oldest living world chess champion

The oldest living classical World Chess Champion as of early 2026 is Anatoly Karpov (born May 23, 1951), the 12th World Champion.

Who holds the distinction now?

After the death of Boris Spassky in February 2025, who had been widely described as the oldest living world chess champion, attention shifted to the next oldest surviving former champion.

Anatoly Karpov, who became World Champion in 1975 and held the title (with a brief break during the Kasparov era in terms of “undisputed” status) through much of the late 1970s and 1980s, is now the senior surviving member of that group.

Quick scoop on Karpov

• Born in 1951, Karpov was a prodigy of the Soviet chess school and became World Champion after Bobby Fischer forfeited his title in 1975.

• He defended his title successfully several times and later became FIDE World Champion again in the 1990s, remaining one of the most influential figures in chess politics and culture.

Why Spassky is often mentioned

• Boris Spassky (World Champion 1969–1972) was frequently referred to in news pieces and social posts as “the oldest living world chess champion” before his death at age 88 in 2025.

• With his passing, that informal honorary label effectively passed to the next oldest surviving ex-champion, which is Karpov.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.