PCA Professional Chess Association
The breakaway professional body founded in 1993 by Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short — administered the classical-line world championship for seven years before folding in 1996.
The Professional Chess Association was founded in February 1993 by Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short, who had just qualified to play each other for the World Championship. Disputes with FIDE over prize money, venue selection, and broadcast rights led both players to withdraw their match from FIDE jurisdiction and play it under the new PCA banner. The match took place in London in September–October 1993, with Kasparov retaining the title 12.5–7.5.
The Pca Cycle
Over the next three years the PCA ran a parallel championship cycle: Kasparov–Anand 1995 (won by Kasparov), the Intel Grand Prix circuit of rapid events, and the planned 1996 Kasparov–Karpov reunification match that never materialised. The PCA folded in 1996 when its commercial sponsorship from Intel ended. Kasparov remained champion of the classical (non-FIDE) line until losing to Vladimir Kramnik in 2000, after which the title was contested by various private organisers until the 2006 reunification at Elista.