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Last updated on February 1, 2009
World Champions
Garry Kasparov became the youngest man to win the world chess
championship when he beat fellow Russian Anatoly Karpov in 1985 at age 22.
In 1993, Kasparov and then-#1 challenger Nigel Short of England broke away
from the established International Chess Federation (FIDE) to form the
Professional Chess Association (the PCA was disbanded in 1998). FIDE
retaliated by stripping Kasparov of the world title and arranging a
playoff that was won by Karpov, the former title-holder. Karpov
successfully defended the FIDE title several times before failing to show
up for the 1999 FIDE World Championship Tournament that was won by
Alexander Khalifman. Indian Viswanathan Anand won the 2000 FIDE World
Championship. The FIDE title holders between 2000 and 2006 include, Ruslan
Ponomariov (2002), Rustam Kasimdzhanov (2004), and Veselin Topalov
(2005).
In his first title defense in five years, Kasparov faced world #2
Vladimir Kramnik for 16 matches in the unofficial (though more widely
recognized) world championship from Oct. 8-Nov. 4, 2000 in London. The
25-year-old Kramnik defeated the longtime world champion
81/2-61/2 in a stunning result. Kasparov failed to
win a single game, but despite the loss is still the top-ranked player in
the world.
The split between the Classical World Chess Championships and FIDE
World Chess Championships ended in 2006 in one FIDE World Chess
Championship. The historic match between champions Vladimir Kramnik and
Veselin Topalov ended with Vladimir Kramnik as the undisputed World Chess
Champion.
| Years |
|
| 1866-94 |
Wilhelm Steinitz, Austria |
| 1894-1921 |
Emanuel Lasker, Germany |
| 1921-27 |
Jose Capablanca, Cuba |
| 1927-35 |
Alexander Alekhine, France |
| 1935-37 |
Max Euwe, Holland |
| 1937-46 |
Alexander Alekhine, France |
| 1948-57 |
Mikhail Botvinnik, USSR |
| 1957-58 |
Vassily Smyslov, USSR |
| 1958-59 |
Mikhail Botvinnik, USSR |
| 1960-61 |
Mikhail Tal, USSR |
| 1961-63 |
Mikhail Botvinnik, USSR |
| 1963-69 |
Tigran Petrosian, USSR |
| 1969-72 |
Boris Spassky, USSR |
| 1972-75 |
Bobby Fischer, USA* |
| 1975-85 |
Anatoly Karpov, USSR |
| 1985-2000 |
Garry Kasparov, RUS |
| 2000–2006 |
Vladimir Kramnik, RUS |
| 2007–2008 |
Viswanathan Anand , India |
*Fischer defaulted the championship in
1975.
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson
Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
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