The answer depends on what you mean by “first chess grandmaster.” Historically, Wilhelm Steinitz is often called the first chess grandmaster in the unofficial sense, while the first official Grandmaster title was created by FIDE in 1950 and awarded to multiple players that year.

Quick Scoop

  • Historical answer: Wilhelm Steinitz.
  • Official title answer: FIDE introduced the Grandmaster title in 1950 and awarded it to 27 players, including Mikhail Botvinnik.

Why the confusion

Before 1950, “grandmaster” was not a formal chess title, so historians use the word more loosely when talking about the game’s early elite players. Some sources also point to the 1914 Saint Petersburg tournament, where Tsar Nicholas II reportedly honored five top players as “Grandmasters of Chess,” but that was still an honorary label rather than the modern official title.

Bottom line

If you want the most common historical answer , it is Wilhelm Steinitz. If you want the first official grandmasters , the title began in 1950 under FIDE.

TL;DR: Wilhelm Steinitz is usually treated as the first chess grandmaster historically, but the official FIDE Grandmaster title started in 1950.