World Chess Champions

The champion is determined in a multi-game tournament sanctioned by the World Chess Federation.

• Alexander A. Alekhine

  French chess player.

  • 1927-35 and 1937-48 World Chess champion
• Anatoly Karpov

  Russian chess player.

  • 1975-85 and 1993-present World Chess champion
• Bobby Fischer

  American chess player.

  • 1972-75 World Chess champion
• Boris Spassky

  Soviet chess player.

  • 1969-72 World Chess champion
• Emanuel Lasker

  German chess player.

  • 1894-1921 World Chess champion
• Gary Kasparov

  Russian chess player.

  • 1985 World Chess champion
• Max Euwe

  Dutch chess player.

  • 1935-37 World Chess champion
• Mikhail Botvinnik

  Soviet chess player.

  • 1948-1957, 1958-1960 and 1961-1963 World Chess champion
• Mikhail Tal

  Soviet chess player.

  • 1960-1961 World Chess champion
• Tigran Petrosian (born 1929, died 1984)

  Soviet chess player.

  • 1963-69 World Chess champion
• Vassily Smyslov

  Soviet chess player.

  • 1957-58 World Chess champion
• Wilhelm Steinitz

  Austrian chess player.

  • 1886-94 World Chess champion
• José R. Capablanca

  Cuban chess player.

  • 1921-27 World Chess champion