FIDE World Chess Championship: Full list of winners

FIDE World Chess Championship is the ultimate proving ground for chess supremacy.

India’s Gukesh Dommaraju defeated Ding Liren to be crowned the 18th FIDE World Chess Champion after three weeks of thrilling moves and games. By winning the 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship clash, Gukesh also surpassed Garry Kasparov as the youngest-ever champion in the classical chess.

IN the short significance of tournament, The FIDE World Chess Championship is the ultimate proving ground for chess supremacy and that formula has determined the greatest minds in the game for more than nine decades.

The championship began in 1886, when Wilhelm Steinitz was declared the first official World Chess Champion. But the current FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs) method of a world championship was only firmly established in 1948.

The qualifying system was internalized by FIDE, thus, the structure of world chess championships was transformed from 1948 to 1993.

Also Read: Top five greatest Indian chess players of all-time

The body designed an easy-to-predict 3-year cycle, which was a mechanism for selecting the best players for the title of world champion and participants in certain tours.

The crucial moment of the separation took place in 1993 when Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short parted ways, and they established the Professional Chess Association, which led to the disintegration of the championship landscape.

This rupture resulted in splittingly rival world champion titles until 2006 when finally, the unification brought back the one and only unambiguous championship.

Also Read: Top six youngest winners in FIDE World Chess Championship history

Below in the table here is a look at all the FIDE world champions but also take into account historical lineage:

Key Notes

• Wilhelm Steinitz is recognized as the first World Chess Champion (1886).
• From the 6th champion onwards, the title was under FIDE’s governance starting in 1948.

Order	Champion	Years Reigned	Key Notes
1	Wilhelm Steinitz	1886–1894	First official World Chess Champion.
2	Emanuel Lasker	1894–1921	Longest reign in chess history (27 years).
3	José Raúl Capablanca	1921–1927	Noted for exceptional endgame technique.
4	Alexander Alekhine	1927–1935, 1937–1946	Held the title twice; died as champion.
5	Max Euwe	1935–1937	First and only Dutch World Champion.
6	Mikhail Botvinnik	1948–1957, 1958–1960, 1961–1963	Three-time champion under FIDE governance.
7	Vasily Smyslov	1957–1958	Won against Botvinnik but lost in a rematch.
8	Mikhail Tal	1960–1961	Youngest champion at the time, known for attacking style.
9	Tigran Petrosian	1963–1969	Famous for impenetrable defensive skills.
10	Boris Spassky	1969–1972	Defeated Petrosian; known for universal playing style.
11	Bobby Fischer	1972–1975	First and only American World Champion; forfeited title.
12	Anatoly Karpov	1975–1985	Became champion after Fischer forfeited.
13	Garry Kasparov	1985–2000	Youngest champion; left FIDE to form a separate league.
14	Vladimir Kramnik	2000–2007	Defeated Kasparov; reunited the classical and FIDE titles.
15	Viswanathan Anand	2007–2013	First Indian World Champion; defended title multiple times.
16	Magnus Carlsen	2013–2023	Held the title for a decade; voluntarily relinquished it.
17	Ding Liren	2023–2024	Won against Ian Nepomniachtchi in 2023.
18	Gukesh Dommaraju	2024-present	Beat Ding Liren 7.5-6.5 to win

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