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The first World Chess Championship was not an official championship. Paul Morphy of the United States easily defeated Adolf Anderssen of Germany in a match in 1858 and was considered the World Champion by many leading clubs and players. Morphy, however, retired from chess one year later, but was considered World Champion by many prominent chessplayers until his death in 1884. In 1886, Anderssen was defeated by Wilhelm Steinitz in a close match. This match was considered by some to be the first official World Chess Championship.

The Polish-German Johannes Zukertort won a tournament in London against several prominent players including Anderssen in 1883. In 1886, Steinitz defeated Zukertort in what is considered to be the first World Chess Championship. Emanuel Lasker of Germany obtained the title in 1894. He won many tournaments for the next few years. He was World Chess Champion for 27 years, until 1921 when he was defeated by the Cuban Jose Raul Capablanca. Capablanca liked to keep the game simple. The Great Chess Tournament in St. Petersburg in 1914 had most of the world's greatest chess players including Emanuel Lasker, Jose Raul Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine, Siegbert Tarrasch, and Frank James Marshall. These were the five prize winners who were awarded the title "Grandmaster" by Tsar Nicholas II.

Chess Championships were stopped from 1914 to 1918 because of World War I. Capablanca, then world champion, won a major chess tournament in London. His score was 13-2, other scores were Alexander Alekhine 11-3, Milan Vidmar 11-4, and Akiba Rubinstein 10-4 . Rubinstein was famous for his skill at using the bishop pair to win games. His combinations were beautiful. In the 1924 tournament in New York, Lasker won with 16 points to Capablanca's 14. Alekhine was third. Reti defeated Lasker for his first loss in eight years. Capablanca beat Alekhine evey time he had played him before the World Chess Championship in 1927 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Capablanca won several tournaments after losing the World Chess Championship to Alekhine, hoping for a rematch, but it did not take place. In 1928, Capablanca won a strong tournament in Stockholm, Sweden. At Bad Kissingen in 1928, Capablanca came in second with a 7-4 score. This chess tournament had over half of the world's greatest players. He won at Budapest with a 7-2 tally. The brilliant American Champion attacking player Frank James Marshall was second one point behind.

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