World Chess Championship

The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in chess. Both men and women are eligible to participate in the event. The official world championship is believed to have started in 1886, when William Steinitz and Johann Zukertort, played a match.

There is a separate event for women only, for the title of Women's World Champion, and separate events for juniors, seniors and computers. Computers are not allowed to compete for the open title.

Until 1948 world championship contests were matches arranged between the players. The players also had to arrange the funding, usually by stakes provided by others who wanted to bet on one of the players. This was sometimes a barrier that prevented or delayed challenges for the title. World Chess Championship information on Wikipedia

The Chess Champions

# Wilhelm Steinitz (1886-1894)

# Emanuel Lasker (1894-1921)

# Jose Raul Capablanca (1921-1927)

# Alexander Alekhine (1927-1935, 1937-1946)

# Max Euwe (1935-1937)

# Mikhail Botvinnik (1948-1957, 1958-1960, 1961-1963)

# Vasily Smyslov (1957-1958)

# Mikhail Tal (1960-1961)

# Tigran Petrosian (1963-1969)

# Boris Spassky (1969-1972)

# Robert James "Bobby" Fischer (1972-1975)

# Anatoly Karpov (1975-1985)

# Garry Kasparov (1985-2000)

# Vladimir Kramnik (2000-2007)

# Viswanathan Anand (2007-current)

There were several unofficial champions before 1886. Paul Morphy was one such champion.

Women's Chess Champions

1. Alexandra Kosteniuk 2008

2. Xu Yuhua 2006-2008

3. Antoaneta Stefanova 2004-2006

4. Zhu Chen 2001-2004

5. Xie Jun 1999-2001

6. Susan Polgar 1996-1999

7. Xie Jun 1991-1996

8. Maia Chiburdanidze 1978-1991

9. Nona Gaprindashvili 1962-1978

10. Elisabeth Bykova 1958-1962

11. Olga Rubtsova 1956-1958

12. Elisabeth Bykova 1953-1956

13. Lyudmila Rudenko 1950-1953

14. Vera Menchik 1927-1944