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Bulgarian Chess Championship

The Bulgarian Chess Championship is an event inaugurated in 1933 to crown the best chess player in Bulgaria. The championship has been held on a nearly annual basis since, with only a few years missed. In recent years some of the very best Bulgarian players have not participated in the championship, including former World Champions Veselin Topalov and Antoaneta Stefanova.

Men's Championship

# Year City Men's Champion Comment
1 1933 Varna Georgy Geshev Geshev defeated Yury Toshev (4.5 : 3.5) in a play-off match
2 1934 Sofia Georgy Geshev
3 1935 Rousse Georgy Geshev
4 1936 Sofia Georgy Geshev
5 1937 Sofia Oleg Neikirch
6 1938 Varna Oleg Neikirch
7 1940 Sofia Alexander Tsvetkov
Oleg Neikirch
8 1942 Sofia Yury Toshev
9 1943 Sofia Oleg Neikirch
10 1945 Sofia Alexander Tsvetkov Svetozar Gligoric won (off contest)
11 1946 Sofia Peter Petrov
12 1947 Sofia Kamen Piskov
Yury Toshev
13 1948 Sofia Oleg Neikirch
Alexander Tsvetkov
14 1949 Sofia Krstiu Krstev Dimitrov
15 1950 Sofia Alexander Tsvetkov
16 1951 Sofia Alexander Tsvetkov
Nikolay Minev
Milko Bobotsov
Tsvetkov won ahead of Bobotsov and Minev in BUL-ch playoffs in January 1952
17 1952 Sofia Zdravko Milev
18 1953 Sofia Nikolay Minev
Oleg Neikirch
19 1954 Sofia Nikola Padevsky
20 1955 Sofia Nikola Padevsky
21 1957 Sofia Oleg Neikirch
22 1958 Sofia Milko Bobotsov
23 1959 Sofia Vladilen Todorov Popov
24 1960 Sofia Zdravko Milev
25 1961 Sofia Zdravko Milev
26 1962 Sofia Nikola Padevsky
27 1963 Sofia Georgi Tringov
28 1964 Sofia Nikola Padevsky Padevsky defeated Atanas Kolarov (2.5 : 1.5) in a play-off match
29 1965 Varna Nikolay Minev
30 1966 Sofia Nikolay Minev
31 1968 Sofia Peicho Chanev Peev
32 1969 Plovdiv Nikola Spiridinov
33 1970 Sofia Lyuben Stoyanov Popov
34 1971 Sofia Ivan Radulov
35 1972 Sofia Sarkis Stepn Bohosjan
36 1973 Sofia Evgenij Ermenkov
37 1973 Sofia Nino Kirov
38 1974 Asenovgrad Ivan Radulov
39 1975 Pernik Evgenij Ermenkov Match-tournament: 1. Ermenkov 2. Nikola Spiridonov 3. Nikolai Radev
40 1976 Sofia Evgenij Ermenkov
41 1977 Sofia Ivan Radulov
42 1978 Vratza Nino Kirov
43 1979 Sofia Evgenij Ermenkov Ermenkov defeated Krum Georgiev in a play-off match
44 1980 Sofia Ivan Radulov Radulov defeated Ventzislav Inkiov (2 : 1) in a play-off match
45 1981 Sofia Georgi Tringov
46 1982 Sofia Ventzislav Inkiov Inkiov defeated Valentin Lukov in a play-off match
47 1983 Pernik Dimitar Donchev
48 1984 Sofia Kiril Georgiev
49 1985 Sofia Georgi Tringov
50 1986 Sofia Kiril Georgiev
51 1987 Elenite Petar Velikov
52 1988 Sofia Dimitar Donchev
53 1989 Sofia Kiril Georgiev
54 1990 Sofia Vasil Spasov
55 1991 Pazardzhik Boris Chatalbashev
56 1992 Bankya Atanas Kolev
57 1993 Pirdop Petar Genov
58 1994 Sofia Aleksander Delchev
59 1995 Sofia Vladimir Georgiev
60 1996 Sofia Aleksander Delchev
61 1997 Shumen Vasil Spasov
62 1998 Dupnitsa Boris Chatalbashev
63 1999 Plovdiv Petar Genov
64 2000 Asenovgrad Vasil Spasov
65 2001 Tsarevo Aleksander Delchev
66 2002 Sofia Marijan Petrov
67 2003 Sofia Vasil Spasov
68 2004 Sofia Ivan Cheparinov
69 2005 Pleven Ivan Cheparinov
70 2006 Svilengrad Valentin Iotov
71 2007 Pernik Boris Chatalbashev
72 2008 Plovdiv Vasil Spasov
73 2009 Blagoevgrad Dejan Bojkov
74 2010 Kiustendil Boris Chatalbashev
75 2011 Bankya Julian Radulski
76 2012 Panagyurishte Ivan Cheparinov
77 2013 Bankya Kiril Georgiev
78 2014 Kozloduy Kiril Georgiev
79 2015 Pleven Kiril Georgiev

Women's Championship

# Year City Women's Champion
1 1951 Antonia Ivanova
2 1952 Antonia Ivanova
3 1953 Venka Asenova
4 1954 Antonia Ivanova
5 1955 Paunka Todorova
6 1956 Venka Asenova
7 1957 Antonia Ivanova
8 1958 Antonia Ivanova
9 1960 Venka Asenova
10 1961 Venka Asenova
11 1962 Venka Asenova
12 1963 Venka Asenova
13 1964 Paunka Todorova
14 1965 Venka Asenova
15 1966 Venka Asenova
16 1967 Antonia Ivanova
17 1968 Antonina Georgieva
18 1969 Venka Asenova
19 1970 Antonina Georgieva
20 1971 Antonina Georgieva
21 1972 Vesmina Shikova
22 1973 Evelina Trojanska
23 1974 Tatjana Lematschko
24 1975 Tatjana Lematschko
25 1976 Borislava Borisova-Ornstein
26 1977 Antonina Georgieva
27 1978 Tatjana Lematschko
28 1979 Tatjana Lematschko
29 1980 Rumiana Bojadjieva-Gocheva
30 1981 Tatjana Lematschko
31 1982 Sofia Rumiana Bojadjieva-Gocheva
Margarita Voiska
32 1983 Margarita Voiska
33 1984 Rumiana Bojadjieva-Gocheva
Margarita Voiska
34 1985 Marlen Petrova
35 1986 Stefka Savova
36 1987 Sofia Rumiana Bojadjieva-Gocheva
37 1988 Ruzka Genova
38 1989 Sofia Rumiana Bojadjieva-Gocheva
39 1990 Vera Peicheva
40 1991 Bankya Rumiana Bojadjieva-Gocheva
41 1992 Pernik Maja Koen
42 1993 Pavlina Chilingirova
43 1994 Maja Koen
44 1995 Antoaneta Stefanova
45 1996 Maria Velcheva
46 1997 Maria Velcheva
47 1998 Margarita Voiska
48 1999 Maria Velcheva
49 2000 Maria Velcheva
50 2001 Plovdiv Maria Velcheva
51 2002 Plovdiv Margarita Voiska
52 2003 Sofia Margarita Voiska
53 2004 Sofia Margarita Voiska
54 2005 Veliko Tarnovo Liubka Georgieva-Genova
55 2006 Svilengrad Margarita Voiska
56 2007 Pernik Margarita Voiska
57 2008 Plovdiv Elitsa Raeva
58 2009 Dupnitsa Margarita Voiska
59 2010 Dupnitsa Margarita Voiska
60 2011 Bankya Adriana Nikolova
61 2012 Panagyurishte Iva Videnova
62 2013 Bankya Iva Videnova
63 2014 Kozloduy Iva Videnova
64 2015 Pleven Svetla Yordanova
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