World Chess Champions: complete list since 1886

Do you know how many men and women have worn the chess crown since an official championship began being contested? Let’s go through them all together. In this article I walk through the complete history of the best players in history who have been world champions, from 1886 to today.

Here’s the complete list of world champions divided by era: the pre-FIDE era, the FIDE era, and the reunified championship. Save this page: it’s the most up-to-date reference you’ll find.

Single world championship pre-FIDE (1886-1946)

Before FIDE existed as a governing body, the world championship was a matter between two players. The challenger would challenge the champion, and whoever won the match took the crown. As simple, and as exciting, as that.

1. Wilhelm Steinitz (1886-1894): Born in Prague in 1836, Steinitz is considered one of the first grandmasters of modern chess. He won the first world championship in 1886 against Johannes Zukertort. Steinitz died in 1900 in New York.
2. Emanuel Lasker (1894-1921): Born in Berlin in 1868, Lasker became the second world champion by defeating Steinitz in 1894. He held the title for more than 27 years and finally lost it to José Capablanca in 1921. Lasker was also a mathematician and philosopher. He died in New York in 1941.
3. José Capablanca (1921-1927): Born in Havana in 1888, Capablanca is considered one of the most talented players in chess history. He defeated Lasker in 1921 to become the third world champion. He lost the title in 1927 to Alexander Alekhine. Capablanca died in New York in 1942.
4. Alexander Alekhine (1927-1935, 1937-1946): Born in Moscow in 1892, Alekhine is one of the most influential chess players in history. He defeated Capablanca in 1927 and held the title until 1935, when he lost it to Max Euwe. Alekhine regained the title in 1937 and held it until his death in 1946. Alekhine died in Portugal in 1946.
5. Max Euwe (1935-1937): Born in Amsterdam in 1901, Euwe is the only Dutchman to win the world championship. He defeated Alekhine in 1935 in an upset and lost the title back to Alekhine in the rematch in 1937. Euwe was also a mathematician and educator. He died in Amsterdam in 1981.

Single FIDE world championship (1948-1993)

With Alekhine’s death in 1946, the title became vacant. FIDE organized a tournament in 1948 to choose the new champion. From then on, the federation took charge of the championship. The result? Nearly half a century of absolute Soviet dominance.

1. Mikhail Botvinnik (1948-1957, 1958-1960, 1961-1963): Born in Saint Petersburg in 1911, Botvinnik was one of the most influential players of the 20th century. He won the world championship in a tournament in 1948, after Alekhine died and the title became vacant. He held the title until 1957, when he lost it to Vasily Smyslov, but regained it in the rematch in 1958. Botvinnik lost the title to Mikhail Tal in 1960, but regained it in 1961 and held it until 1963, when he lost it to Tigran Petrosian. Botvinnik died in Moscow in 1995.
2. Vasily Smyslov (1957-1958): Born in Moscow in 1921, Smyslov was one of the great Soviet players of the 1950s. He won the world championship title in 1957 by defeating Botvinnik, but lost it in the rematch in 1958. Smyslov continued playing competitive chess until his death in 2010.
3. Mikhail Tal (1960-1961): Born in Riga, Latvia in 1936, Tal was known for his aggressive, creative playing style. He defeated Botvinnik in 1960 to become the eighth world champion, but lost the title back to Botvinnik in the rematch in 1961. Tal died in Moscow in 1992.
4. Tigran Petrosian (1963-1969): Born in Armenia in 1929, Petrosian was one of the most defensive players in chess history. He defeated Botvinnik in 1963 to become the ninth world champion and held the title until 1969, when he lost it to Boris Spassky. Petrosian died in Moscow in 1984.
5. Boris Spassky (1969-1972): Born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in 1937, Spassky is known for his dynamic, aggressive playing style. He defeated Petrosian in 1969 to become the tenth world champion and successfully defended his title against Bobby Fischer in the famous “Match of the Century” in 1972. Spassky remains active in the chess community.
6. Bobby Fischer (1972-1975): Born in Chicago in 1943, Fischer is considered one of the most talented chess players in history. He defeated Spassky in the “Match of the Century” in 1972 to become the eleventh world champion and held the title until 1975, when he lost it by failing to show up to defend it. Fischer died in Iceland in 2008.
7. Anatoly Karpov (1975-1985): Born in Zlatoust, Russia in 1951, Karpov is one of the most successful chess players in history. He won the world championship title in 1975 when Fischer refused to defend it and held it until 1985, when he lost it to Garry Kasparov. Karpov continues to play chess competitively and has been a political activist in Russia.
8. Garry Kasparov (1985-1993): Born in Baku, Azerbaijan in 1963, Kasparov is considered one of the best chess players of all time. He defeated Karpov in 1985 to become the thirteenth world champion and held the title until 1993, when he lost it to Viswanathan Anand in a tournament. Kasparov retired from professional chess in 2005, but has remained active as a chess commentator and writer.

Reunified FIDE championship (since 2006)

In 1993 Kasparov broke away from FIDE and created his own championship. For years there were two world champions at the same time. Confusing, I know. In 2006 the title was reunified and there was once again a single king of world chess.

1. Vladimir Kramnik (2000-2007): Born in Tuapse, Russia in 1975, Kramnik is known for his solid, defensive playing style. He defeated Kasparov in 2000 to become the fourteenth world champion and held the title until 2007, when he lost it to Viswanathan Anand. Kramnik retired from professional chess in 2019.
2. Viswanathan Anand (2007-2013): Born in Chennai, India in 1969, Anand is one of the most successful chess players in his country’s history. He defeated Kramnik in 2007 to become the fifteenth world champion and held the title until 2013, when he lost it to Magnus Carlsen. Anand remains an active player on the chess scene.
3. Magnus Carlsen (2013-2021): Born in Tønsberg, Norway in 1990, Carlsen is one of the youngest players to win the world championship title. He defeated Anand in 2013 to become the sixteenth world champion and has successfully defended his title on multiple occasions since then. Carlsen is known for his aggressive, creative playing style and remains an active player on the chess scene.
4. Ian Nepomniachtchi or Ding Liren (2023)

World chess champions, official FIDE titles

This table only includes official world titles, recognized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). It’s ordered by the number of official titles won, from the champion with the most official titles to the fewest. Here are the official FIDE world champions.

World chess champion Years won Total official championships

Garry Kasparov 1985-1993, 1995-2000 5

Anatoly Karpov 1975-1985, 1993 3

Magnus Carlsen 2013-2021 3

Emanuel Lasker 1894-1921 2

Jose Capablanca 1921-1927 1

Alexander Alekhine 1927-1935, 1937-1946 2

Tigran Petrosian 1963-1969 1

Boris Spassky 1969-1972 1

Robert Fischer 1972-1975 1

Vladimir Kramnik 2000-2007 1

World chess champions, unofficial titles

Did you know there are world champions who were never officially recognized? This table includes only the unofficial world titles, those not recognized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). It’s ordered by the number of official titles won, from the champion with the most to the fewest. Here are the unofficial world champions per FIDE.

World chess champion (unofficial) Years won Total unofficial championships

Paul Morphy 1858-1862 Unified

Wilhelm Steinitz 1866-1894 10

Emanuel Lasker 1890-1894 1

Jose Capablanca 1901-1927 Unified

Alexander Alekhine 1927-1935, 1937-1946 3

Mikhail Botvinnik 1948-1963 6

Paul Keres 1935, 1937, 1948 Unified

Mikhail Tal 1960-1961 1

Bobby Fischer 1970-1975 1

Victor Korchnoi 1978, 1981 2

Garry Kasparov 1985-1993, 1995-2000 Unified

It’s worth noting that these titles are not officially recognized by FIDE, and in many cases they resulted from informal games or tournaments in which not all the world’s best players took part.

Women’s world chess champions, official FIDE titles

Women’s chess has its own history, just as fascinating. And if you think women champions have been competing for the crown for less time, think again: the women’s championship has existed since 1927. This table only includes official women’s world titles, recognized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). It’s ordered by the number of official titles won, from the champion with the most official titles to the fewest. Here are the official FIDE women’s world champions.

Women’s world chess champion Years won Total official championships

Vera Menchik 1927-1944 5

Elisabeth Bykova 1953-1956, 1958-1962 3

Nona Gaprindashvili 1962-1978 5

Maia Chiburdanidze 1978-1991 3

Xie Jun 1991-1996, 1999-2000 4

Zhu Chen 2001-2004 1

Antoaneta Stefanova 2004-2006 1

Xu Yuhua 2006-2008 1

Alexandra Kosteniuk 2008-2010 1

Hou Yifan 2010-2012, 2013-2015 4

Tan Zhongyi 2017 1

Ju Wenjun 2018-2020 2

We’ll keep updating this list little by little. Currently updated as of 2023.

One last thought: notice that many of these champions came from very different backgrounds, with completely opposite styles. And all of them reached the top. If you want to understand what made them great, I recommend exploring the origin of competitive chess and studying ELO, the system that measures each player’s level. Once you understand that, you’ll see these names with new eyes.