Something resembling a world championship match was the La Bourdonnais - McDonnell chess matches in 1834, in which La Bourdonnais played a series of six matches – and 85 games – against the Irishman Alexander McDonnell, with La Bourdonnais winning a majority of the games.

Howard Staunton

The earliest recorded use of the term "World Champion" was in 1845, was described as "the Chess Champion of England, or ... the Champion of the World"

Pierre Charles Fournier de Saint-Amant

Adolf Anderssen the 1851 London tournament was won by the German establishing him as the world's leading player

https://www.chess.com/players/adolf-anderssen

https://www.chess.com/games/adolf-anderssen

Paul Morphy

https://www.chess.com/games/paul-morphy

https://www.chess.com/players/paul-morphy

Wilhelm Steinitz

https://www.chess.com/players/wilhelm-steinitz

https://www.chess.com/games/wilhelm-steinitz

Emanuel Lasker

https://www.chess.com/players/emanuel-lasker

https://www.chess.com/games/emanuel-lasker

José Raul Capablanca (1888-1942) (world champion 1921-1927)

https://www.chess.com/players/jose-raul-capablanca

https://www.chess.com/games/jose-raul-capablanca

Alexander Alekhine (1927-1935)

https://www.chess.com/players/alexander-alekhine

https://www.chess.com/games/alexander-alekhine

Max Euwe (1921-1946)

https://www.chess.com/players/max-euwe

https://www.chess.com/games/max-euwe

Mikhail Botvinnik (1911-1995)

https://www.chess.com/players/mikhail-botvinnik

https://www.chess.com/games/mikhail-botvinnik

Vasily Smyslov 1921-2010) World Champion 1957-1958

https://www.chess.com/players/vasily-smyslov

https://www.chess.com/games/vasily-smyslov

Mikhail Tal, World Champion 1960-1961

https://www.chess.com/players/mikhail-tal

https://www.chess.com/games/mikhail-tal

Tigran Petrosian, World Champion 1963-1969

https://www.chess.com/players/tigran-petrosian

https://www.chess.com/games/tigran-petrosian

Bobby Fischer

https://www.chess.com/players/bobby-fischer

https://www.chess.com/games/bobby-fischer

Boris Spassky 1969

https://www.chess.com/players/boris-spassky

https://www.chess.com/games/boris-spassky

Anatoly Karpov, 1975-1985

https://www.chess.com/players/anatoly-karpov

https://www.chess.com/games/anatoly-karpov

Garry Kasparov, 1985-1993

https://www.chess.com/players/garry-kasparov

https://www.chess.com/games/garry-kasparov

https://www.chess.com/member/garrykasparov

Alexander Khalifman, FIDE World Champion 1999-2000

https://www.chess.com/players/alexander-khalifman

https://www.chess.com/games/alexander-khalifman

Ruslan Ponomariov, FIDE World Champion 2002-2004

https://www.chess.com/players/ruslan-ponomariov

https://www.chess.com/games/ruslan-ponomariov

https://www.chess.com/member/r-ponomariov

Rustam Kasimdzhanov, FIDE World Champion 2004-2005

https://www.chess.com/players/rustam-kasimdzhanov

https://www.chess.com/games/rustam-kasimdzhanov

Veselin Topalov, FIDE World Champion 2005-2006

https://www.chess.com/players/veselin-topalov

https://www.chess.com/games/veselin-topalov

Vladimir Kramnik (2006–2007)

https://www.chess.com/players/vladimir-kramnik

https://www.chess.com/games/vladimir-kramnik

https://www.chess.com/member/vladimirkramnik

Viswanathan Anand (2000-2002 et 2007–2013)

https://www.chess.com/players/viswanathan-anand

https://www.chess.com/games/viswanathan-anand

https://www.chess.com/member/anand

Magnus Carlsen (2013-present)

https://www.chess.com/players/magnus-carlsen

https://www.chess.com/games/magnus-carlsen

https://www.chess.com/member/magnuscarlsen

https://www.chess.com/computer-chess-championship

Le saviez-vous? (Podcasts)

-> https://www.franceinter.fr/emissions/la-marche-de-l-histoire/la-marche-de-l-histoire-28-novembre-2012

-> https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/la-methode-scientifique/echecs-et-maths 59mn

-> Une histoire des échecs (1/5) entretien avec Yannick Pelletier, champion suisse et grand maître

https://www.rts.ch/play/radio/histoire-vivante/audio/une-histoire-des-echecs-15?id=11635000 29mn

https://pages.rts.ch/docs/histoire-vivante/11635001-une-histoire-des-echecs-15-12-10-2020.html?anchor=11635000

Une histoire des échecs (2/5) entretien avec Nicolas Giffard

https://www.rts.ch/play/radio/histoire-vivante/audio/une-histoire-des-echecs-25?id=11638790

https://pages.rts.ch/docs/histoire-vivante/11638791-une-histoire-des-echecs-25-13-10-2020.html?anchor=11638790

Une histoire des échecs (3/5) entretien avec Nicolas Giffard (suite)

https://www.rts.ch/play/radio/histoire-vivante/audio/une-histoire-des-echecs-35?id=11641843

https://pages.rts.ch/docs/histoire-vivante/11641844-une-histoire-des-echecs-35-14-10-2020.html?anchor=11641843

Une histoire des échecs (4/5) entretien avec Franck Joubert

https://www.rts.ch/play/radio/histoire-vivante/audio/une-histoire-des-echecs-45?id=11644312

https://pages.rts.ch/docs/histoire-vivante/11644313-une-histoire-des-echecs-45-15-10-2020.html?anchor=11644312

Une histoire des échecs (5/5) entretiens croisés entre Jean-Claude Deniau, réalisateur du film "Karpov - Kasparov: deux rois pour une couronne", et Nicolas Giffard, maître international et auteur du "Traité des échecs", paru chez Laffont en 1993.