1886
Chess World Championship Data
We hope you enjoy this deep dive into the statistical history of the worlds greatest game. You can start by viewing the timeline of chess world championship history below. Check stats by player or match and enjoy the Positional History of the championship by making moves on the board and discovering who played that position, when and where and how it turned out for them.
View TimelineWorld Championship Timeline
WilhelmSteinitz
1894
EmanuelLasker
JoseCapablanca
1921
1927
AlexanderAlekhine
MaxEuwe
1935
1938
AlexanderAlekhine
1946
AlekhinePasses
The chess world was faced with the issue of solving the problem of a dying champion. The 1948 FIDE World Chess Championship Tournament was the answer.
MikhailBotvinnik
1948
1957
VasilySmyslov
MikhailBotvinnik
1958
1960
MikhailTal
MikhailBotvinnik
1961
1963
TigranPetrosian
BorisSpassky
1969
1972
BobbyFischer
AnatolyKarpov
1975
1985
GarryKasparov
SplitTitle
1993
In 1993 Garry Kasparov broke away from FIDE for many reasons and declared he would defend his title in a newly created organization called the PCA (Professional Chess Association). This created a split-title as FIDE continued it's own championship cycle.
1993 PCA
GarryKasparov
AnatolyKarpov
1993 FIDE
1999 FIDE
AlexanderKhalifman
VladimirKramnik
2000 PCA
2000 FIDE
ViswanathanAnand
RuslanPonomariov
2001 FIDE
2004 FIDE
RustamKasimdzhanov
veselintopalov
2005 FIDE
2006
UNIFICATIONMATCH
Finally after 13 years the decision to unify the title was made. FIDE champion Veselin Topalov played a match against PCA champion Vladimir Kramnik for the new title.
VladimirKramnik
2006
2007
viswanathanAnand
MagnusCarlsen
2013
2022
CarlsenLeaves
"I am not motivated to play another match. I simply feel that I don’t have a lot to gain, I don’t particularly like it,
and although I’m sure a match would be interesting for historical reasons and all of that, I don’t have any inclination
to play and I will simply not play the match."
- Magnus Carlsen
DingLiren
2023