Official World Champions

Date	Champion	Age	Challenger	Age	Result
1886	Steinitz	50	Zukertort	44	12½ - 7½ (+10, -5, =5)
1889	Steinitz	53	Chigorin	38	10½ - 6½ (+10, -6, =1)
1890/91	Steinitz	54	Gunsberg	36	10½ - 8½ (+6, -4, =9)
1892	Steinitz	56	Chigorin	41	12½ - 10½ (+10, -8, =5)
1894	Steinitz	58	Lasker	25	7 - 12 (+5, -10, =4)
1897	Lasker	28	Steinitz	60	12½ - 4½ (+10, -2, =5)
1907	Lasker	39	Marshall	30	11½ - 3½ (+8, -0, =7)
1908	Lasker	40	Tarrasch	46	10½ - 5½ (+8, -3, =5)
1909	Lasker	41	Janovski	41	8 - 2 (+7, -1, =2)
1910	Lasker	42	Schlechter	36	5 - 5 (+1, -1, =8)
1910	Lasker	42	Janovski	42	9½ - 1½ (+8, -0, =3)
1921	Lasker	53	Capablanca	33	5 - 9 (+0, -4, =10)
1927	Capablanca	39	Alekhine	35	15½ - 18½ (+3, -6, =25)
1929	Alekhine	37	Bogoljubov	40	15½ - 9½ (+11, -5, =9)
1934	Alekhine	42	Bogoljubov	45	15½ - 10½ (+8, -3, =15)
1935	Alekhine	43	Euwe	34	14½ - 15½ (+8, -9, =13)
1937	Euwe	36	Alekhine	45	9½ - 15½ (+4, -10, =11)
1948	Match-tournament (following Alekhine's death in 1946) involving Euwe, Botvinnik, Keres, Reshevsky and Smyslov.		Botvinnik	37	1. Botvinnik 14/20; 2. Smyslov 11; 3. Keres & Reshevsky 10½ ; 4. Euwe 4.
1951	Botvinnik	40	Bronstein	27	12 - 12 (+5, -5, =14)
1954	Botvinnik	43	Smyslov	33	12 - 12 (+7, -7, =10)
1957	Botvinnik	46	Smyslov	36	9½ - 12½ (+3, -6, =13)
1958	Smyslov	37	Botvinnik	47	10½ - 12½ (+5, -7, =11)
1960	Botvinnik	49	Tal	23	8½ - 12½ (+2, -6, =13)
1961	Tal	25	Botvinnik	50	8 - 13 (+5, -10, =6)
1963	Botvinnik	52	Petrosian	34	9½ - 12½ (+2, -5, =15)
1966	Petrosian	37	Spassky	29	12½ - 11½ (+4, -3, =17)
1969	Petrosian	40	Spassky	32	10½ - 12½ (+4, -6, =13)
1972	Spassky	35	Fischer	29	8½ - 12½ (+3, -7, =11)
1978	Karpov (by forfeit in 1975 when Fischer did not defend his title.)	27	Korchnoi	47	16½ - 15½ (+6, -5, =21)
1981	Karpov	30	Korchnoi	50	11 - 7 (+6, -2, =10)
1984/85	Karpov	33	Kasparov	21	25 - 23 (+5, -3, =40)  Match abandoned
1985	Karpov	34	Kasparov	22	11 - 13 (+5, -3, =16)
1986	Kasparov	23	Karpov	35	12½ - 11½ (+5, -4, =15)
1987	Kasparov	24	Karpov	36	12 - 12 (+4, -4, =16)
1990	Kasparov	27	Karpov	39	12½ - 11½ (+4, -3, =17)
1993	Kasparov	30	Short	28	12½ - 7½ (+6, -1, =13)
1995	Kasparov	32	Anand	25	10½ - 7½ (+4, -1, =13)
2000	Kasparov	37	Kramnik	25	6½ - 8½ (+0, -2, =13)
2004	Kramnik	29	Leko	25	7 - 7 (+2, -2, =10)
2006	Kramnik	31	Topalov	31	6 - 6, tie-break 2½ - 1½
2007	Anand	37	Match-tournament (double-round) against Kramnik, Gelfand, Leko, Svidler, Morozevich, Aronian and Grischuk.		9 (+4, -0, =10)
2010	Anand	40	Topalov	35	6½ - 5½ (+3, -2, =7)
2012	Anand	42	Gelfand	43	6 - 6, tie-break 2½ - 1½
2013	Anand	43	Carlsen	22	6½ - 3½ (+3, -0, =7)

The Roll of Honour

Women's World Champions