Chess - List of World Champions
Garry Kasparov became the youngest man to win the world chess championship when he beat fellow Russian Anatoly Karpov in 1985 at age 22.
In 1993, Kasparov and then-#1 challenger Nigel Short of England broke away from the established International Chess Federation (FIDE) to form the Professional Chess Association (the PCA was disbanded in 1998). FIDE retaliated by stripping Kasparov of the world title and arranging a playoff that was won by Karpov, the former title-holder.
Karpov successfully defended the FIDE title several times before failing to show up for the 1999 FIDE World Championship Tournament that was won by Alexander Khalifman.
Indian Viswanathan Anand won the 2000 FIDE World Championship. Ruslan Ponomariov won the 2001 FIDE World Championship in Moscow and is the current FIDE World Champion.
Years | |
---|---|
1866-94 | Wilhelm Steinitz, Austria |
1894-1921 | Emanuel Lasker, Germany |
1921-27 | Jose Capablanca, Cuba |
1927-35 | Alexander Alekhine, France |
1935-37 | Max Euwe, Holland |
1937-46 | Alexander Alekhine, France |
1948-57 | Mikhail Botvinnik, USSR |
1957-58 | Vassily Smyslov, USSR |
1958-59 | Mikhail Botvinnik, USSR |
1960-61 | Mikhail Tal, USSR |
1961-63 | Mikhail Botvinnik, USSR |
1963-69 | Tigran Petrosian, USSR |
1969-72 | Boris Spassky, USSR |
1972-75 | Bobby Fischer, USA* |
1975-85 | Anatoly Karpov, USSR |
1985-2000 | Garry Kasparov, RUS |
2000 - | Vladimir Kramnik, RUS |
2002-03 | Ruslan Ponomariov, UKR |
2004 - | Rustam Kasimdzhanov, UZB |
* Fischer defaulted the championship in 1975