| Naam | Geboorte datum | Land |
Kampioens periode |
| Wilhelm Steinitz | 1834 – 1900 | Tjechaslowakije | 1886 – 1894 |
| Emanuel Lasker | 1868 – 1941 | Duitsland | 1894 – 1921 |
| Jose Raul Capablanca | 1888 – 1942 | Cuba | 1921 – 1927 |
| Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine | 1892 – 1946 | USSR | 1927 – 1935 1937 – 1946 |
| Machgielis (Max) Euwe | 1901 – 1981 | Nederland | 1935 – 1937 |
| Mikhail Moiseevich Botvinnik | 1911 – 1995 | USSR | 1948 – 1957 1958 – 1960 1961 – 1963 |
| Vasily Vasilievich Smyslov | 1921 – | USSR | 1957 – 1958 |
| Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal | 1936 – 1993 | USSR | 1960 – 1961 |
| Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian | 1929 – 1984 | USSR | 1963 – 1969 |
| Boris Vasilievich Spassky | 1937 – | USSR | 1969 – 1972 |
| Robert James (Bobby) Fischer | 1943 -2008 | USA | 1972 – 1975 |
| Anatoly Evgenievich Karpov | 1951 – | USSR | 1975 – 1985 FIDE Champion 1993 – 1999 |
| Garry Kimovich Kasparov | 1963 – | USSR | 1985- 1993 PCA Champion 1993 – 2000 |
| Alexander Khalifman |
1966 – | Rusland | FIDE Champion 1999 – 2000 |
| Vladimir Kramnik |
1975 – | Rusland | 2000- 2006 PCA Champion 2000 – 2006 |
| Viswanathan Anand |
1969 – | India | 2000- 2002 FIDE Champion 2000 – 2002 |
| Ruslan Ponomariov |
1983 – | Oekraïne | 2002- 2004 FIDE Champion 2002 – 2004 |
| Rustam Kasimdzhanov | 1973 – | Uzbekistan | 2004- 2005 FIDE Champion 2004 – 2005 |
| Veseling Topalov |
1973 – | Bulgarije | 2005- 2006 FIDE Champion 2005 – 2006 |
| Vladimir Kramnik |
1975 – | Rusland | 2006- 2007 |
| Viswanathan Anand | 1969 – | India | 2007- heden |
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Deze stelling werd gespeeld in 1902 tussen Popiel en Marco in Monte Carlo. zwart is aan zet en gaf op.
