All The World Chess Champions

Only 21 players in the history of chess have held the official title of world champion, 17 of which held the "classical" title. With rare exceptions, the classical champion has been decided in a match between the sitting champion and a challenger. It has had a linear progression, with each champion reigning until displaced.

The International Chess Federation, FIDE, took control of the classical world championship in 1948. From 1993-2006, the title was split after the champion and challenger left FIDE. In those 13 years, six players held the title of the FIDE World Champion. Two of the six were also classical champions.

Below the tables of champions you will find a picture and short paragraph of information on all of these all-time great players.

Classical World Champions

Notes: t - Tournament victory. * - Retained in drawn match. ** - Won in rapid/blitz tiebreaks. # - Leading match when canceled without official result. d - Default.

FIDE World Champions (1993-2006)

Notes: k - Knockout tournament victory (64+ players). t - Standard tournament victory (<8 players).

• Classical World Champions (1886-present) 
  1. Wilhelm Steinitz
  2. Emanuel Lasker
  3. Jose Raul Capablanca
  4. Alexander Alekhine
  5. GM Max Euwe
  6. GM Mikhail Botvinnik
  7. GM Vasily Smyslov
  8. GM Mikhail Tal
  9. GM Tigran Petrosian
  10. GM Boris Spassky
  11. GM Bobby Fischer
  12. GM Anatoly Karpov
  13. GM Garry Kasparov
  14. GM Vladimir Kramnik
  15. GM Viswanathan Anand
  16. GM Magnus Carlsen
  17. GM Ding Liren
• FIDE World Champions (1993-2006)
  1. GM Anatoly Karpov
  2. GM Alexander Khalifman
  3. GM Viswanathan Anand
  4. GM Ruslan Ponomariov
  5. GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov
  6. GM Veselin Topalov

Classical World Champions (1886-present)

Wilhelm Steinitz (1886-94)

Steinitz is often considered the "father of positional chess." He defeated Johannes Zukertort in the first-ever world championship, held in 1886.

Emanuel Lasker (1894-1921)

Lasker, a highly practical player, was the longest-reigning world champion in chess history. He won the title from Steinitz in 1894 and held it all the way until 1921.

Jose Raul Capablanca (1921-27)

Capablanca, a chess prodigy and one of the best endgame players ever, defeated Lasker 4-0 in 1921 to become world champion. From 1916-24, Capablanca scored +40 =23 -0 in tournament games, a record time span without a loss.

Alexander Alekhine (1927-35, 1937-46)

Alekhine, known for his attacking play and deep combinations, is the only world champion to die while holding the title. He won it in an upset over Capablanca in 1927 and held it until his death in 1946, except for a two-year interregnum from 1935-37.

GM Max Euwe (1935-37)

Euwe beat Alekhine in an upset in 1935. He is to date the only Dutch world champion, and was also the only Dutch grandmaster when FIDE first awarded the title in 1950.

GM Mikhail Botvinnik (1948-57, 1958-60, 1961-63)

The first great Soviet chess player and their leading competitor for about 30 years, Botvinnik later went on to coach three future world champions: Karpov, Kasparov, and Kramnik.

Botvinnik was the first player to win the world championship in a tournament, one FIDE organized in the aftermath of Alekhine's passing. In an odd twist of history, he never won outright a match in defense of his title: His 1951 match with GM David Bronstein and 1954 match with Smyslov both ended 12-12, but the rules of the time allowed the champion to keep his title in case of a tie. After losing his title in 1957 and 1960, a rematch clause gave Botvinnik the opportunity to regain the title in 1958 and 1961, which he did both times.

GM Vasily Smyslov (1957-58)

Smyslov was the first player to win the world championship after having lost an earlier title match. His very solid style made him extremely tough to beat, and despite only winning one of three championship matches against Botvinnik, had a winning score in those matches (34.5-33.5).

GM Mikhail Tal (1960-61)

Tal was 23 when he became world champion, the youngest-ever at that point. Where Smyslov was solid, Tal was dynamic, known for highly complex sacrifices that required both calculation and intuition. Tal, like Smyslov, held the title for a year before Botvinnik took it back. Tal was often hospitalized due to complications from kidney problems exacerbated by smoking and drinking, but remained a brilliant player until he passed away age 55 in 1992.

GM Tigran Petrosian (1963-69)

Known for his stout prophylactic defense, Petrosian was the player who finally ended Botvinnik's championship reign for good. They were the only multiple-time champions between Alekhine and Karpov.

GM Boris Spassky (1969-72)

Spassky was known as a universal player who could win in any type of position. He was the last world champion to use the King's Gambit, which he won multiple brilliant victories with. After failing to topple Petrosian in 1966, Spassky qualified again in 1969 and this time emerged victorious.

GM Bobby Fischer (1972-75)

Fischer had one of the greatest peaks in chess history from 1969-72, including 20 consecutive wins without even a draw: the last seven games of the 1970 Interzonal, 6-0 against GM Mark Taimanov in the Candidates quarterfinal, 6-0 against GM Bent Larsen in the semifinal, and his first game against Petrosian in the Candidates final. He won that match 6.5-2.5 before moving on to beat Spassky 12.5-8.5 to win the championship.

Three years later, he refused to defend his title, and he played just one serious match and zero tournaments in the last 36 years of his life before passing away in 2008, age 64.

GM Anatoly Karpov (1975-85)

Karpov is one of the great positional geniuses in chess history. Although he is the only player to become world champion by forfeit, he was an extremely active tournament player while he was champion and won several major events, solidifying his claim. He also twice defended his crown against a player many consider the best-ever who did not become world champion, GM Viktor Korchnoi.

Karpov was also FIDE champion from the beginning of the split era in 1993, when he defeated GM Jan Timman, until 1999, when he refused to participate in FIDE's new championship format. (More on that below.)

GM Garry Kasparov (1985-2000)

Kasparov, who was named the best chess player in history by Chess.com in 2020, broke Tal's record for youngest world champion. He is also tied with Lasker for most world championship matches won, with six. The last two of these came outside of FIDE, after he and GM Nigel Short left in 1993, leading to the split title.

GM Vladimir Kramnik (2000-07)

Like Alekhine in 1927 and Euwe in 1935, Kramnik's title came as a shock when he wrested it from Kasparov in 2000. Kramnik defended against GM Peter Leko in 2004. Then, in 2006, he defeated FIDE's champion Topalov to reunite the title.

GM Viswanathan Anand (2007-13)

Anand, known for his speed of play, took the title in a tournament instead of a match vs. Kramnik. It is the only time a living world champion lost the title without a match, so they played the next year Anand also won that, finally recementing the undisputed nature of the classical line.

Thanks to Anand, interest in chess exploded in his nation of India, home to more than a billion people and now one of the best chess-playing countries in the world.

GM Magnus Carlsen (2013-23)

Some already consider Carlsen the best player in chess history. His strength at faster time controls has allowed him to win multiple rapid tiebreaks to keep his title.

On July 19, 2022, Carlsen announced that he would not defend his title in the 2023 World Championship. 

GM Ding Liren (2023-present)

After Carlsen left the process, GM Ding Liren and GM Ian Nepomniachtchi played a match in April 2023 to decide the next world champion. Ding won in rapid tiebreaks and became FIDE World Champion, which also made him the 17th officially-recognized classical world champion and the first one from China.

FIDE World Champions (1993-2006)

Karpov (1993, 1996, 1998)

After Kasparov and Short left FIDE, Karpov defeated GM Jan Timman in a match. He defended the FIDE title twice but withdrew from the cycle in 1999, essentially giving up the title, when FIDE would only give him a one-round bye in its new 100-player format.

GM Alexander Khalifman (1999t)

Khalifman won the 1999 FIDE World Championship, a 100-player knockout tournament.

Anand (2000t)

Seven years before becoming classical world champion, Anand won the 2000 FIDE World Championship, a 100-player knockout tournament.

GM Ruslan Ponomariov (2002t)

Ponomariov won the 2002 FIDE World Championship, a 128-player knockout tournament.

GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov (2004t)

Kasimdzhanov won the 2004 FIDE World Championship, a 128-player knockout tournament.

GM Veselin Topalov (2005t)

In 2005, the FIDE World Championship was an eight-player field. Topalov won to become FIDE World Champion. The next year, he lost a match to Kramnik that reunified the title.

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