
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:
Women's Classical World Champions under the old format:
Source: Wiki
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 | 50–58 | |
| 2 | Emanuel Lasker | 1894–1921 | 26–52 | |
| 3 | José Raúl Capablanca | 1921–1927 | 33–39 | |
| 4 | Alexander Alekhine | 1927–1935 1937–1946 | 35–43 45–54 | |
| 5 | Max Euwe | 1935–1937 | 34–36 | |
| 6 | Mikhail Botvinnik | 1948–1957 1958–1960 1961–1963 | 37–46 47–49 50–52 | |
| 7 | Vasily Smyslov | 1957–1958 | 36 | |
| 8 | Mikhail Tal | 1960–1961 | 24 | |
| 9 | Tigran Petrosian | 1963–1969 | 34–40 | |
| 10 | Boris Spassky | 1969–1972 | 32–35 | |
| 11 | Bobby Fischer | 1972–1975 | 29–32 | |
| 12 | Anatoly Karpov | 1975–1985 | 24–34 | |
| 13 | Garry Kasparov | 1985–1993 | 22–30 |
Women's Classical World Champions under the old format:
| Name | Years | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Vera Menchik | 1927–1944 | |
| 2 Lyudmila Rudenko | 1950–1953 | |
| 3 Elisabeth Bykova | 1953–1956 | |
| 4 Olga Rubtsova | 1956–1958 | |
| 5 Elisabeth Bykova | 1958–1962 | |
| 6 Nona Gaprindashvili | 1962–1978 | |
| 7 Maya Chiburdanidze | 1978–1991 | |
| 8 Xie Jun | 1991–1996 | |
| 9 Susan Polgar | 1996–1999 |
Source: Wiki