World chess championship winners list: A complete list of all the

A complete list of all the world chess champions right from Wilhelm Steinitz to Gukesh Dommaraju. 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 ... List of World Chess Championships Emanuel Lasker (left) facing incumbent champion Wilhelm Steinitz (right) in Philadelphia during the 1894 World Chess Championship The World Chess Championship has taken various forms over time, including both match and tournament play. Explore the complete list of all World Chess Champions from 1886 to 2025, Learn about the history and evolution of the chess world title.