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National Champions

German Chess Champions

A list of German chess championship winners, covering predecessor congresses, divided Germany, and the reunified national championship.

Current Champion

Leonardo Costa

Current champion after winning the 2026 German Championship in Dresden with 6/9.

Most Championships

Wolfgang Uhlmann, 11 East German championships

First Championship

Championship events from 1861; unified post-reunification series from 1991

Champions

110

185 championships

Championship History

Before the nationwide Deutscher Schachbund was founded in 1880, western, northern, and middle German chess federations each ran congresses with master sections.

After 1933 the championship was reorganized under the Greater German Chess Federation. After World War II, separate zone events led into distinct West German and East German championship lines from 1950 until reunification.

Since 1991 Germany has again had a single national championship line. Leonardo Costa scored 6/9 in Dresden to win the 2026 title, his second German championship after his 2022 victory.

Germany Champion List

Champions appear from oldest to newest. Shared titles and tied first places appear under each player's name.

YearChampion
1862Max Lange
1863Max Lange
1864Max Lange
1865Gustav Neumann
1867Wilfried Paulsen
1868Max Lange
1869Adolf Anderssen
1871Adolf Anderssen
1871Louis Paulsen
1872Adolf Anderssen
1876Wilfried Paulsen
1876Adolf Anderssen
1877Louis Paulsen
1877Johannes Zukertort
1878Louis Paulsen
1879Berthold Englisch
1880Louis Paulsen
1881Joseph Henry Blackburne
1883Simon Winawer
1885Isidor Gunsberg
1887George Henry Mackenzie
1889Siegbert Tarrasch
1892Siegbert Tarrasch
1893Carl Walbrodt
1893Curt von Bardeleben
1894Siegbert Tarrasch
1896Robert Henry Barnes
1898Amos Burn
1900Géza Maróczy
1900Harry Nelson Pillsbury
1900Carl Schlechter
1902Dawid Janowski
1904Curt von Bardeleben
1904Carl Schlechter
1904Rudolf Swiderski
1906Frank James Marshall
1908Frank James Marshall
1910Carl Schlechter
1912Oldřich Duras
1912Akiba Rubinstein
1914Alexander Alekhine
1920Friedrich Sämisch
1921Ehrhardt Post
1922Ehrhardt Post
1923Ernst Grünfeld
1925Efim Bogoljubow
1927Rudolf Spielmann
1929Carl Ahues
1931Efim Bogoljubow
1931Ludwig Rödl
1932Georg Kieninger
1933Efim Bogoljubow
1934Carl Carls
1935Kurt Richter
1937Georg Kieninger
1938Erich Eliskases
1939Erich Eliskases
1940Georg Kieninger
1941Paul Felix Schmidt
1941Klaus Junge
1942Ludwig Rellstab
1943Josef Lokvenc
1946Berthold Koch
1947Georg Kieninger
1947Lothar Schmid
1948Wolfgang Unzicker
1948Rudolf Teschner
1949Efim Bogoljubow
1949Wolfgang Pietzsch
1950Wolfgang Unzicker
1950Rudolf Elstner
1951Rudolf Teschner
1951Georg Stein
1952Berthold Koch
1953Wolfgang Unzicker
1953Reinhart Fuchs
1954Wolfgang Uhlmann
1955Klaus Darga
1955Wolfgang Uhlmann
1956Reinhart Fuchs
1957Paul Tröger
1957Burkhard Malich
1958Wolfgang Uhlmann
1959Wolfgang Unzicker
1959Wolfgang Pietzsch
1961Klaus Darga
1961Lothar Zinn
1962Wolfgang Pietzsch
1963Wolfgang Unzicker
1963Günther Möhring
1964Wolfgang Uhlmann
1965Wolfgang Unzicker
1965Helmut Pfleger
1965Lothar Zinn
1967Wolfgang Pietzsch
1967Robert Hübner
1967Hans Besser
1968Wolfgang Uhlmann
1969Manfred Christoph
1969Lutz Espig
1970Hans-Joachim Hecht
1970Friedrich Baumbach
1971Svetozar Gligoric (international)
1971Lutz Espig
1972Hans Günther Kestler
1972Manfred Schöneberg
1973Hans-Joachim Hecht
1973Ulf Andersson
1973Boris Spassky (international)
1973Burkhard Malich
1974Peter Ostermeyer
1974Rainer Knaak
1975Walter Browne (international)
1975Wolfgang Uhlmann
1976Klaus Wockenfuss
1976Wolfgang Uhlmann
1977Anatoly Karpov (international)
1977Lothar Vogt
1978Ludek Pachman
1978Rainer Knaak
1979Boris Spassky
1979Yuri Balashov
1979Ulf Andersson (international)
1979Lothar Vogt
1980Eric Lobron
1980Hans-Ulrich Grünberg
1981Lubomir Kavalek (international)
1981Wolfgang Uhlmann
1982Manfred Glienke
1982Rainer Knaak
1983Anatoly Karpov (international)
1983Wolfgang Uhlmann
1983Rainer Knaak
1984Eric Lobron
1984Rainer Knaak
1985Wolfgang Uhlmann
1986Wolfgang Uhlmann
1987Vlastimil Hort
1987Ralf Lau
1987Raj Tischbierek
1988Bernd Schneider
1988Lutz Espig
1988Thomas Pähtz
1989Vlastimil Hort
1989Eckhard Schmittdiel
1989Hans-Ulrich Grünberg
1990Raj Tischbierek
1990Thomas Pähtz
1991Vlastimil Hort
1993Thomas Pähtz
1993Thomas Luther
1994Peter Enders
1995Christopher Lutz
1996Matthias Wahls
1996Rustem Dautov
1996Artur Yusupov
1997Matthias Wahls
1998Jörg Hickl
1999Robert Hübner
2000Robert Rabiega
2001Christopher Lutz
2002Thomas Luther
2004Alexander Graf
2005Artur Yusupov
2006Thomas Luther
2007Arkadij Naiditsch
2008Daniel Fridman
2009Arik Braun
2010Niclas Huschenbeth
2011Igor Khenkin
2012Daniel Fridman
2013Klaus Bischoff
2014Daniel Fridman
2015Klaus Bischoff
2016Sergey Kalinitschew
2017Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu
2018Rainer Buhmann
2019Niclas Huschenbeth
2020Matthias Blübaum
2021Jonas Rosner
2022Leonardo Costa
2023Vitaly Kunin
2024Dmitrij Kollars
2025Vincent Keymer
2026Leonardo Costa

Sources

Sources include federation archives, tournament reports, and historical winners tables.

Last reviewed: September 5, 2026.

By IgniteChess Editorial Published Reviewed by Patrik Tzortzakos on