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The Game of Kings Fri, Jun 23, 1972 – 54 · The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) · Newspapers.com
Scroll of World Champion
Before Philidor's time it was a matter of conjecture as to who ought to be considered the best player of the day. From brief references you could go back to Ali Suli, Persia; Ruy Lopez, Spain; Boi, Italy, and Greco, Spain.
Originating in India, and then to Persia, it took half a millennium before knowledge of chess reached western Europe, where most of the subsequent development of interest and organization has taken place. Then another half a millennium before we reach Philidor's time, and still another century before Steinitz called his 1886 match with Zukertort as “for the championship of the world.” Both players had established their reputations through tournaments and other matches, due to the lack of a world governing body, much controversy arose between the principals as to conditions of play. The World Chess Federation (FIDE) was founded at Paris in 1924, but it was not until the death of Alekhine in 1946 that they could take over control.
The power of FIDE, which is basically an amateur organization (there are no cash prizes in the Olympiad world team championship), may soon be challenged by Fischer, if he should become world champion. He has already done so in the present match and has accepted conditions of FIDE “under protest”. The title match occurs only once every three years, through a long series of qualifying tournaments. A champion with itchy palms might be glad to accept any challenger in the interim who could raise the necessary ‘scratch’. Where then FIDE? The problem is not new as it has arisen in most of the principal sports which command world attention, the latest being tennis, and for that matter the Olympic Games as well.
1780 — Philidor (France)
1800 — Deschapiles (France)
1834 — DeLabourdonnais (France)
1840 — Saint-Amant (France)
1851 — Anderssen (Germany)
1858 — Morphy (U.S.A.)
1862 — Anderssen (Germany)
1866 — Steinitz (Austria)
1894 — Dr Em. Lasker (Germany)
1921 — Capablanca (Cuba)
1927 — Alekhine (Russia)
1935 — Euwe (Holland)
1937 — Alekhine (Russia)
1948 — Botvinnik (U.S.S.R.)
1957 — Smyslov (U.S.S.R.)
1958 — Botvinnik (U.S.S.R)
1960 — Tal (U.S.S.R.)
1961 — Botvinnik (U.S.S.R.)
1963 — Petrosian (U.S.S.R.)
1969 — Spassky (U.S.S.R.)
1972 — ?
