World Champions
Below is a listing of chess masters and World Chess Champions dating back to 1490.
Pre-1886 Leading Chess Masters
circa 1490 – Luis Ramirez de Lucena – Spain
circa 1520 – Pedro C- Portugal
circa 1560 – Ruy López de Segura – Spain
circa 1575 – Paolo Boi and Giovanni Leonardo da Cutri – Italy
circa 1600 – Alessandro Salvio – Italy
circa 1620 – Gioacchino Greco – Italy
1730-1747 – Legall de Kermeur – France
1747-1795 РFran̤ois-Andr̩ Danican Philidor РFrance
1800-1820 – Alexandre Deschapelles – France
1820-1840 – Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais – France
1843-1851 – Howard Staunton – England
1851-1858 – Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen – Germany
1858-1862 – Paul Charles Morphy – United States
1862-1866 – Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen – Germany
1866-1886 – Wilhelm Steinitz – Bohemia/United States
Period of undisputed World Champions
1886-1894 – Wilhelm Steinitz – Bohemia/United States
1894-1921 – Emanuel Lasker – Germany
1921-1927 РJos̩ Ra̼l Capablanca РCuba
1927-1935 – Alexander Alekhine – France
1935-1937 – Max Euwe – Netherlands
1937-1946 – Alexander Alekhine – France
1948-1957 – Mikhail Botvinnik – Soviet Union
1957-1958 -Â Â Vasily Smyslov – Soviet Union
1958-1960 – Mikhail Botvinnik – Soviet Union
1960-1961 – Mikhail Tal – Soviet Union
1961-1963 – Mikhail Botvinnik – Soviet Union
1963-1969 – Tigran Petrosian – Soviet Union
1969-1972 – Boris Spassky – Soviet Union
1972-1975 – Robert James Fischer – United States
1975-1985 – Anatoly Karpov – Soviet Union
1985-1993 – Garry Kasparov – Soviet UnionÂ
Classical World Champions (1993-2006)
1993-2000 – Garry Kasparov – Russia
2000-2006 – Vladimir Kramnik – Russia
FIDE World Champions (1993-2006)
1993-1999 – Anatoly Karpov – Russia
1999-2000 – Alexander Khalifman – Russia
2000-2002 – Viswanathan Anand – India
2002-2004 – Ruslan Ponomariov – Ukraine
2004-2005 – Rustam Kasimdzhanov – Uzbekistan
2005-2006 – Veselin Topalov – Bulgaria
Undisputed World Champions 2006-present
2006-present – Vladimir Kramnik – Russia
