World Chess Champions

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Unofficial World Chess Championships

Year Winner Loser 1834 Louis de La Bourdonnais Alexander McDonnell 1843 Pierre Saint-Amant Howard Staunton 1843 Howard Staunton Pierre Saint-Amant 1846 Howard Staunton Bernhard Horwitz 1858 Paul Morphy Adolf Anderssen 1866 Wilhelm Steinitz Adolf Anderssen

Official World Chess Championships

Year Winner Loser 1886 Wilhelm Steinitz Johannes Zukertort 1889 Wilhelm Steinitz Mikhail Chigorin 1891 Wilhelm Steinitz Isidor Gunsberg 1892 Wilhelm Steinitz Mikhail Chigorin 1894 Emanuel Lasker Wilhelm Steinitz 1897 Emanuel Lasker Wilhelm Steinitz 1907 Emanuel Lasker Frank Marshall 1908 Emanuel Lasker Siegbert Tarrasch 1910 Emanuel Lasker Carl Schlechter 1910 Emanuel Lasker David Janowski 1921 José Raúl Capablanca Emanuel Lasker 1927 Alexander Alekhine José Raúl Capablanca 1929 Alexander Alekhine Efim Bogoljubov 1934 Alexander Alekhine Efim Bogoljubov 1935 Max Euwe Alexander Alekhine 1937 Alexander Alekhine Max Euwe

FIDE World Chess Championships

Year Winner Loser 1948 Mikhail Botvinnik 4 other players 1951 Mikhail Botvinnik David Bronstein 1954 Mikhail Botvinnik Vasily Smyslov 1957 Vasily Smyslov Mikhail Botvinnik 1958 Mikhail Botvinnik Vasily Smyslov 1960 Mikhail Tal Mikhail Botvinnik 1961 Mikhail Botvinnik Mikhail Tal 1963 Tigran Petrosian Mikhail Botvinnik 1966 Tigran Petrosian Boris Spassky 1969 Boris Spassky Tigran Petrosian 1972 Bobby Fischer Boris Spassky 1975 Anatoly Karpov Bobby Fischer 1978 Anatoly Karpov Viktor Korchnoi 1981 Anatoly Karpov Viktor Korchnoi 1984 Anatoly Karpov Garry Kasparov 1985 Garry Kasparov Anatoly Karpov 1986 Garry Kasparov Anatoly Karpov 1987 Garry Kasparov Anatoly Karpov 1990 Garry Kasparov Anatoly Karpov

Classical World Chess Championships

Year Winner Loser 1993 Garry Kasparov Nigel Short 1995 Garry Kasparov Viswanathan Anand 2000 Vladimir Kramnik Garry Kasparov 2004 Vladimir Kramnik Peter Leko

FIDE World Chess Championships

Year Winner Loser 1993 Anatoly Karpov Jan Timman 1996 Anatoly Karpov Gata Kamsky 1998 Anatoly Karpov Viswanathan Anand 1999 Alexander Khalifman Vladimir Akopian 2000 Viswanathan Anand Alexei Shirov 2002 Ruslan Ponomariov Vassily Ivanchuk 2004 Rustam Kasimdzhanov Michael Adams 2005 Veselin Topalov 7 other players

World Chess Championships

Year Winner Loser 2006 Vladimir Kramnik Veselin Topalov 2007 Viswanathan Anand 7 other players 2008 Viswanathan Anand Vladimir Kramnik 2010 Viswanathan Anand Veselin Topalov 2012 Viswanathan Anand Boris Gelfand 2013 Viswanathan Anand Magnus Carlsen 2014 Magnus Carlsen Viswanathan Anand 2016 Magnus Carlsen Sergey Karjakin 2018 Magnus Carlsen Fabiano Caruana 2021 Magnus Carlsen Ian Nepomniachtchi 2023 Ding Liren Ian Nepomniachtchi