World Chess Championship: A Challenge and Prestige Event

• The World Chess Championship was first held in 1972 in Reykjavik, Iceland, between Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer.

• Fischer’s triumph and the World title match marked a turning point in chess, making it a global sport.

• World champions from 1948 to 1972 were all Russian.

• The championship returned to the Soviet Union through Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov, until Viswananthan Anand brought it to India in 2000.

• Anand, who won the championship from 2007 to 2013, was the undisputed World champion from 2007 to 2013.

• Magnus Carlsen ended Anand’s reign, but Ding Liren emerged as the champion last year.

• Carlsen remains the World No. 1 and the planet’s best player across formats.

• The World championship is one of the greatest events and toughest to win in international sport.

• There have only been 17 World champions since Wilhelm Steinitz became the first in 1886.