Query: chess world champions

Relevant passages:
Aleksandr Lenderman <=SEP=> Aleksandr "Alex" Lenderman (born September 23, 1989 in Leningrad) is an American chess grandmaster. He won the 2005 World Under-16 Championship in Belfort with a score of 9/10 (+8 −0 =2), becoming the first American to win a gold medal at the World Youth Chess Championship since Tal Shaked won the World Junior Championship in 1997. Born in Saint Petersburg (then called Leningrad), he arrived with his family in Brooklyn when he was four.

Aleksandr Surenovich Dronov <=SEP=> Aleksandr Surenovich Dronov is a Russian International Correspondence Chess Grandmaster. He is most famous for being the 22nd and 27th World Correspondence Chess Champion.  He is currently the World No.4 in the Correspondence Chess World Rankings. He is only the third person after Tõnu Õim and Joop van Oosterom to win the World Correspondence Chess Championship twice.

Aleksandra Goryachkina <=SEP=> Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina (Russian: Александра Юрьевна Горячкина; born 28 September 1998 in Orsk) is a Russian chess prodigy holding the title of Woman grandmaster since the age of 13. She won twice the World Junior Girls Chess Championship, in 2013 and in 2014.

Alexander Alekhine <=SEP=> Alexander Aleksandrovich Alekhine (Russian: Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Але́хин, pronounced [ɐlʲɪkˈsandr ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪtɕ ɐˈlʲexʲɪn]; October 31 [O.S. October 19] 1892 – March 24, 1946) was a Russian chess grandmaster and the fourth World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players ever.By the age of 22, Alekhine was already among the strongest chess players in the world. During the 1920s, he won most of the tournaments in which he played.

Alexander Beliavsky <=SEP=> Alexander Genrikhovich Beliavsky (sometimes transliterated as Belyavsky; born December 17, 1953) is a Soviet, Ukrainian and Slovenian chess grandmaster.Beliavsky was born in Lviv, USSR, now Ukraine. Since 1994, he lives in Slovenia and he plays for the Olympic team there. He is noted for his uncompromising style of play and for his classical opening repertoire, including openings such as the Queen's Gambit, Ruy Lopez, French Defence and the Two Knights Defence.

Alexander Khalifman <=SEP=> Alexander Valeryevich Khalifman (Russian: Алекса́ндр Вале́рьевич Халифма́н; born 18 January 1966 in Leningrad) is a Russian chess Grandmaster. He was FIDE World Chess Champion in 1999.

Alexandra Kosteniuk <=SEP=> Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk (Russian: Алекса́ндра Константи́новна Костеню́к; born April 23, 1984 in Perm) is a Russian chess Grandmaster and a former Women's World Chess Champion.

Alexei Shirov <=SEP=> Alexei Dmitrievich Shirov (Russian: Алексей Дмитриевич Широв, Latvian: Aleksejs Širovs; born July 4, 1972) is a Soviet-born Latvian chess grandmaster. He has consistently ranked among the world's top players since the early 1990s, and reached a ranking as high as number four in 1998. Shirov is also a well-regarded chess author.

Algimantas Butnorius <=SEP=> Algimantas Butnorius (born 20 November 1946) is a Lithuanian chess Grandmaster and a former World Senior Champion. From 2014 he represented Monaco.

Alisa Galliamova <=SEP=> Alisa Galliamova (Russian: Алиса Михайловна Галлямова, Tatar: Cyrillic Алисә Михаил кызы Галләмова, Latin Alisä Mixail qızı Ğällämova; born 18 January 1972) is a Russian chess player, who was born to Russian father and Tatar mother (Galliamova is the last name of her mother). She holds the FIDE titles Woman Grandmaster and International Master.  In 1988 she won the World Junior Girls Chess Championship. She was married to Grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk, one of the top rated players in the world.

Anatoly Karpov <=SEP=> Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov, PhD (Russian: Анато́лий Евге́ньевич Ка́рпов, Anatolij Evgen'evič Karpov; born May 23, 1951) is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once again after Kasparov broke away from FIDE in 1993.

Anna Muzychuk <=SEP=> Anna Olegivna Muzychuk (Ukrainian: Ганна Олегівна Музичук; Slovene: Ana Muzičuk; born February 28, 1990 in Lviv) is a Ukrainian chess Grandmaster. From 2004 to 2014 she played for Slovenia. Her younger sister Mariya is the 2015 Women's World Chess Champion.

Antoaneta Stefanova <=SEP=> Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgarian: Антоанета Стефанова; born April 19, 1979) is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster, a former Women's World Champion and a former European Women's Champion.She represented Bulgaria in twelve Chess Olympiads from 1992 to 2014.

Artur Yusupov <=SEP=> Artur Mayakovich Yusupov (Russian: Арту́р Маякович Юсу́пов; German: Artur Majakowitsch Jussupow; born February 13, 1960 in Moscow, Soviet Union) is a Russian chess grandmaster and a chess writer. He has lived in Germany since the early 1990s.

Bassem Amin <=SEP=> Bassem Amin (born 9 September 1988) is an Egyptian chess grandmaster.

Bobby Fischer <=SEP=> Robert James "Bobby" Fischer (March 9, 1943 – January 17, 2008) was an American World Chess Champion. Many consider him the greatest player of all time.At age 13 Fischer won a "brilliancy" that became known as The Game of the Century. Starting at age 14, Fischer played in eight United States Championships, winning each by at least a one-point margin. At age 15, Fischer became both the youngest grandmaster up to that time and the youngest candidate for the World Championship.

Boris Spassky <=SEP=> Boris Vasilievich Spassky (also Spasskij; Russian: Бори́с Васи́льевич Спа́сский; born January 30, 1937) is a Russian, formerly French, formerly Soviet chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972.

Bu Xiangzhi <=SEP=> Bu Xiangzhi (Chinese: 卜祥志; pinyin: Bǔ Xiángzhì; born December 10, 1985) is a Chinese chess grandmaster and former Chinese Chess Champion.In 1999, he became China's 10th Grandmaster at the age of 13 years, 10 months, 13 days, at the time the youngest in history. In April 2008, Bu and Ni Hua became the second and third Chinese players to pass the 2700 Elo rating line, after Wang Yue.

Candidates Tournament <=SEP=> The Candidates Tournament is a chess tournament organized by the world chess federation FIDE since 1950, as the final contest to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship.

Correspondence chess <=SEP=> Correspondence chess is chess played by various forms of long-distance correspondence, usually through a correspondence chess server, through email or by the postal system; less common methods which have been employed include fax and homing pigeon.

Development of the World Chess Championship <=SEP=> The concept of a world chess champion started to emerge in the first half of the 19th century, and the phrase "world champion" appeared in 1845. From this time onwards various players were acclaimed as world champions, but the first contest that was defined in advance as being for the world championship was the match between Steinitz and Zukertort in 1886. Until 1948 world championship contents were matches arranged privately  between the players.

Deysi Cori <=SEP=> Deysi Estela Cori Tello (born July 2, 1993 in Lima) is a Peruvian chess player who holds the title of Woman Grandmaster and has been the top ranked female player in Peru since January 2008. She won the World Under-16 Girls Championship in 2009 and the World Junior Girls Championship in 2011.Cori has been playing on top board for Peru at the Women's Chess Olympiads since 2010.

Dmitry Andreikin <=SEP=> Dmitry Vladimirovich Andreikin (Russian: Дмитрий Владимирович Андрейкин, born 5 February 1990) is a Russian chess grandmaster, World Junior champion in 2010 and Russian champion in 2012.

Efim Geller <=SEP=> Efim Petrovich Geller (Russian: Ефим Петрович Геллер, Ukrainian: Юхим Петрович Геллер; March 8, 1925 – November 17, 1998) was a Soviet chess player and world-class grandmaster at his peak. He won the Soviet Championship twice (in 1955 and 1979) and was a Candidate for the World Championship on six occasions (1953, 1956, 1962, 1965, 1968, and 1971).

Elisabeth Pähtz <=SEP=> Elisabeth Pähtz (or Paehtz, born January 8, 1985, in Erfurt) is a German chess Woman Grandmaster.

Elisaveta Bykova <=SEP=> Elisaveta Ivanovna Bykova (or Elisabeth Bykova, Russian: Елизаве́та Ива́новна Бы́кова; November 4, 1913 in Bogolyubovo, Russian Empire – March 8, 1989 in Moscow, Soviet Union) was a Soviet chess player and the third and fifth Women's World Chess Champion, from 1953 until 1956, and again from 1958 to 1962.

Emanuel Lasker <=SEP=> Emanuel Lasker (December 24, 1868 – January 11, 1941) was a German chess player, mathematician, and philosopher who was World Chess Champion for 27 years (from 1894 to 1921). In his prime Lasker was one of the most dominant champions, and he is still generally regarded as one of the strongest players ever.His contemporaries used to say that Lasker used a "psychological" approach to the game, and even that he sometimes deliberately played inferior moves to confuse opponents.

Emil Sutovsky <=SEP=> Emil Sutovsky (born 19 September 1977) is an Israeli chess grandmaster and the president of the Association of Chess Professionals.

European Individual Chess Championship <=SEP=> The European Individual Chess Championship is a chess tournament organized by the European Chess Union. It was established in 2000 and has since then taken place on a yearly basis.Apart from determining the European Champion, another object of this tournament is to determine a number of players who qualify for the FIDE world cup.

Evgeny Bareev <=SEP=> Evgeny Bareev (born in Yemanzhelinsk, USSR on 21 November 1966) is a Russian (formerly Soviet) chess Grandmaster and chess coach. In October 2003, he was in fourth place in the world rankings, with an Elo rating of 2739.In September 2015, Evgeny Bareev transferred to Canada.

FIDE World Chess Championship 2005 <=SEP=> The FIDE World Chess Championship 2005 took place in Potrero de los Funes, San Luis Province in Argentina from September 27 to October 16, 2005. It was won by Veselin Topalov.

Fast chess <=SEP=> Fast chess (also known as speed chess) is a type of chess game in which each side is given less time to make their moves than under the normal tournament time controls of 60 to 180 minutes per player.

Fliura Khasanova <=SEP=> Fliura Khasanova (born December 31, 1964) is a Kazakhstani chess player, and a woman grandmaster.She won the Girls' World Junior Chess Championship in 1993.

Florin Gheorghiu <=SEP=> Florin Gheorghiu (born 6 April 1944) is a Romanian chess player and university lecturer in foreign languages.Born in Bucharest, his prodigious talent for the game was evidenced by his many early achievements; he became an International Master in 1963 and Romania's first Grandmaster just two years later.

Friedrich Baumbach <=SEP=> Dr Friedrich (Fritz) Baumbach (born September 8, 1935 in Weimar, Germany) is a German International Correspondence Chess Grandmaster, most famous for being the eleventh ICCF World Champion, 1983–89. He was also East German Champion in 1970.  He tied for second place behind Mikhail Umansky in a "champion of champions" tournament, the ICCF 50 Years World Champion Jubilee. This was a special invitational correspondence tournament involving all living former ICCF World Champions.

Garry Kasparov <=SEP=> Garry Kimovich Kasparov (Russian: Га́рри Ки́мович Каспа́ров, Russian pronunciation: [ˈɡarʲɪ ˈkʲiməvʲɪtɕ kɐˈsparəf]; born Garik Kimovich Weinstein, 13 April 1963) is a Russian (formerly Soviet) chess Grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, writer, and political activist, considered by many to be the greatest chess player of all time. From 1986 until his retirement in 2005, Kasparov was ranked world No. 1 for 225 out of 228 months.

Geography of chess <=SEP=> Chess is played all over the world and is organised in different chess federations. These are organised on a national, supranational and international level. FIDE, the Fédération Internationale des Échecs was established in 1924 and most national chess federations are now part of FIDE.

Gert Jan Timmerman <=SEP=> Gert Jan Timmerman (born 15 April 1956) is a Dutch chess player, most famous for being the fifteenth ICCF World Champion in correspondence chess, 1996–2002.Before becoming the fifteenth World Correspondence Champion he won Final B of the 5th World Cup between 1987 and 1994.He tied for second place behind Mikhail Umansky in a "champion of champions" tournament, the ICCF 50 Years World Champion Jubilee.

Hou Yifan <=SEP=> Hou Yifan (Chinese: 侯逸凡; pinyin: Hóu Yìfán About this sound pronunciation ) (born 27 February 1994, Xinghua, Jiangsu, China) is a Chinese chess grandmaster and former chess prodigy.

Igor Miladinović <=SEP=> Igor Miladinović (Serbian Cyrillic: Игор Миладиновић; born 25 January 1974 in Niš) is a Serbian chess grandmaster. On the November 2011 FIDE list his Elo rating was 2564.Miladinović won the 1993 World Junior Chess Championship and at the end of the year was declared for the athlete of the Year in Yugoslavia. In 1994 he played for Yugoslavia in the Moscow Olympiad, winning a bronze medal on 4th board. Around 1995 he moved to Greece, playing for that country in four Olympiads from 1996 to 2002.

Interregnum of World Chess Champions <=SEP=> The Interregnum of World Chess Champions was the period between March 24, 1946 (the date of Alexander Alekhine's death) and May 17, 1948 (when Mikhail Botvinnik won a special championship tournament).

José Raúl Capablanca <=SEP=> José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera (19 November 1888 – 8 March 1942) was a Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. Considered one of the greatest players of all time, he was renowned for his exceptional endgame skill and speed of play. He was exceptionally difficult to beat, losing only 35 first class games in his entire career.Born in Havana, he beat Cuban champion Juan Corzo in a match at the age of 13 years.

Joël Lautier <=SEP=> Joël Lautier (French pronunciation: ​[ʒo.ɛl loˈtje]; born 12 April 1973) is a French chess grandmaster and FIDE Senior Trainer (2006).Born in Canada, of a French father and a Japanese mother, Lautier is one of the strongest grandmasters in France. He won the 1988 World Junior Chess Championship on tiebreak at Adelaide, and the French Chess Championships in 2004 and 2005. He was the No. 2 French GM in 2005 after Étienne Bacrot.

Kevin Spraggett <=SEP=> Kevin Spraggett  (born 10 November 1954) is a Canadian chess grandmaster. He is the fourth Canadian to earn the grandmaster title, after Abe Yanofsky, Duncan Suttles and Peter Biyiasas. Spraggett is the only Canadian to have qualified for the Candidates' level, having done so in 1985 and 1988. He has won a total of eight Canadian Open Chess Championships, seven Closed Canadian Chess Championships, and has represented Canada eight times in Olympiad play.

Kiril Georgiev <=SEP=> Kiril Dimitrov Georgiev (Bulgarian: Кирил Димитров Георгиев; born 28 November 1965 in Petrich) is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster and three-time national champion.Kiril Georgiev first caught the eye of the chess world in 1983, when he became the World Junior Champion with an unusually strong score of 11½ out of 13. This result automatically gave him the International Master title.

Klaus Darga <=SEP=> Klaus Viktor Darga (born 24 February 1934 in Berlin, Germany) is a German Grandmaster chess player.In 1951 Darga became German Junior Champion after winning the national under-20 championship. He also proved his strength as a young chessplayer by sharing first place in the World Junior Championship of 1953, with Oscar Panno of Argentina who was awarded the title on-tie-break.

Konstantin Sakaev <=SEP=> Konstantin Sakaev (Russian: Константин Сакаев; born in a Tatar family 13 April 1974) is a Russian chess Grandmaster (1992), from St Petersburg and Russian Champion in 1999. He is also a chess writer. Sakaev is on the staff of the Grandmaster Chess School in St. Petersburg and has assisted Vladimir Kramnik and Nana Ioseliani while preparing for World Championship Candidates' Matches.

Levon Aronian <=SEP=> Levon Grigori Aronian (Armenian: Լևոն Գրիգորի Արոնյան; born 6 October 1982) is an Armenian chess Grandmaster. On the March 2014 FIDE rating list, he was ranked number two in the world and had an Elo rating of 2830, making him the fourth highest rated player in history.Aronian won the Chess World Cup 2005. He led the Armenian national team to the Gold medals in the 2006 (Turin), 2008 (Dresden) and 2012 (Istanbul) Chess Olympics and at the World Team Chess Championship in Ningbo 2011.

Lidia Tomnikova <=SEP=> Lidia Tomnikova (born May 27, 1995) is a Russian chess player.She is the current U-18 Girls' World Chess Champion, see World Youth Chess Championship.

List of Chess boxing champions <=SEP=> This is a list of Chess boxing champions at each weight class sanctioned by World Chess Boxing Organisation(WCBO) and World Chessboxing Association(WCBA).

List of World Chess Championships <=SEP=> The following is a list of World Chess Championships including the hosting cities. Qualification path consist of Interzonals (defunct), FIDE Grand Prix, Chess World Cup and Candidates Tournament for the process of selecting a challenger for championship matches.

Lyudmila Rudenko <=SEP=> Lyudmila Vladimirovna Rudenko (Russian: Людми́ла Влади́мировна Руде́нко, Ukrainian: Людмила Володимирівна Руденко; the transcription of her first name may vary in different sources – Liudmila, Ljudmila, Ludmila...; 27 July 1904 – 4 March 1986) was a Soviet chess player and the second Women's World Chess Champion from 1950 until 1953.She was awarded the FIDE International Master and Woman International Master titles in 1950, and the Woman Grandmaster title in 1976.

Magnus Carlsen <=SEP=> Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen (Norwegian: [sʋɛn ˈmɑŋnʉs øːn ˈkɑːɭsn̩]; born 30 November 1990) is a Norwegian chess grandmaster, No. 1 ranked player in the world and reigning World Chess Champion in classical, rapid and blitz.  His peak rating is 2882, the highest in history.A chess prodigy, Carlsen became a Grandmaster in 2004, at the age of 13 years, 148 days, making him at that time the second youngest grandmaster in history, although he has since become the third youngest.

Maia Chiburdanidze <=SEP=> Maia Chiburdanidze (Georgian: მაია ჩიბურდანიძე; born 17 January 1961 in Kutaisi, USSR) is a Georgian chess grandmaster, and the seventh (and then youngest) Women's World Chess Champion. She is the only chess player in history who has won nine Chess Olympiads.Chiburdanidze's FIDE Elo rating as of January 2011 is 2502, making her the 14th highest rated female player in the world.

Max Euwe <=SEP=> Machgielis "Max" Euwe, PhD (Dutch: [ˈøːwə]; May 20, 1901 – November 26, 1981) was a Dutch chess Grandmaster, mathematician, and author. He was the fifth player to become World Chess Champion (1935–37). Euwe also served as President of FIDE, the World Chess Federation, from 1970 to 1978.

Mikhail Botvinnik <=SEP=> Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik (Russian: Михаи́л Моисе́евич Ботви́нник, pronounced [mʲɪxɐˈil məɪˈsʲejɪvʲɪtɕ bɐˈtvʲinʲnʲɪk]; August 17 [O.S. August 4] 1911 – May 5, 1995) was a Soviet and Russian International Grandmaster and three-time World Chess Champion, widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time.

Mikhail Tal <=SEP=> Mikhail Tal (Latvian: Mihails Tāls; Russian: Михаил Нехемьевич Таль, Mikhail Nekhem'evich Tal, pronounced [mʲɪxɐˈil nʲɪˈxʲemʲɪvʲɪtɕ ˈtal]; sometimes transliterated Mihails Tals or Mihail Tal; 9 November 1936 – 28 June 1992) was a Latvian Soviet chess Grandmaster and the eighth World Chess Champion (from 1960 to 1961).Widely regarded as a creative genius and the best attacking player of all time, he played in a daring, combinatorial style.

Mikhail Umansky <=SEP=> Mikhail Markovich Umansky (Russian: Михаил Уманский; January 21, 1952 – December 17, 2010) was a Russian chess grandmaster of correspondence chess, who was the 13th ICCF World Champion in correspondence chess between 1989 and 1998. He was also USSR Correspondence Champion in 1978.

Nicholas Pert <=SEP=> Nicholas Pert (also known as Nick Pert, born 1981) is an English chess player who holds the title Grandmaster.Pert was the World Under-18 Chess Champion in 1998 and British Rapidplay Chess Champion in 2004.

Nikolai Krogius <=SEP=> Nikolai Vladimirovich Krogius (first name sometimes written Nikolay) (born July 22, 1930 in Saratov) is a Russian Chess Grandmaster, International Arbiter (1985), psychologist, chess coach, chess administrator, and author. He won several tournament titles at Sochi and in eastern European events, and appeared in seven Soviet finals from 1958–71. His peak was in 1967 when he ranked 18th in the world for a time. He earned his doctorate in psychology, and specialized in sports psychology.

Nino Khurtsidze <=SEP=> Nino Khurtsidze (born September 28, 1975) is a Woman Grandmaster of chess. She resides in Tbilisi, Georgia. In 2005 she was the number two rated woman chess player in Georgia with a FIDE rating of 2420. She won the World Junior Girls Chess Championship in 1993 and 1995.In 2004 she came second behind Evgeny Shaposhnikov in the Essen Open tournament.

Nona Gaprindashvili <=SEP=> Nona Gaprindashvili (Georgian: ნონა გაფრინდაშვილი; born 3 May 1941) is a Georgian chess player, the sixth women's world chess champion (1962–1978), and first female Grandmaster. Born in Zugdidi, Georgia (then part of the Soviet Union), she was the strongest female player of her generation.In 1961, aged 20, Gaprindashvili won the fourth women's Candidates Tournament, setting up a title match against Russian world champion Elisabeth Bykova.

Olga Rubtsova <=SEP=> Olga Nikolaevna Rubtsova (Russian: О́льга Никола́евна Рубцо́ва; August 20, 1909 – December 13, 1994) was a Soviet chess player and fourth Women's World Chess Champion.She won the Soviet Women's Championship four times (1927, 1931, 1937 and 1948), and was second in the Women's World Chess Championship 1949–50, a point behind Lyudmila Rudenko.

Oscar Panno <=SEP=> Oscar R. Panno (born March 1935 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine chess Grandmaster.Panno won the first World Junior Chess Championship in 1953, ahead of such future strong Grandmasters as Borislav Ivkov, Bent Larsen, and Fridrik Olafsson.  He also won the championship of Argentina the same year.He became a grandmaster at the age of twenty. He had an Elo rating of around 2580 in his prime, and of 2515 in 1986 and 2429 in 2008.

Outline of chess <=SEP=> The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to chess:Chess – two-player board game played on a chessboard (a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid). In a chess game, each player begins with sixteen pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns.

Paul Morphy <=SEP=> Paul Charles Morphy (June 22, 1837 – July 10, 1884) was an American chess player. He is considered to have been the greatest chess master of his era and an unofficial World Chess Champion. He was a chess prodigy. He was called "The Pride and Sorrow of Chess" because he had a brief and brilliant chess career, but retired from the game while still young.

Pendyala Harikrishna <=SEP=> Pendyala Harikrishna (born May 10, 1986) is a chess player from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. Harikrishna became the youngest grandmaster from India on September 12, 2001. As of August 2015, he is ranked No. 2 in India (behind ex-world champion Viswanathan Anand) and No. 17 in the world.

Peter Leko <=SEP=> Peter Leko (Hungarian: Lékó Péter; Serbian: Петер Леко); born September 8, 1979 in Subotica, Yugoslavia) is a Hungarian chess grandmaster. He became the world's youngest grandmaster in 1994.

Round-robin tournament <=SEP=> A round-robin tournament (or all-play-all tournament) is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".  It contrasts with an elimination tournament.

Ruslan Ponomariov <=SEP=> Ruslan Olegovich Ponomariov (Ukrainian: Русла́н Оле́гович Пономарьо́в, Ruslan Olehovych Ponomar'ov; Russian: Русла́н Оле́гович Пономарёв; born October 11, 1983) is a Ukrainian chess player.He was FIDE World Chess Champion between 2002 and 2004 He was a finalist in the Chess World Cup 2005 and Chess World Cup 2009, while reaching the semi-finals in 2011 and the quarterfinals in 2007.

Rustam Kasimdzhanov <=SEP=> Rustam Kasimdzhanov (Uzbek: Rustam Qosimjonov; Russian: Рустам Касымджанов; born December 5, 1979) is an Uzbek chess Grandmaster, best known for winning the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004. He was born in Tashkent, in the former Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. He is an ethnic Uzbek.

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov <=SEP=> Shakhriyar Hamid oglu Mammadyarov (Azerbaijani: Şəhriyar Həmid oğlu Məmmədyarov; born 12 April 1985), also known as Shah and Shak, is an Azerbaijani chess Grandmaster. On the April 2015 FIDE rating list he was ranked number 15 in the world with an Elo rating of 2754.

Susan Polgar <=SEP=> Susan Polgar (born April 19, 1969, as Polgár Zsuzsanna and often known as Zsuzsa Polgár) is a Hungarian-born American chess Grandmaster. She is famous for having been a child prodigy at chess, for being a pioneer for women in chess, and for being an advocate for chess in education.

Tal Shaked <=SEP=> Tal Shaked (born February 5, 1978 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA) is an American chess grandmaster, who is best known for winning the World Junior Championship in 1997.Shaked learned the game at the age of seven, and developed his chess skills in the scholastic chess organizations of Tucson, Arizona.

Tigran Petrosian <=SEP=> Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian (Russian: Тигра́н Варта́нович Петрося́н; Armenian: Տիգրան Պետրոսյան; June 17, 1929 – August 13, 1984) was a Soviet Armenian Grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his almost impenetrable defensive playing style, which emphasised safety above all else.Petrosian was a Candidate for the World Championship on eight occasions (1953, 1956, 1959, 1962, 1971, 1974, 1977 and 1980).

U.S. Women's Chess Championship <=SEP=> Following are the results of the U.S. Women's Chess Championship from 1937 to date.  The tournament determines the woman chess champion of the United States.

Valentina Gunina <=SEP=> Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina (Russian: Валентина Евгеньевна Гунина; born February 4, 1989 in Murmansk) is a Russian chess Grandmaster. She was the Women's World Blitz Champion from 2012 to 2014.To date, she has won twice the Women's European Individual Chess Championship (2012, 2014) and three times the Russian Women's Championship (2011, 2013, 2014).

Valery Salov <=SEP=> Valery Salov (born May 26, 1964 in Wrocław, Poland) is a Russian chess grandmaster.Salov was awarded the International Master title in 1984 and the Grandmaster title in 1986. He was the World under-17 Champion in 1980 and European Junior Champion in 1983–84. He shared the 1st place with Alexander Beliavsky in the 1987 USSR Championship but lost the play-off match (+0−2=2).

Vasily Smyslov <=SEP=> Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov (Russian: Васи́лий Васи́льевич Смысло́в; 24 March 1921 – 27 March 2010) was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958.  He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions (1948, 1950, 1953, 1956, 1959, 1965, 1983, and 1985). Smyslov twice tied for first at the Soviet Championship (1949, 1955), and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won is an all-time record.

Vera Menchik <=SEP=> Vera Menchik (Czech: Věra Menčíková; Russian: Ве́ра Фра́нцевна Ме́нчик Vera Frantsevna Menčik; 16 February 1906 – 27 June 1944) was a British-Russian chess player who gained renown as the world's first women's chess champion. She also competed in chess tournaments with some of the world's leading male chess masters, defeating many of them, including future World Champion Max Euwe.

Veselin Topalov <=SEP=> Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov (pronounced [vɛsɛˈlin toˈpɑlof]; Bulgarian: Веселин Александров Топалов; born 15 March 1975) is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster.Topalov became the FIDE World Chess Champion by winning the FIDE World Chess Championship 2005. He lost his title in the World Chess Championship 2006 match against Vladimir Kramnik.

Victor Palciauskas <=SEP=> Dr Victor Palciauskas (born October 3, 1941 in Kaunas, Lithuania as Vytas Palciauskas) is an American International Correspondence Chess Grandmaster, most famous for being the tenth ICCF World Champion, 1978–84.  He tied for second place (undefeated 5/8, +2 −0 =6) behind Mikhail Umansky in a "champion of champions" tournament, the ICCF 50 Years World Champion Jubilee. This was a special invitational correspondence tournament involving all living former ICCF World Champions.

Viktor Korchnoi <=SEP=> Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi (Russian: Ви́ктор Льво́вич Корчно́й; IPA: [vʲiktər lʲvovʲɪtɕ kɐrtɕˈnoj]; born 23 March 1931) is a professional chess player, author and until recently the oldest active grandmaster on the tournament circuit.

Viswanathan Anand <=SEP=> Viswanathan "Vishy" Anand (born 11 December 1969) is an Indian chess Grandmaster and former World Chess Champion.  He held the FIDE World Chess Championship from 2000 to 2002, at a time when the world title was split. He became the undisputed World Champion in 2007 and defended his title against Vladimir Kramnik in 2008. He then defended his title in the World Chess Championship 2010 against Veselin Topalov and in the World Chess Championship 2012 against Boris Gelfand.

Vladimir Akopian <=SEP=> Vladimir Akopian (Russian: Владимир Акопян; born December 7, 1971 in Baku, Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union) is a leading Armenian chess Grandmaster. In Armenia, his surname is more commonly written Hakobyan (Armenian: Վլադիմիր Հակոբյան) however, most English texts and FIDE use a transliteration of the Russian version.

Vladimir Kramnik <=SEP=> Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik (Russian: Влади́мир Бори́сович Кра́мник; born 25 June 1975) is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was the Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and the undisputed World Chess Champion from 2006 to 2007. He has won three team gold medals and three individual medals at Chess Olympiads.In October 2000, he defeated Garry Kasparov in a match played in London, and became the Classical World Chess Champion.

Wang Yue <=SEP=> Wang Yue (Chinese: 王玥; pinyin: Wáng Yuè, born March 31, 1987) is a Chinese chess Grandmaster. In 2004, he became China's 18th Grandmaster at the age of 17. He is China's first player ever to break into the top 10 of FIDE World Rankings and was the highest-ever rated Chinese player, with a peak rating of 2756, until August 2015, when this record was broken by Ding Liren. In October 2007, Wang became the first Chinese player and third Asian player to cross the 2700 Elo rating mark.

Werner Hug <=SEP=> Werner Hug (born 10 September 1952 in Feldmeilen) is a Swiss chess player.  Hug was World Junior Chess Champion in 1971 and was Switzerland's leading player of the 1970s.In 1968 Hug won the Swiss Junior Championship. He was awarded the title of International Master (IM) in 1971, when he became World Junior Champion in Athens.

Wesley So <=SEP=> Wesley Barbasa So (born October 9, 1993 in Bacoor, Philippines) is a Filipino chess grandmaster representing the United States. So is a former chess prodigy.In October 2008, he became the youngest player to pass 2600 Elo rating, breaking the record held by Magnus Carlsen. This record was later broken by the Chinese prodigy Wei Yi.

Wilhelm Steinitz <=SEP=> Wilhelm (later William) Steinitz (May 17, 1836 – August 12, 1900) was an Austrian and later American chess player and the first undisputed world chess champion from 1886 to 1894. When discussing chess history from the 1870s onwards, commentators have debated whether Steinitz was effectively the champion earlier.

William Lombardy <=SEP=> William James Lombardy (born December 4, 1937) is an American chess grandmaster, chess writer, teacher, and a former Catholic priest. He was one of the leading American chess players during the 1950s and 1960s, and a contemporary of Bobby Fischer, whom he coached from the time Fischer was aged 11½ through the World Chess Championship 1972. Lombardy led the U.S. Student Team to Gold in the 1960 World Student Team Championship in Leningrad.

Women's World Chess Championship <=SEP=> The Women's World Chess Championship is played to determine the women's world champion in chess. Like the World Chess Championship, it is administered by FIDE.Unlike most sports, women are able to compete against men in chess, and so some women do not compete for the women's title. Notably, the world's top rated female player for the past 20 years, Judit Polgár (and by far the highest FIDE-rated woman in chess history), has never competed for the women's title.

World Chess Championship <=SEP=> The World Chess Championship (sometimes abbreviated as WCC) is played to determine the World Champion in chess.The official world championship is generally regarded to have begun in 1886, when the two leading players in Europe and the United States, Johann Zukertort and Wilhelm Steinitz respectively, played a match. From 1886 to 1946, the champion set the terms, requiring any challenger to raise a sizable stake and defeat the champion in a match in order to become the new world champion.

World Chess Championship 2006 <=SEP=> The World Chess Championship 2006 was a chess match between Classical World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik, and FIDE World Chess Champion Veselin Topalov. The match, which was won by Kramnik, determined the undisputed World Chess Champion for the first time in 13 years. The match was played between September 23 and October 13, 2006, in Elista, Kalmykia, Russia.On September 29, Kramnik refused to play Game 5 due to a dispute over bathroom arrangements.

World Chess Championship 2007 <=SEP=> The World Chess Championship 2007 was held in Mexico City, from 12 September 2007 to 30 September 2007 to decide the world champion in the board game chess. It was an eight-player, double round robin tournament.Viswanathan Anand of India won the tournament and the title of World Chess Champion. His winning score was 9 points out of 14, with a total of four wins and 10 draws, and Anand was the only undefeated player in the tournament.

World Chess Championship 2008 <=SEP=> The World Chess Championship 2008 was a best-of-twelve-games match between the World Chess Champion, Viswanathan Anand, and the previous World Champion, Vladimir Kramnik. It was understood before the 2007 tournament that if Kramnik did not win, then the winner would need to play him in a match (lineal succession).

World Chess Championship 2010 <=SEP=> The World Chess Championship 2010 match pitted the defending world champion, Viswanathan Anand, against challenger Veselin Topalov, for the title of World Chess Champion. The match took place in Sofia, Bulgaria from 24 April to 13 May 2010, with a prize fund of 2 million euros (60% to the winner).

World Computer Chess Championship <=SEP=> World Computer Chess Championship (WCCC) is an annual event where computer chess engines compete against each other. The event is organized by the International Computer Games Association. It is often held in conjunction with the Computer Olympiad, a collection of computer tournaments for other board games.

World Correspondence Chess Championship <=SEP=> The World Correspondence Chess Championship determines the World Champion in correspondence chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest the title. The official World Correspondence Chess Championship is managed by the International Correspondence Chess Federation (ICCF).The world championship comprises four stages: Preliminaries, Semi-Finals, Candidates' Tournament, and Final. ICCF tournament rules define which players can access each stage.

World Junior Chess Championship <=SEP=> The World Junior Chess Championship is an under-20 chess tournament (players must have been under 20 years old on 1 January in the year of competition) organized by the World Chess Federation (FIDE).The idea was the brainchild of William Ritson-Morry, who organized the 1951 inaugural event to take place in Birmingham, England. Subsequently, it was held every two years until 1973, when an annual schedule was adopted.

World Senior Chess Championship <=SEP=> The World Senior Chess Championship is an annual chess tournament established in 1991 by FIDE, the World Chess Federation.Participants must have reached 60 years old on 1 January of the year of the event. The World Senior Women Chess Championship is a separate event which requires the participants to be women 50 years old or older.The championship is organized as an eleven-round Swiss system tournament.

World Youth Chess Championship <=SEP=> The World Youth Chess Championship is a chess competition for girls and boys under the age of 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18. 12 World Champions are crowned every year, 10 of which are recognized by FIDE.The first predecessor of the youth championship was the Cadet Championship. It started off unofficially in 1974 in France for players under 18. The 1975 and 1976 editions were also for U18.

Xie Jun <=SEP=> Xie Jun (simplified Chinese: 谢军; traditional Chinese: 謝軍; pinyin: Xiè Jūn; born October 30, 1970, Baoding, Hebei) is a chess grandmaster from China. She had two reigns as Women's World Chess Champion, from 1991 to 1996 and again from 1999 to 2001. Xie is only the second woman to have two reigns, the other being Elisabeth Bykova.In 1991, Xie became China's second Grandmaster, after Ye Rongguang. Xie Jun is married to her former coach GM Wu Shaobin.

Xu Yuanyuan <=SEP=> Xu Yuanyuan (Chinese: 徐媛媛; born March 8, 1981) is a Chinese WGM-titled chess player.

Xu Yuhua <=SEP=> Xu Yuhua (simplified Chinese: 许昱华; traditional Chinese: 許昱華; pinyin: Xǔ Yùhua; born October 29, 1976) is a Chinese chess Grandmaster and former Women's World Champion (2006–2008). She is China's third women's world chess champion after Xie Jun and Zhu Chen.On March 25, 2006 she won the Women's World Chess Championship knock-out tournament in Ekaterinburg, Russia, defeating Russian IM Alisa Galliamova in the final by taking 2.5 points on the third game of a four-game-match for the title.

Yasser Seirawan <=SEP=> Yasser Seirawan (Arabic: ياسر سيروان‎; born March 24, 1960) is a chess grandmaster and four-time United States champion. He was winner of the World Junior Chess Championship in 1979. Seirawan is also a published chess author and commentator.

Zhao Xue <=SEP=> Zhao Xue (Chinese: 赵雪; pinyin: Zhào Xuě; born April 6, 1985 in Jinan) is a Chinese chess player. In 2008, she became China's 24th Grandmaster.

Zhu Chen <=SEP=> Zhu Chen (simplified Chinese: 诸宸; traditional Chinese: 諸宸; pinyin: Zhū Chén; born March 16, 1976 in Wenzhou, Zhejiang) is a Qatari chess Grandmaster. In 2001, she became China's second women's world chess champion after Xie Jun, and China's 13th Grandmaster. In 2006, she obtained Qatari citizenship and today plays for Qatar.