Year |
Host country |
Host city |
World champion |
Runner(s)-up |
Won (+) |
Lost (−) |
Draw (=) |
Format |
Unofficial World Chess Championships (1834–1886) |
1834 |
United Kingdom |
London |
Louis de La Bourdonnais |
Alexander McDonnell |
45 |
28 |
13 |
|
1843 |
United Kingdom |
London |
Pierre Saint-Amant |
Howard Staunton |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1843 |
France |
Paris |
Howard Staunton |
Pierre Saint-Amant |
11 |
6 |
4 |
1846 |
United Kingdom |
London |
Howard Staunton |
Bernhard Horwitz |
14 |
7 |
3 |
1858 |
France |
Paris |
Paul Morphy |
Adolf Anderssen |
7 |
2 |
2 |
1866 |
United Kingdom |
London |
Wilhelm Steinitz |
Adolf Anderssen |
8 |
6 |
0 |
Official World Chess Championships (1886–1946) |
1886 |
United States |
New York City Saint Louis New Orleans |
Wilhelm Steinitz |
Johannes Zukertort |
10 |
5 |
5 |
first-to-10 wins |
1889 |
Cuba |
Havana |
Wilhelm Steinitz |
Mikhail Chigorin |
10 |
6 |
1 |
best-of-20 + tiebreak |
1891 |
United States |
New York City |
Wilhelm Steinitz |
Isidor Gunsberg |
6 |
4 |
9 |
1892 |
Cuba |
Havana |
Wilhelm Steinitz |
Mikhail Chigorin |
8+2 |
8 |
4+1 |
1894 |
United States and Canada |
New York City Philadelphia Montreal |
Emanuel Lasker |
Wilhelm Steinitz |
10 |
5 |
4 |
first-to-10 wins |
1897 |
Russian Empire |
Moscow |
Emanuel Lasker |
Wilhelm Steinitz |
10 |
2 |
5 |
1907 |
United States |
New York City Philadelphia Washington, D.C. Baltimore Chicago Memphis |
Emanuel Lasker |
Frank Marshall |
8 |
0 |
7 |
first-to-8 wins |
1908 |
German Empire |
Düsseldorf Munich |
Emanuel Lasker |
Siegbert Tarrasch |
8 |
3 |
5 |
1910 |
Austria-Hungary and German Empire |
Vienna Berlin |
Emanuel Lasker |
Carl Schlechter |
1 |
1 |
8 |
best of 10; disputed whether challenger had to win by 1 or 2 points;[1][2] |
1910 |
German Empire |
Berlin |
Emanuel Lasker |
Dawid Janowski |
8 |
0 |
3 |
first-to-8 wins |
1921 |
Cuba |
Havana |
José Raúl Capablanca |
Emanuel Lasker |
4 |
0 |
10 |
best-of-24;[1] Emanuel Lasker resigned after 14 games |
1927 |
Argentina |
Buenos Aires |
Alexander Alekhine |
José Raúl Capablanca |
6 |
3 |
25 |
first-to-6 wins |
1929 |
Germany and Netherlands |
Wiesbaden Heidelberg Berlin The Hague |
Alexander Alekhine |
Efim Bogoljubov |
11 |
5 |
9 |
first-to-6 wins AND 15 points |
1934 |
Nazi Germany |
|
Alexander Alekhine |
Efim Bogoljubov |
8 |
3 |
15 |
1935 |
Netherlands |
|
Max Euwe |
Alexander Alekhine |
9 |
8 |
13 |
1937 |
Netherlands |
|
Alexander Alekhine |
Max Euwe |
10 |
4 |
11 |
Interregnum (1946–1948) |
Alexander Alekhine died in 1946 as World Chess Champion. |
FIDE World Chess Championships (1948–1993) |
1948 |
Netherlands and Soviet Union |
The Hague Moscow |
Mikhail Botvinnik |
4 players |
14 points out of 20 |
5-player, 5-cycle round-robin tournament |
1951 |
Soviet Union |
Moscow |
Mikhail Botvinnik |
David Bronstein |
5 |
5 |
14 |
best-of-24[1] |
1954 |
Soviet Union |
Moscow |
Mikhail Botvinnik |
Vasily Smyslov |
7 |
7 |
10 |
1957 |
Soviet Union |
Moscow |
Vasily Smyslov |
Mikhail Botvinnik |
6 |
3 |
13 |
1958 |
Soviet Union |
Moscow |
Mikhail Botvinnik |
Vasily Smyslov |
7 |
5 |
11 |
1960 |
Soviet Union |
Moscow |
Mikhail Tal |
Mikhail Botvinnik |
6 |
2 |
13 |
1961 |
Soviet Union |
Moscow |
Mikhail Botvinnik |
Mikhail Tal |
10 |
5 |
6 |
1963 |
Soviet Union |
Moscow |
Tigran Petrosian |
Mikhail Botvinnik |
5 |
2 |
15 |
1966 |
Soviet Union |
Moscow |
Tigran Petrosian |
Boris Spassky |
4 |
3 |
17 |
1969 |
Soviet Union |
Moscow |
Boris Spassky |
Tigran Petrosian |
6 |
4 |
13 |
1972 |
Iceland |
Reykjavík |
Bobby Fischer |
Boris Spassky |
7 |
3 |
11 |
1975 |
Philippines |
Manila |
Anatoly Karpov |
Bobby Fischer |
by default |
first-to-10 wins |
1978 |
Philippines |
Baguio |
Anatoly Karpov |
Viktor Korchnoi |
6 |
5 |
21 |
first-to-6 wins |
1981 |
Italy |
Kurhaus Merano |
Anatoly Karpov |
Viktor Korchnoi |
6 |
2 |
10 |
1984 |
Soviet Union |
Moscow |
Anatoly Karpov |
Garry Kasparov |
5 |
3 |
40 |
first-to-6 wins; aborted match |
1985 |
Soviet Union |
Moscow |
Garry Kasparov |
Anatoly Karpov |
5 |
3 |
16 |
best-of-24[1] |
1986 |
United Kingdom and Soviet Union |
London Leningrad[3] |
Garry Kasparov |
Anatoly Karpov |
5 |
4 |
15 |
1987 |
Spain |
Seville |
Garry Kasparov |
Anatoly Karpov |
4 |
4 |
16 |
1990 |
United States and France |
New York City Lyon |
Garry Kasparov |
Anatoly Karpov |
4 |
3 |
17 |
Classical World Chess Championships (1993–2006) |
World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov and challenger Nigel Short split from FIDE, the official world governing body of chess, and played their title match under the auspices of the Professional Chess Association. |
1993 |
United Kingdom |
London |
Garry Kasparov |
Nigel Short |
6 |
1 |
13 |
best-of-24[1] |
1995 |
United States |
New York City |
Garry Kasparov |
Viswanathan Anand |
4 |
1 |
13 |
best-of-20[1] |
2000 |
United Kingdom |
London |
Vladimir Kramnik |
Garry Kasparov |
2 |
0 |
13 |
best-of-16[1] |
2004 |
Switzerland |
Brissago |
Vladimir Kramnik |
Peter Leko |
2 |
2 |
10 |
best-of-14[1] |
FIDE World Chess Championships (1993–2006) |
Garry Kasparov was stripped of his FIDE title after he and challenger Nigel Short split from FIDE in 1993. Anatoly Karpov, former champion and the challenger in the 1990 FIDE World Chess Championship match, was announced as incumbent World Champion. Beginning with the FIDE World Chess Championship 1996, FIDE changed its rules and the incumbent World Champion was no longer automatically qualified for the final match. |
1993 |
Netherlands and Indonesia |
Zwolle Arnhem Amsterdam Jakarta |
Anatoly Karpov |
Jan Timman |
6 |
2 |
13 |
best-of-24[1] |
1996 |
Russia |
Elista |
Anatoly Karpov |
Gata Kamsky |
6 |
3 |
9 |
best-of-20[1] |
1998 |
Netherlands and Switzerland |
Groningen Lausanne |
Anatoly Karpov |
Viswanathan Anand |
2+2 |
2 |
2 |
single-elimination tournament with finals best-of-6 + tiebreaks |
1999 |
United States |
Las Vegas |
Alexander Khalifman |
Vladimir Akopian |
2 |
1 |
3 |
2000 |
India and Iran |
New Delhi Teheran |
Viswanathan Anand |
Alexei Shirov |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2002 |
Russia |
Moscow |
Ruslan Ponomariov |
Vassily Ivanchuk |
2 |
0 |
5 |
single-elimination tournament with finals best-of-8 + tiebreaks |
2004 |
Libya |
Tripoli |
Rustam Kasimdzhanov |
Michael Adams |
2+1 |
2 |
2+1 |
single-elimination tournament with finals best-of-6 + tiebreaks |
2005 |
Argentina |
Potrero de los Funes San Luis |
Veselin Topalov |
7 players |
10 points out of 14 |
8-player double round-robin tournament |
World Chess Championships (2006–present) |
2006 |
Russia |
Elista[4] |
Vladimir Kramnik |
Veselin Topalov |
3+2 |
3+1 |
6+1 |
best-of-12 + tiebreaks |
2007 |
Mexico |
Mexico City |
Viswanathan Anand |
7 players |
9 points out of 14 |
8-player double round-robin tournament |
2008 |
Germany |
Bonn |
Viswanathan Anand |
Vladimir Kramnik |
3 |
1 |
7 |
best-of-12 + tiebreaks |
2010 |
Bulgaria |
Sofia |
Viswanathan Anand |
Veselin Topalov |
3 |
2 |
7 |
2012 |
Russia |
Moscow |
Viswanathan Anand |
Boris Gelfand |
1+1 |
1 |
10+3 |
2013 |
India |
Chennai[5] |
Magnus Carlsen |
Viswanathan Anand |
3 |
0 |
7 |
2014 |
Russia |
Sochi |
Magnus Carlsen |
Viswanathan Anand |
3 |
1 |
7 |
2016 |
United States |
New York City[6] |
Magnus Carlsen |
Sergey Karjakin |
1+2 |
1 |
10+2 |
2018 |
United Kingdom |
London[7] |
Magnus Carlsen vs. Fabiano Caruana |
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