Previous cycles:
1948-1951 World Championship cycle
1952-1954 World Championship cycle
1955-1957 World Championship cycle
1958-1960 World Championship cycle
1961-1963 World Championship cycle
1964-1966 World Championship cycle
1967-1969 World Championship cycle
1970-1972 World Championship cycle
1973-1975 World Championship cycle
1976-1978 World Championship cycle
1979-1981 World Championship cycle
1982-1984 World Championship cycle
1985-1987 World Championship cycle

One historical thing happened even before the actual cycle began. As the first woman in history 17 year old Zsusza (Susan) Polgar qualified for the "Men's" World Championship cycle. However FIDE found her ineligible to compete in the "men's" cycle on a very obvious grounds - she is not a man!

For the next cycle FIDE decided to drop the word "men" and the World Championship became open for both genders. Until 1990 it really was a Men's-only World Championship cycle.



ZONAL TOURNAMENTS

Zone 1 (West Europe and Western Mediterranean)




Zone 2 (Central and Northern Europe + Israel)



Zone 3 (Eastern Europe)


Zone 4 (Soviet Union)


Zone 5 (Eastern Mediterranean)


Zone 6 (USA)


Zone 7 (Canada)


Zone 8 (South and Central America)


Zone 9 (South America)


Zone 10 (Western Asia)


Zone 11 (Eastern Asia and Oceania)


Zone 12 (Western Africa)


Zone 13 (Eastern Africa)


INTERZONAL TOURNAMENTS







CANDIDATES MATCHES



WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH