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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 aged 50 years old or older. From 2014, both men's and women's championships are split in two sections: over-50 (50+) for players who are at least 50 years old, and over-65 (65+) for those who are at least 65 years old.
The championship is organized as an eleven-round Swiss system tournament. It is an open tournament, and each FIDE member federation may send as many players as desired. A separate women's tournament is held if there are enough participants (at least 10 women from four different FIDE zones). The men's winner is awarded the title of Grandmaster if he did not already have it; the women's winner receives the Woman Grandmaster title if she did not already have it.
The 8th World Senior Championship was held 9-23 November 1998 in Grieskirchen, Austria. Vladimir Bagirov (Latvia) won the 200-player men's section on tie-break over Wolfgang Uhlmann (Germany), both with 8.5/11. Ten players tied a half point behind with 8.0/11, including former World Championship Candidates Mark Taimanov and Borislav Ivkov. WGM Tamar Khmiadashvili (Georgia) won the 24-player women's section outright with 9.5 points.
The 13th World Senior Championship was held 16-29 November 2003 in Bad Zwischenahn, Germany. IM Yuri Shabanov (Russia) won the 272-player men's section 9.0/11 on tie-break over GM Jānis Klovāns (Latvia) and IM Vladimir Bukal (Croatia). Khmiadashvili (Georgia) won the 22-player women's section 7.5/9 on tie-break over WGM Marta Litinskaya-Shul (Ukraine).
The 14th World Senior Championship was held 24 October-5 November 2004 in Halle (Saale), Germany. IM Yuri Shabanov (Russia) defended his championship, winning the 215-player men's section on a tie-break with five players scoring 8.5/11. GM Elena Fatalibekova (Russia) won the 19-player women's section outright with 8.0/9.
The 16th World Senior Chess Championship was held 11-23 September 2006 in Arvier, Italy. Former World Chess Championship challenger and top seed GM Viktor Korchnoi (Switzerland) won the 126-player men's section 9.0/11. Competing in his first Seniors' Championship at age 75, Korchnoi won his first four games, drew in the fifth round with Jānis Klovāns, and then won the next three. Entering the ninth round with a full point lead, Korchnoi drew his final three games to take the € 3000 gold medal. WGM Ludmila Saunina (Russia), age 54, won the 14-player women's section by a full point, 8.5/11, to earn € 700.
A dispute in the 18th World Senior Chess Championship over the tiebreaker rules in use was resolved by FIDE by declaring two players joint winners of the men's section.
| # | Year | City | Men's winner | Women's winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1991 | Bad Wörishofen (Germany) | Vasily Smyslov (Russia) | Eva Ladanyine-Karakas (Hungary) |
| 2 | 1992 | Bad Wörishofen (Germany) | Efim Geller (Russia) | Eva Ladanyine-Karakas (Hungary) |
| 3 | 1993 | Bad Wildbad (Germany) | Mark Taimanov (Russia) | Tatiana Zatulovskaya (Russia) |
| 4 | 1994 | Biel/Bienne (Switzerland) | Mark Taimanov (Russia) | Eva Ladanyine-Karakas (Hungary) |
| 5 | 1995 | Bad Liebenzell (Germany) | Evgeny Vasiukov (Russia) | Nona Gaprindashvili (Georgia) |
| 6 | 1996 | Bad Liebenzell (Germany) | Alexey Suetin (Russia) | Valentina Kozlovskaya (Russia) |
| 7 | 1997 | Bad Wildbad (Germany) | Jānis Klovāns (Latvia) | Tatiana Zatulovskaya (Russia) |
| 8 | 1998 | Grieskirchen (Austria) | Vladimir Bagirov (Latvia) | Tamar Khmiadashvili (Georgia) |
| 9 | 1999 | Gladenbach (Germany) | Jānis Klovāns (Latvia) | Tamar Khmiadashvili (Georgia) |
| 10 | 2000 | Rowy (Poland) | Oleg Chernikov (Russia) | Elena Fatalibekova (Russia) |
| 11 | 2001 | Arco (Italy) | Jānis Klovāns (Latvia) | Elena Fatalibekova (Russia) |
| 12 | 2002 | Naumburg (Germany) | Jusefs Petkevich (Latvia) | Marta Litinskaya (Ukraine) |
| 13 | 2003 | Bad Zwischenahn (Germany) | Yuri Shabanov (Russia) | Tamar Khmiadashvili (Georgia) |
| 14 | 2004 | Halle, Saxony-Anhalt (Germany) | Yuri Shabanov (Russia) | Elena Fatalibekova (Russia) |
| 15 | 2005 | Lignano Sabbiadoro (Italy) | Liuben Spassov (Bulgaria) | Ludmila Saunina (Russia) |
| 16 | 2006 | Arvier (Italy) | Viktor Korchnoi (Switzerland) | Ludmila Saunina (Russia) |
| 17 | 2007 | Gmunden (Austria) | Algimantas Butnorius (Lithuania) | Hanna Ereńska-Barlo (Poland) |
| 18 | 2008 | Bad Zwischenahn (Germany) | Larry Kaufman (USA) and Mihai Suba (Romania) | Tamara Vilerte (Latvia) |
| 19 | 2009 | Condino (Italy) | Mišo Cebalo (Croatia) | Nona Gaprindashvili (Georgia) |
| 20 | 2010 | Arco (Italy) | Anatoly Vaisser (France) | Tamar Khmiadashvili (Georgia) |
| 21 | 2011 | Opatija (Croatia) | Vladimir Okhotnik (France) | Galina Strutinskaya (Russia) |
| 22 | 2012 | Kamena Vourla (Greece) | Jens Kristiansen (Denmark) | Galina Strutinskaya (Russia) |
| 23 | 2013 | Opatija (Croatia) | Anatoly Vaisser (France) | Yelena Ankudinova (Kazakhstan) |
| 24 | 2014 | Katerini (Greece) | Anatoly Vaisser (France) (65+) Zurab Sturua (Georgia) (50+) |
Nona Gaprindashvili (Georgia) (65+) Svetlana Mednikova (Russia) (50+) |
| 25 | 2015 | Acqui Terme (Italy) | Vladimir Okhotnik (France) (65+) Predrag Nikolic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) (50+) |
Nona Gaprindashvili (Georgia) (65+) Galina Strutinskaia (Russia) (50+) |