| Name |
Born |
Country
of Origin |
World
Championship Reign |
| Wilhelm
Steinitz |
1834
- 1900 |
Czechoslovakia |
1886
- 1894 |
| Emanuel
Lasker |
1868
- 1941 |
Germany |
1894
- 1921 |
| José
Raúl Capablanca |
1888
- 1942 |
Cuba |
1921
- 1927 |
| Alexander
Alexandrovich Alekhine |
1892
- 1946 |
USSR |
1927
- 1935
1937 - 1946 |
| Machgielis
(Max) Euwe |
1901
- 1981 |
Netherlands |
1935
- 1937 |
| Mikhail
Moiseevich Botvinnik |
1911
- 1995 |
USSR |
1948
- 1957
1958 - 1960
1961 - 1963 |
| Vasily
Vasilievich Smyslov |
1921
- |
USSR |
1957
- 1958 |
| Mikhail
Nekhemievich Tal |
1936
- 1993 |
USSR |
1960
- 1961 |
| Tigran
Vartanovich Petrosian |
1929
- 1984 |
USSR |
1963
- 1969 |
| Boris
Vasilievich Spassky |
1937
- |
USSR |
1969
- 1972 |
| Robert
James (Bobby) Fischer |
1943
- |
USA |
1972
- 1975
|
| Anatoly
Evgenievich Karpov |
1951
- |
USSR |
1975
- 1985
FIDE Champion 1993 - present |
| Garry
Kimovich Kasparov |
1963
- |
USSR |
1985-
1993
PCA Champion 1993 - present |
