chessflex

Sit at the champions' board

Chess is the rare game where nothing is lost. Every move of every world title match since 1886 was written down, so you can set up the board and play Steinitz's moves, or Fischer's, or Gukesh's, exactly as they played them. For a serious student, it's a treasure trove. ChessFlex adds what no student had before: a coach beside you through every one of them.

Here: 53 matches, 1,102 games and 95,659 moves, every one read by the ChessFlex coach, the same coach that explains your own games in the app.

A coach to guide you through all of it

  1. Replay it, move by moveStep through any game of any title match. The coach draws its three best moves on the board, with arrows, and shows both players' chances by their names.
  2. Guess the champion's moveTurn on Predict the moves and decide what Fischer, Kasparov or Gukesh played before you see it: three points for the exact move, one for a move as good as the engine's.
  3. Ask the coach whyThe Study Coach says who's better and why, the line it expects, and answers when you ask: best move, the threat, or your own question.
  4. Take the champion's seatThink there was a better move? Explore from this position against the bots, with the coach beside you, then Return to Live to see what really happened.

Where to start, and how →

Gukesh v Sindarov · Geneva · from 24 November

The youngest champion ever defends the title against the Candidates winner, 72 rating points above him. Champions kept the title in 31 of 48 matches. What history says →

The biggest blunder in title-match history

Steinitz v Chigorin 1892, Game 23

Chigorin v Steinitz · 0–1

32. Bb4 by Chigorin: chances 81% → 0%

The coach: Rd7 instead (the arrow) — with it, Chigorin was clearly better.

Replay it: Study › Follow a live game › World Championship 1892: Steinitz v Chigorin › Game 23

All the records: blunders, missed wins, the wildest and the cleanest games →

Fewer blunders, more draws

1880s1.00 per 100 moves · 16% drawn
1890s1.00 per 100 moves · 29% drawn
1900s0.77 per 100 moves · 39% drawn
1910s0.47 per 100 moves · 52% drawn
1920s0.41 per 100 moves · 60% drawn
1930s0.52 per 100 moves · 48% drawn
1940s0.54 per 100 moves · 38% drawn
1950s0.40 per 100 moves · 52% drawn
1960s0.25 per 100 moves · 58% drawn
1970s0.52 per 100 moves · 62% drawn
1980s0.34 per 100 moves · 70% drawn
1990s0.50 per 100 moves · 63% drawn
2000s0.33 per 100 moves · 67% drawn
2010s0.24 per 100 moves · 77% drawn
2020s0.43 per 100 moves · 62% drawn

How title-match chess changed →

The youngest champions

Gukesh D18.5 years
Garry Kasparov22.4 years
Magnus Carlsen23.0 years
Mikhail Tal23.3 years
Anatoly Karpov23.9 years

Every player's record →

Every match

2024Gukesh v DingGukesh won 7½–6½, the youngest champion2023Ding v Nepomniachtchi7–7; Ding won the rapid 2½–1½2021Carlsen v NepomniachtchiCarlsen won 7½–3½2018Carlsen v Caruana12 draws; Carlsen won the rapid 3–02016Carlsen v Karjakin6–6; Carlsen won the rapid 3–12014Carlsen v AnandCarlsen won 6½–4½2013Carlsen v AnandCarlsen won 6½–3½2012Anand v Gelfand6–6; Anand won the rapid 2½–1½2010Anand v TopalovAnand won 6½–5½2008Anand v KramnikAnand won 6½–4½2007Mexico City tournamentAnand won with 9 of 142006Kramnik v Topalov6–6 with game 5 forfeited; Kramnik won the rapid 2½–1½ and reunited the title2004Kramnik v Leko7–7; Kramnik kept the title2000Kramnik v KasparovKramnik won 8½–6½1998Karpov v Anand (FIDE)3–3; Karpov won the rapid 2–01996Karpov v Kamsky (FIDE)Karpov won 10½–7½1995Kasparov v Anand (PCA)Kasparov won 10½–7½1993Kasparov v Short (PCA)Kasparov won 12½–7½1993Karpov v Timman (FIDE)Karpov won 12½–8½1990Kasparov v KarpovKasparov won 12½–11½1987Kasparov v Karpov12–12; Kasparov kept the title1986Kasparov v KarpovKasparov won 12½–11½1985Kasparov v KarpovKasparov won 13–11, the youngest champion then1984Karpov v KasparovStopped after 48 games without a result (Karpov 5 wins, Kasparov 3)1981Karpov v KorchnoiKarpov won 11–71978Karpov v KorchnoiKarpov won six games to five1972Fischer v SpasskyFischer won 12½–8½ (game 2 forfeited)1969Spassky v PetrosianSpassky won 12½–10½1966Petrosian v SpasskyPetrosian won 12½–11½1963Petrosian v BotvinnikPetrosian won 12½–9½1961Botvinnik v TalBotvinnik won 13–81960Tal v BotvinnikTal won 12½–8½1958Botvinnik v SmyslovBotvinnik won 12½–10½1957Smyslov v BotvinnikSmyslov won 12½–9½1954Botvinnik v Smyslov12–12; Botvinnik kept the title1951Botvinnik v Bronstein12–12; Botvinnik kept the title1948The Hague–Moscow tournamentBotvinnik won with 14 of 201937Alekhine v EuweAlekhine won 15½–9½1935Euwe v AlekhineEuwe won 15½–14½1934Alekhine v BogoljubovAlekhine won 15½–10½1929Alekhine v BogoljubovAlekhine won 15½–9½1927Alekhine v CapablancaAlekhine won 18½–15½1921Capablanca v LaskerCapablanca won 9–51910Lasker v JanowskiLasker won 9½–1½1910Lasker v Schlechter5–5; Lasker kept the title1908Lasker v TarraschLasker won 10½–5½1907Lasker v MarshallLasker won 11½–3½1896Lasker v SteinitzLasker won 12½–4½1894Lasker v SteinitzLasker won 12–71892Steinitz v ChigorinSteinitz won 12½–10½1890Steinitz v GunsbergSteinitz won 10½–8½1889Steinitz v ChigorinSteinitz won 10½–6½1886Steinitz v ZukertortSteinitz won 12½–7½, the first world champion

Play through any of them with the coach

All 53 matches are in ChessFlex: replay any game with the coach's three best moves, predict the next move, or take over from any position against the bots.

In the app: Study › Follow a live game › World Championship …

Part of Study in ChessFlex: one purchase unlocks the coach, Follow a live game and all 53 title matches (on iPhone, try Study free first). Playing the bots is free, with no account and no ads.

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How to study the champions with the coach →