The Bulgarian Chess Championship is an event inaugurated in 1933 to crown the best chess player in Bulgaria. The championship has been held on a nearly annual basis since, with only a few years missed. In recent years some of the very best Bulgarian players have not participated in the championship, including former World Champions Veselin Topalov and Antoaneta Stefanova.

Open championship

# Year City Men's Champion Comment 1 1933 Varna Georgy Geshev Geshev defeated Yury Toshev (4.5 : 3.5) in a play-off match 2 1934 Sofia Georgy Geshev 3 1935 Rousse Georgy Geshev 4 1936 Sofia Georgy Geshev 5 1937 Sofia Oleg Neikirch 6 1938 Varna Oleg Neikirch 7 1940 Sofia Alexander Tsvetkov Oleg Neikirch 8 1942 Sofia Yury Toshev 9 1943 Sofia Oleg Neikirch 10 1945 Sofia Alexander Tsvetkov Svetozar Gligoric won (off contest) 11 1946 Sofia Peter Petrov 12 1947 Sofia Kamen Piskov Yury Toshev 13 1948 Sofia Oleg Neikirch Alexander Tsvetkov 14 1949 Sofia Krstiu Krstev Dimitrov 15 1950 Sofia Alexander Tsvetkov 16 1951 Sofia Alexander Tsvetkov Nikolay Minev Milko Bobotsov Tsvetkov won ahead of Bobotsov and Minev in BUL-ch playoffs in January 1952 17 1952 Sofia Zdravko Milev 18 1953 Sofia Nikolay Minev Oleg Neikirch 19 1954 Sofia Nikola Padevsky 20 1955 Sofia Nikola Padevsky 21 1957 Sofia Oleg Neikirch 22 1958 Sofia Milko Bobotsov 23 1959 Sofia Vladilen Todorov Popov 24 1960 Sofia Zdravko Milev 25 1961 Sofia Zdravko Milev 26 1962 Sofia Nikola Padevsky 27 1963 Sofia Georgi Tringov 28 1964 Sofia Nikola Padevsky Padevsky defeated Atanas Kolarov (2.5 : 1.5) in a play-off match 29 1965 Varna Nikolay Minev 30 1966 Sofia Nikolay Minev 31 1968 Sofia Peicho Chanev Peev 32 1969 Plovdiv Nikola Spiridonov 33 1970 Sofia Lyuben Stoyanov Popov 34 1971 Sofia Ivan Radulov 35 1972 Sofia Sarkis Stepn Bohosjan 36 1973 Sofia Evgenij Ermenkov 37 1973 Sofia Nino Kirov 38 1974 Asenovgrad Ivan Radulov 39 1975 Pernik Evgenij Ermenkov Match-tournament: 1. Ermenkov 2. Nikola Spiridonov 3. Nikolai Radev 40 1976 Sofia Evgenij Ermenkov 41 1977 Sofia Ivan Radulov 42 1978 Vratza Nino Kirov 43 1979 Sofia Evgenij Ermenkov Ermenkov defeated Krum Georgiev in a play-off match 44 1980 Sofia Ivan Radulov Radulov defeated Ventzislav Inkiov (2 : 1) in a play-off match 45 1981 Sofia Georgi Tringov 46 1982 Sofia Ventzislav Inkiov Inkiov defeated Valentin Lukov in a play-off match 47 1983 Pernik Dimitar Donchev 48 1984 Sofia Kiril Georgiev 49 1985 Sofia Georgi Tringov 50 1986 Sofia Kiril Georgiev 51 1987 Elenite Petar Velikov 52 1988 Sofia Dimitar Donchev 53 1989 Sofia Kiril Georgiev 54 1990 Sofia Vasil Spasov 55 1991 Pazardzhik Boris Chatalbashev 56 1992 Bankya Atanas Kolev 57 1993 Pirdop Petar Genov 58 1994 Sofia Aleksander Delchev 59 1995 Sofia Vladimir Georgiev 60 1996 Sofia Aleksander Delchev 61 1997 Shumen Vasil Spasov 62 1998 Dupnitsa Boris Chatalbashev 63 1999 Plovdiv Petar Genov 64 2000 Asenovgrad Vasil Spasov 65 2001 Tsarevo Aleksander Delchev 66 2002 Sofia Marijan Petrov 67 2003 Sofia Vasil Spasov 68 2004 Sofia Ivan Cheparinov 69 2005 Pleven Ivan Cheparinov 70 2006 Svilengrad Valentin Iotov 71 2007 Pernik Boris Chatalbashev 72 2008 Plovdiv Vasil Spasov 73 2009 Blagoevgrad Dejan Bojkov 74 2010 Kiustendil Boris Chatalbashev 75 2011 Bankya Julian Radulski 76 2012 Panagyurishte Ivan Cheparinov 77 2013 Bankya Kiril Georgiev 78 2014 Kozloduy Kiril Georgiev 79 2015 Pleven Kiril Georgiev 80 2016 Pleven Momchil Nikolov 81 2017 Montana Marian Petrov 82 2018 Kozloduy Ivan Cheparinov 83 2019 Kozloduy Aleksander Delchev 84 2020 Sofia Martin Petrov 2023 Sofia Kiril Georgiev half a point ahead of 2017 Women's champion Nurgyul Salimova

Women's championship

# Year City Women's Champion 1 1951 Antonia Ivanova 2 1952 Antonia Ivanova 3 1953 Venka Asenova 4 1954 Antonia Ivanova 5 1955 Paunka Todorova 6 1956 Venka Asenova 7 1957 Antonia Ivanova 8 1958 Antonia Ivanova 9 1960 Venka Asenova 10 1961 Venka Asenova 11 1962 Venka Asenova 12 1963 Venka Asenova 13 1964 Paunka Todorova 14 1965 Venka Asenova 15 1966 Venka Asenova 16 1967 Antonia Ivanova 17 1968 Antonina Georgieva 18 1969 Venka Asenova 19 1970 Antonina Georgieva 20 1971 Antonina Georgieva 21 1972 Vesmina Shikova 22 1973 Evelina Trojanska 23 1974 Tatjana Lematschko 24 1975 Tatjana Lematschko 25 1976 Borislava Borisova-Ornstein 26 1977 Antonina Georgieva 27 1978 Tatjana Lematschko 28 1979 Tatjana Lematschko 29 1980 Rumiana Bojadjieva-Gocheva 30 1981 Tatjana Lematschko 31 1982 Sofia Rumiana Bojadjieva-Gocheva Margarita Voiska 32 1983 Margarita Voiska 33 1984 Rumiana Bojadjieva-Gocheva Margarita Voiska 34 1985 Marlen Petrova 35 1986 Stefka Savova 36 1987 Sofia Rumiana Bojadjieva-Gocheva 37 1988 Ruzka Genova 38 1989 Sofia Rumiana Bojadjieva-Gocheva 39 1990 Vera Peicheva 40 1991 Bankya Rumiana Bojadjieva-Gocheva 41 1992 Pernik Maja Koen 42 1993 Pavlina Chilingirova 43 1994 Maja Koen 44 1995 Antoaneta Stefanova 45 1996 Maria Velcheva 46 1997 Maria Velcheva 47 1998 Margarita Voiska 48 1999 Maria Velcheva 49 2000 Maria Velcheva 50 2001 Plovdiv Maria Velcheva 51 2002 Plovdiv Margarita Voiska 52 2003 Sofia Margarita Voiska 53 2004 Sofia Margarita Voiska 54 2005 Veliko Tarnovo Liubka Georgieva-Genova 55 2006 Svilengrad Margarita Voiska 56 2007 Pernik Margarita Voiska 57 2008 Plovdiv Elitsa Raeva 58 2009 Dupnitsa Margarita Voiska 59 2010 Dupnitsa Margarita Voiska 60 2011 Bankya Adriana Nikolova 61 2012 Panagyurishte Iva Videnova 62 2013 Bankya Iva Videnova 63 2014 Kozloduy Iva Videnova 64 2015 Pleven Svetla Yordanova 65 2016 Pleven Elitsa Raeva 66 2017 Pleven Nurgyul Salimova 67 2018 Chavdar Viktoria Radeva 68 2019 Chavdar Viktoria Radeva 69 2020 Sofia Beloslava Krasteva

Sources

  • Whyld, Ken (1986), Chess: The Records, Guinness Books, p. 94, ISBN 0-85112-455-0 (results through 1985)
  • Bojkov, Dejan (2007-03-24), , Chessbase.com News
  • Crowther, Mark (21 May 2001), , London Chess Center
  • Crowther, Mark (19 May 2003), , London Chess Center
  • Crowther, Mark (11 May 2004), , London Chess Center
  • Crowther, Mark (6 June 2005), , London Chess Center
  • Crowther, Mark (13 March 2006), , London Chess Center
  • Crowther, Mark (19 March 2007), , London Chess Center