^	
PLAYER	YEAR
Adolf Anderssen
(Germany)	1859-1866
Wilhelm Steinitz
(Austria)	1866-1894 (i)
Emanuel Lasker
(Germany)	1894-1921
José Raul Capablanca
(Cuba)	1921-1927
Alexander Alekhine
(Russian-born)	1927-1935 (ii)
Max Euwe
(Netherlands)	1935-1937
Alexander Alekhine
(Russian-born)	1937-1946 (ii)
Mikhail Botvinnik
(USSR)	1948-1956
Vassily Smyslov
(USSR)	1957-1958
Mikhail Botvinnik
(USSR)	1958-1960
Mikhail Tal
(USSR)	1960-1961
Mikhail Botvinnik
(USSR)	1961-1963
Tigran Petrosian
(USSR)	1963-1969
Boris Spassky
(USSR)	1969-1972
Bobby Fischer
(U.S.)	1972-1975
Anatoli Karpov
(USSR)	1975-1985 (iii)
Gary Kasparov
(USSR)	1985 - present

i.   Firstly officially recognised world champion.
ii.  Alekhine became a French citizen in 1927.
iii. By default when Fischer refused to play.