World Champions
| Year | Name | Country | Year | Name | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 2004 |
Kasimdzhanov, Rustam | Uzbekistan | 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 |
Kramnik, Vladimir | Russia | |
| 2004 2003 2002 |
Ponomariov, Ruslan | Ukraine | ||||
| 2002 2001 2000 |
Anand, Viswanathan | India | ||||
| 2000 1999 |
Khalifman, Alexander | Russia | 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 |
Kasparov, Garry | Russia | |
| 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 |
Karpov, Anatoly | Russia | ||||
| 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 |
Kasparov, Garry | Soviet Union/Russia | ||||
| 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 |
Karpov, Anatoly | Soviet Union | ||||
| 1975 1974 1973 |
Fischer, Robert J | USA | ||||
| 1972 1971 1970 |
Spassky, Boris | Soviet Union | ||||
| 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 |
Petrosian, Tigran | Soviet Union | ||||
| 1963 1962 1961 |
Botvinnik, Mikhail | Soviet Union | ||||
| 1961 1960 |
Tal, Mikhail | Soviet Union | ||||
| 1960 1959 1958 |
Botvinnik, Mikhail | Soviet Union | ||||
| 1958 1957 |
Smyslov, Vasily | Soviet Union | ||||
| 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 |
Botvinnik, Mikhail | Soviet Union | ||||
| 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940 1939 1938 1937 |
Alekhine, Alexander | Russia/France | ||||
| 1937 1936 1935 |
Euwe, Max | Netherlands | ||||
| 1935 1934 1933 1932 1931 1930 1929 1928 1927 |
Alekhine, Alexander | Russia/France | ||||
| 1927 1926 1925 1924 1923 1922 1921 |
Capablanca, Jose Raul | Cuba | ||||
| 1921 1920 1919 1918 1917 1916 1915 1914 1913 1912 1911 1910 1909 1908 1907 1906 1905 1904 1903 1902 1901 1900 1899 1898 1897 1896 1895 1894 |
Lasker, Emanuel | Germany | ||||
| 1894 1893 1892 1891 1890 1889 1888 1887 1886 |
Steinitz, Willhelm | Austria/USA |
Notes:
The Soviet Union joined FIDE after Alekhine's death in 1946 . FIDE then organised the World Championship match in 1948 match (and have every year since).
Since 1993, there has been some dispute over the title. The Classical World Champion is the one who defeated the previous world champion. The FIDE world champion is the winner of the annual FIDE World Chess Championship. In 1993, Garry Kasparov left FIDE and (with Nigel Short) set up the Professional Chess Association. The PCA ran Classical World Championship events until late 1996, when Kasparov abandoned his Intel sponsor to take on IBM's Deep Blue. A new British-run organisation, Braingames Network (BGN) ran the Classical World Championship event in 2000. In 2004, the Classical World Championship was run by Centro Dannemann in Brissago, Switzerland.