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Name

Year

Country

Age

1

Wilhelm Steinitz

1886–1894

Austria-Hungary (Bohemia) United States

50–58

2

Emanuel Lasker

1894–1921

Germany

26–52

3

José Raúl Capablanca

1921–1927

Cuba

33–39

4

Alexander Alekhine

1927–1935
1937–1946

France Soviet émigré

35–43
45–54

5

Max Euwe

1935–1937

Netherlands

34–36

6

Mikhail Botvinnik

1948–1957
1958–1960
1961–1963

Soviet Union (RSFSR)

37–46
47–49
50–52

7

Vasily Smyslov

1957–1958

Soviet Union (RSFSR)

36

8

Mikhail Tal

1960–1961

Soviet Union (Latvian SSR)

24

9

Tigran Petrosian

1963–1969

Soviet Union (Armenian SSR)

34–40

10

Boris Spassky

1969–1972

Soviet Union (RSFSR)

32–35

11

Bobby Fischer

1972–1975

United States

29–32

12

Anatoly Karpov

1975–1985

Soviet Union (RSFSR)

24–34

13

Garry Kasparov

1985–1993

Soviet Union (Azerbaijan SSR) Russia

22–30

Undisputed world champions (2006–present)

Classical (PCA/Braingames) world champions
(1993–2006)

FIDE world champions
(1993–2006)

More ...

Name

Year

Country

Vera Menchik

1927–1941

Russia (in exile) / Czechoslovakia / England

none

1941–1950

World War II

Lyudmila Rudenko

1950–1953

Soviet Union (Ukrainian SSR)

Elisabeth Bykova

1953–1956

Soviet Union (Russian SFSR)

Olga Rubtsova

1956–1958

Soviet Union (Russian SFSR)

Elisabeth Bykova

1958–1962

Soviet Union (Russian SFSR)

Nona Gaprindashvili

1962–1978

Soviet Union (Georgian SSR)

Maya Chiburdanidze

1978–1991

Soviet Union (Georgian SSR)

Xie Jun

1991–1996

China

Susan Polgar

1996–1999

Hungary

Xie Jun

1999–2001

China

Zhu Chen

2001–2004

China

Antoaneta Stefanova

2004–2006

Bulgaria

Xu Yuhua

2006–2008

China

Alexandra Kosteniuk

2008–2010

Russia

Hou Yifan

2010–2012

China

Anna Ushenina

2012–2013

Ukraine

Hou Yifan

2013–2015

China

Mariya Muzychuk

2015-

Ukraine