How well do you know the history of chess!

Yes, Staunton was the first unofficial world champion and Steinitz was the first official one

Until the great London Tournament of 1851, many of the strongest players in Europe had never crossed swords with each other. Travel was much more difficult and time consuming then, and almost none of these people were professional chess players. They often had fulltime jobs. Staunton showed that he was one of the best players in Europe when he beat Saint-Amant in a match. But I don't think there was a general consensus that he was clearly the strongest player in the world. Adolph Anderssen, who won the 1851 tournament, and defeated Staunton in their mini-match, also has a good claim to being the first unofficial champion. But I don;\'t think he ever made that claim. I