World Senior Chess Championship

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 50 years old or older.

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.

Winners

#	Year	City	Men's Winner	Women's Winner
1	1991	Bad Wörishofen (Germany)	Smyslov, VasilyVasily Smyslov (Russia)	Ladanyine-Karakas, EvaEva Ladanyine-Karakas (Hungary)
2	1992	Bad Wörishofen (Germany)	Geller, EfimEfim Geller (Russia)	Ladanyine-Karakas, EvaEva Ladanyine-Karakas (Hungary)
3	1993	Bad Wildbad (Germany)	Taimanov, MarkMark Taimanov (Russia)	Zatulovskaya, TatianaTatiana Zatulovskaya (Russia)
4	1994	Biel/Bienne (Switzerland)	Taimanov, MarkMark Taimanov (Russia)	Ladanyine-Karakas, EvaEva Ladanyine-Karakas (Hungary)
5	1995	Bad Liebenzell (Germany)	Vasiukov, EvgenyEvgeny Vasiukov (Russia)	Gaprindashvili, NonaNona Gaprindashvili (Georgia)
6	1996	Bad Liebenzell (Germany)	Suetin, AlexeyAlexey Suetin (Russia)	Kozlovskaya, ValentinaValentina Kozlovskaya (Russia)
7	1997	Bad Wildbad (Germany)	Klovāns, JānisJānis Klovāns (Latvia)	Zatulovskaya, TatianaTatiana Zatulovskaya (Russia)
8	1998	Grieskirchen (Austria)	Bagirov, VladimirVladimir Bagirov (Latvia)	Khmiadashvili, TamarTamar Khmiadashvili (Georgia)
9	1999	Gladenbach (Germany)	Klovāns, JānisJānis Klovāns (Latvia)	Khmiadashvili, TamarTamar Khmiadashvili (Georgia)
10	2000	Rowy (Poland)	Chernikov, OlegOleg Chernikov (Russia)	Fatalibekova, ElenaElena Fatalibekova (Russia)
11	2001	Arco (Italy)	Klovāns, JānisJānis Klovāns (Latvia)	Fatalibekova, ElenaElena Fatalibekova (Russia)
12	2002	Naumburg (Germany)	Petkevich, JusefsJusefs Petkevich (Latvia)	Litinskaya, MartaMarta Litinskaya (Ukraine)
13	2003	Bad Zwischenahn (Germany)	Shabanov, YuriYuri Shabanov (Russia)	Khmiadashvili, TamarTamar Khmiadashvili (Georgia)
14	2004	Halle, Saxony-Anhalt (Germany)	Shabanov, YuriYuri Shabanov (Russia)	Fatalibekova, ElenaElena Fatalibekova (Russia)
15	2005	Lignano Sabbiadoro (Italy)	Spassov, LiubenLiuben Spassov (Bulgaria)	Saunina, LudmilaLudmila Saunina (Russia)
16	2006	Arvier (Italy)	Korchnoi, ViktorViktor Korchnoi (Switzerland)	Saunina, LudmilaLudmila Saunina (Russia)
17	2007	Gmunden (Austria)	Butnorius, AlgimantasAlgimantas Butnorius (Lithuania)	Ereńska-Barlo, HannaHanna Ereńska-Barlo (Poland)
18	2008	Bad Zwischenahn (Germany)	Kaufman, LarryLarry Kaufman (USA) and Suba, MihaiMihai Suba (Romania)	Vilerte, TamaraTamara Vilerte (Latvia)
19	2009	Condino (Italy)	Cebalo, MišoMišo Cebalo (Croatia)	Gaprindashvili, NonaNona Gaprindashvili (Georgia)
20	2010	Arco (Italy)	Vaisser, AnatolyAnatoly Vaisser (France)	Khmiadashvili, TamarTamar Khmiadashvili (Georgia)
21	2011	Opatija (Croatia)	Okhotnik, VladimirVladimir Okhotnik (France)	Strutinskaya, GalinaGalina Strutinskaya (Russia)
22	2012	Kamena Vourla (Greece)	Kristiansen, JensJens Kristiansen (Denmark)	Strutinskaya, GalinaGalina Strutinskaya (Russia)
23	2013	Opatija (Croatia)	Vaisser, AnatolyAnatoly Vaisser (France)	Ankudinova, YelenaYelena Ankudinova (Kazakhstan)
24	2014	Katerini (Greece)	Vaisser, AnatolyAnatoly Vaisser (France) (65+) Sturua, ZurabZurab Sturua (Georgia) (50+)	Gaprindashvili, NonaNona Gaprindashvili (Georgia) (65+) Mednikova, SvetlanaSvetlana Mednikova (Russia) (50+)
25	2015	Acqui Terme (Italy)