Capablanca (1921–1927), Alexander Alekhine (1927–1946), Max Euwe (1935–1937).

With Steinitz and Zukertort each having a claim to be the world's best player, the two played a match in 1886 for the first World Championship. From then until 1946, there was no formal system: matches were privately organized between the champion and challenger, and the challenger became the new World Champion if he won.

Year	Host country	Host city	World champion	Runner(s)-up	Won (+)	Lost (−)	Draw (=)	Format
1886	United States	New York City St. Louis New Orleans	Wilhelm Steinitz	Johannes Zukertort	10	5	5	first to 10 wins
1889	Spain	Havana	Wilhelm Steinitz (2)	Mikhail Chigorin	10	6	1	best of 20 games + tiebreak (if required)
1890–1891	United States	New York City	Wilhelm Steinitz (3)	Isidor Gunsberg	6	4	9
1892	Spain	Havana	Wilhelm Steinitz (4)	Mikhail Chigorin	8+2	8	4+1
1894	United States and  Canada	New York City Philadelphia Montreal	Emanuel Lasker	Wilhelm Steinitz	10	5	4	first to 10 wins
1896–1897	Russian Empire	Moscow	Emanuel Lasker (2)	Wilhelm Steinitz	10	2	5
1907	United States	6 cities New York City Philadelphia Washington, D.C. Baltimore Chicago Memphis	Emanuel Lasker (3)	Frank Marshall	8	0	7	first to 8 wins
1908	German Empire	Düsseldorf Munich	Emanuel Lasker (4)	Siegbert Tarrasch	8	3	5
1910	Austria-Hungary and  German Empire	Vienna Berlin	Emanuel Lasker (5)	Carl Schlechter	1	1	8	best of 10; disputed whether challenger had to win by 1 or 2 points[a][b]
1910	German Empire	Berlin	Emanuel Lasker (6)	Dawid Janowski	8	0	3	first to 8 wins
1921	Cuba	Havana	José Raúl Capablanca	Emanuel Lasker	4	0	10	best of 24 games;[a] Emanuel Lasker resigned after 14 games
1927	Argentina	Buenos Aires	Alexander Alekhine	José Raúl Capablanca	6	3	25	first to 6 wins
1929	Germany and  Netherlands	6 cities Wiesbaden Heidelberg Berlin The Hague Rotterdam Amsterdam	Alexander Alekhine (2)	Efim Bogoljubow	11	5	9	first to 6 wins and 15 points
1934	German Reich	10 cities Baden-Baden Villingen Freiburg im Breisgau Pforzheim Stuttgart Munich Bayreuth Bad Kissingen Mannheim Berlin	Alexander Alekhine (3)	Efim Bogoljubow	8	3	15
1935	Netherlands	13 cities Amsterdam Delft Rotterdam Utrecht Gouda The Hague Groningen Baarn Den Bosch Eindhoven Zeist Ermelo Zandvoort	Max Euwe	Alexander Alekhine	9	8	13
1937	Netherlands	7 cities The Hague Rotterdam Amsterdam Haarlem Leiden Groningen Delft	Alexander Alekhine (4)	Max Euwe	10	4	11

The era of FIDE World Chess Championships began in 1948 when the governing body, Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), assumed control over the organization and regulation of the title matches. This transition established standardized formats and eligibility criteria, addressing many of the disputes and irregularities of the Pre-FIDE period. The FIDE era featured iconic rivalries, political undercurrents, and some of the greatest players in chess history.

After the death of Alexander Alekhine in 1946, the chess world faced a unique situation, as no reigning champion remained to organize a title defense. FIDE stepped in to host a championship tournament in The Hague and Moscow. Five of the world’s top players participated, including Max Euwe, Mikhail Botvinnik, Vasily Smyslov, Paul Keres, and Samuel Reshevsky.

Alexander Alekhine died in 1946 while still World Chess Champion, after which the International Chess Federation (FIDE) organized the World Championships. This began with a one-off tournament in 1948. After that there was a 3-year cycle, in which a series of tournaments was held to decide the challenger, who then played the champion in a match for the World Championship.

Year	Host country	Host city	World champion	Runner(s)-up	Won (+)	Lost (−)	Draw (=)	Format
1948	Netherlands and  Soviet Union	The Hague Moscow	Mikhail Botvinnik	Vasily Smyslov	14 points out of 20			5-player, 5-cycle round-robin tournament
1951	Soviet Union	Moscow	Mikhail Botvinnik (2)	David Bronstein	5	5	14	best of 24 games[a]
1954	Soviet Union	Moscow	Mikhail Botvinnik (3)	Vasily Smyslov	7	7	10
1957	Soviet Union	Moscow	Vasily Smyslov	Mikhail Botvinnik	6	3	13
1958	Soviet Union	Moscow	Mikhail Botvinnik (4)	Vasily Smyslov	7	5	11
1960	Soviet Union	Moscow	Mikhail Tal	Mikhail Botvinnik	6	2	13
1961	Soviet Union	Moscow	Mikhail Botvinnik (5)	Mikhail Tal	10	5	6
1963	Soviet Union	Moscow	Tigran Petrosian	Mikhail Botvinnik	5	2	15
1966	Soviet Union	Moscow	Tigran Petrosian (2)	Boris Spassky	4	3	17
1969	Soviet Union	Moscow	Boris Spassky	Tigran Petrosian	6	4	13
1972	Iceland	Reykjavík	Bobby Fischer	Boris Spassky	7	3	11
1975	Philippines	Manila	Anatoly Karpov	Bobby Fischer	by default
1978	Philippines	Baguio	Anatoly Karpov (2)	Viktor Korchnoi	6	5	21	first to 6 wins
1981	Italy	Merano	Anatoly Karpov (3)	Viktor Korchnoi	6	2	10
1984–1985	Soviet Union	Moscow	No winner	Anatoly Karpov / Garry Kasparov	5	3	40	first to 6 wins; unfinished match
1985	Soviet Union	Moscow	Garry Kasparov	Anatoly Karpov	5	3	16	best of 24 games[a]
1986	United Kingdom and  Soviet Union	London Leningrad	Garry Kasparov (2)	Anatoly Karpov	5	4	15
1987	Spain	Seville	Garry Kasparov (3)	Anatoly Karpov	4	4	16
1990	United States and  France	New York City Lyon	Garry Kasparov (4)	Anatoly Karpov	4	3	17

The split title era began with a schism in the chess world when World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov broke away from FIDE in 1993 to establish a rival organization. This resulted in competing World Chess Championship titles: one under FIDE and another under the Professional Chess Association (PCA), and later, through independently organized matches. The split created a fragmented and controversial era that lasted until the unification in 2006.

The crisis emerged in 1993 when reigning World Champion Garry Kasparov and his challenger, Nigel Short, expressed dissatisfaction with FIDE’s handling of the championship process, particularly its financial arrangements and transparency. They decided to bypass FIDE and organize their 1993 championship match under the PCA.

Kasparov retained his title, decisively defeating Short 12.5–7.5 in a match held in London. In response, FIDE declared the PCA match invalid and stripped Kasparov of the title. FIDE organized a separate championship match, crowning Anatoly Karpov as the FIDE World Champion after Karpov defeated Jan Timman in the same year. Thus, the chess world had two reigning champions.

In 1993, World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov and challenger Nigel Short split from FIDE, and played their title match under the auspices of the Professional Chess Association. In response, FIDE stripped Kasparov of his title and arranged its own World Championship match between former champion Anatoly Karpov and Candidates finalist Jan Timman. For the next 13 years there were two rival world titles.

Beginning with the FIDE World Chess Championship 1996, FIDE changed its rules and the incumbent World Champion was no longer automatically qualified for the final match; but this tradition was maintained for the Classical title.

Year	Host country	Host city	World champion	Runner(s)-up	Won (+)	Lost (−)	Draw (=)	Format
Classical World Chess Championships (1993–2006)
1993	United Kingdom	London	Garry Kasparov (5)	Nigel Short	6	1	13	best of 24[a]
1995	United States	New York City	Garry Kasparov (6)	Viswanathan Anand	4	1	13	best of 20[a]
2000	United Kingdom	London	Vladimir Kramnik	Garry Kasparov	2	0	13	best of 16[a]
2004	Switzerland	Brissago	Vladimir Kramnik (2)	Peter Leko	2	2	10	best of 14[a]
FIDE World Chess Championships (1993–2006)
1993	Netherlands and  Indonesia	Zwolle Arnhem Amsterdam Jakarta	Anatoly Karpov (4)	Jan Timman	6	2	13	best of 24[a]
1996	Russia	Elista	Anatoly Karpov (5)	Gata Kamsky	6	3	9	best of 20[a]
1998	Netherlands and   Switzerland	Groningen Lausanne	Anatoly Karpov (6)	Viswanathan Anand	2+2	2	2	single-elimination tournament with finals best of 6 + tiebreaks
1999	United States	Las Vegas	Alexander Khalifman	Vladimir Akopian	2	1	3
2000	India and  Iran	New Delhi Tehran	Viswanathan Anand	Alexei Shirov	3	0	1
2002	Russia	Moscow	Ruslan Ponomariov	Vasyl Ivanchuk	2	0	5	single-elimination tournament with finals best of 8 + tiebreaks
2004	Libya	Tripoli	Rustam Kasimdzhanov	Michael Adams	2+1	2	2+1	single-elimination tournament with finals best of 6 + tiebreaks
2005	Argentina	Potrero de los Funes San Luis	Veselin Topalov	Viswanathan Anand Peter Svidler	10 points out of 14			8-player double round-robin tournament

The modern era of the FIDE World Chess Championship began with the reunification of the title in 2006. Since then, the championship has been governed exclusively by FIDE, which established a clear qualification cycle, culminating in a match between the reigning champion and a challenger determined by the Candidates Tournament. This period is characterized by enhanced organizational structure, heightened global attention, and the dominance of key players such as Viswanathan Anand, Magnus Carlsen, and the emergence of new talents.

The Classical and FIDE titles were unified with the 2006 match between Classical champion Vladimir Kramnik and FIDE champion Veselin Topalov. All subsequent championships have been administered by FIDE. Since 2008, FIDE has returned to the format of an incumbent champion playing a challenger.

Year	Host country	Host city	World champion	Runner(s)-up	Won (+)	Lost (−)	Draw (=)	Format
2006	Russia	Elista	Vladimir Kramnik (3)	Veselin Topalov	3+2	3+1	6+1	best of 12 + tiebreaks
2007	Mexico	Mexico City	Viswanathan Anand (2)	Vladimir Kramnik Boris Gelfand	9 points out of 14			8-player double round-robin tournament
2008	Germany	Bonn	Viswanathan Anand (3)	Vladimir Kramnik	3	1	7	best of 12 + tiebreaks
2010	Bulgaria	Sofia	Viswanathan Anand (4)	Veselin Topalov	3	2	7
2012	Russia	Moscow	Viswanathan Anand (5)	Boris Gelfand	1+1	1	10+3
2013	India	Chennai	Magnus Carlsen	Viswanathan Anand	3	0	7
2014	Russia	Sochi	Magnus Carlsen (2)	Viswanathan Anand	3	1	7
2016	United States	New York City	Magnus Carlsen (3)	Sergey Karjakin	1+2	1	10+2
2018	United Kingdom	London	Magnus Carlsen (4)	Fabiano Caruana	0+3	0	12
2021	United Arab Emirates	Dubai	Magnus Carlsen (5)	Ian Nepomniachtchi [c]	4	0	7	best of 14 + tiebreaks
2023	Kazakhstan	Astana	Ding Liren[d]	Ian Nepomniachtchi[e]	3+1	3	8+3
2024	Singapore	Singapore	Gukesh D.	Ding Liren	3	2	9

Year	Host country	Host city	Winner	Runner(s)-up	Won (+)	Lost (−)	Draw (=)	Format
Non-recognized World Chess Championships
1909	France	Paris	Emanuel Lasker	Dawid Janowski	7	1	2	Best of 10. This match has sometimes been called a world championship match,[9] but research by Edward Winter demonstrates that the title was not at stake.[10]
1992	FR Yugoslavia	Sveti Stefan Belgrade	Bobby Fischer	Boris Spassky	10	5	15	First to reach 10 wins, draws not counting. Fischer claimed this was a world championship.[11]

Unofficial championships are not counted.

Titles	Player	Country
6	Emanuel Lasker	German Empire
	Anatoly Karpov (3 during split title)	Soviet Union Russia
	Garry Kasparov (2 during split title)	Soviet Union Russia
5	Mikhail Botvinnik	Soviet Union
	Magnus Carlsen	Norway
	Viswanathan Anand (1 during split title)	India
4	Wilhelm Steinitz	Austrian Empire United States
	Alexander Alekhine	France
3	Vladimir Kramnik (2 during split title)	Russia
2	Tigran Petrosian	Soviet Union

• Davidson, Henry A. (1949, 1981). A Short History of Chess. McKay. ISBN 0-679-14550-8.
• Barcza, Alföldy, Kapu: Die Weltmeister des Schachspiels. Hamburg 1975
• Jens Enevoldsen: Verdens bedste Skak, Politiken (Denmark) 1966