The chess Champs plus history of the World Chess Championship

Throughout the history of chess, humanity has continually held a fascination with those rare individuals whose immense skill and success at the game makes them deserving of being labeled "The Strongest Player on Earth." The title of World Chess Champion is the embodiment of this notion. This page is both a brief history of the World Chess Championship and an index of all of the modern championship matches. For many centuries, there was no formal world chess championship, but there were nonetheless a select few who achieved fame for their ideas and successes over the chess board, and sometimes even for their writings. Each player below was recognized in his respective time as the strongest chess player in the world. The years indicate the approximate time period when each could be considered world champion in an unofficial capacity.