Below is the list of classical world champions under the old formats. On the men’s side, different world championship formats were experimented after 1993. The title was finally united in 2006 by Kramnik, followed by Anand. On the women’s side, the same happened after 1999.

After the recent passing of Vasily Smyslov, Boris Spassky is now the oldest living classical world champion under the old formats, followed by Anatoly Karpov. On the women’s side, it is Nona Gaprindashvili, followed by Maia Chiburdanidze.

Undisputed Men’s Classical World Champions under the old formats:

# 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 France
Russia Russian émigré
35–43
45–54
5 Max Euwe 1935–1937 Netherlands 34–36
6 Mikhail Botvinnik 1948–1957
1958–1960
1961–1963
Soviet Union (Russia) 37–46
47–49
50–52
7 Vasily Smyslov 1957–1958 Soviet Union (Russia) 36
8 Mikhail Tal 1960–1961 Soviet Union (Latvia) 24
9 Tigran Petrosian 1963–1969 Soviet Union (Armenia) 34–40
10 Boris Spassky 1969–1972 Soviet Union (Russia) 32–35
11 Bobby Fischer 1972–1975 United States 29–32
12 Anatoly Karpov 1975–1985 Soviet Union (Russia) 24–34
13 Garry Kasparov 1985–1993 Soviet Union (Azerbaijan)
Russia
22–30

Women’s Classical World Champions under the old format:

Name Years Country
1 Vera Menchik 1927–1944 Russia / Czechoslovakia / England
2 Lyudmila Rudenko 1950–1953 Soviet Union / Ukraine
3 Elisabeth Bykova 1953–1956 Soviet Union / Russia
4 Olga Rubtsova 1956–1958 Soviet Union / Russia
5 Elisabeth Bykova 1958–1962 Soviet Union / Russia
6 Nona Gaprindashvili 1962–1978 Soviet Union / Georgia
7 Maya Chiburdanidze 1978–1991 Soviet Union / Georgia
8 Xie Jun 1991–1996 People’s Republic of China
9 Susan Polgar 1996–1999 Hungary / United States

Source: Wiki

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