Wisconsin has been active on the national chess scene for longer than most other states in the union, but we seem to have come to the idea of formalizing the state champion later than our contemporaries. The earliest formal championship we've been able to find was a match that crowned Carl Eppert as the official state champion. We're still digging through archives looking to fill in the blanks, as there was active club play in the state going back to the days of Morphy and Paulsen. This list is the official list; if you have information about champions not on it, please contact us with the information.
Wisconsin State Chess Champions
| Year | Listed Winner(s) | Unlisted Winners | Score | Site |
| 1923 | Carl Eppert | |||
| 1924 | Carl Heden | |||
| 1929 | Carl Anderson | |||
| 1930 | Harold Knutson | |||
| 1932 | Harold Knutson | |||
| 1933 | Robert Reel | |||
| 1934 | Walter Heyn | Milwaukee | ||
| 1935 | Arpad Elo | Milwaukee | ||
| 1936 | Mark Surgies | Sheboygan | ||
| 1937 | Arpad Elo | La Crosse | ||
| 1938 | Arpad Elo | Green Bay | ||
| 1939 | Enos Wicher | Milwaukee | ||
| 1940 | Arpad EloEnos Wicher | Racine | ||
| 1941 | Arpad Elo | Madison | ||
| 1942 | Arpad Elo | Green Bay | ||
| 1943 | Averill Powers | Milwaukee | ||
| 1944 | Robert Reel | Milwaukee | ||
| 1945 | Arpad EloAverill Powers | Madison | ||
| 1946 | Jerome Kraszewski | Appleton | ||
| 1947 | Richard Kujoth | Oshkosh | ||
| 1948 | Richard Kujoth | Sheboygan | ||
| 1949 | Richard Kujoth | Janesville | ||
| 1950 | Arpad EloAverill Powers | Racine | ||
| 1951 | Enos Wicher | Milwaukee | ||
| 1952 | Richard Kujoth | Waterloo | ||
| 1953 | Richard Kujoth | Fond du Lac | ||
| 1954 | Averill Powers | Appleton | ||
| 1955 | Hugh Meyers | Beloit | ||
| 1956 | Jerome Kraszewski | Sheboygan | ||
| 1957 | Marshall Rohland | La Crosse | ||
| 1958 | Richard Kujoth | Madison | ||
| 1959 | Charles Weldon | Sturgeon Bay | ||
| 1960 | Henry Meifert | Fond du Lac | ||
| 1961 | Arpad Elo | Racine | ||
| 1962 | Allen Reiter | Madison | ||
| 1963 | Charles Weldon | Sheboygan | ||
| 1964 | William MartzJohn Dedinski | Fond du Lac | ||
| 1965 | William Martz | Racine | ||
| 1966 | William Martz | Manitowoc | ||
| 1967 | Martin Safer | Madison | ||
| 1968 | William Williams | Wausau | ||
| 1969 | William Martz | Milwaukee | ||
| 1970 | William Martz | Appleton | ||
| 1971 | John Anderson | Racine | ||
| 1972 | Peter Dorman | Stevens Point | ||
| 1973 | John Anderson | Manitowoc | ||
| 1974 | William Martz | Waukesha | ||
| 1975 | William Martz | Green Bay | ||
| 1976 | Robert Jones | Racine | ||
| 1977 | Josef FriedmanPeter Dorman | 5.5/7 | Fond du Lac | |
| 1978 | James Ellis | Bill WilliamsRobert HolyonRobert Jones | 5.5/7 | Madison |
| 1979 | Charles Weldon | 5.5/6 | Oshkosh | |
| 1980 | Louis Dina | Bill WilliamsAlex MilsonGeorge LjaschenkoHenry MeifertPeter Webster | 4/5 | Pewaukee |
| 1981 | Thomas Moore | 5/5 | Janesville | |
| 1982 | William WilliamsEthan Allen | 4.5/5 | Fond du Lac | |
| 1983 | William WilliamsLeonid Bass | 4.5/5 | Milwaukee | |
| 1984 | Peter Webster | 4.5/5 | Janesville | |
| 1985 | Revi Schea | 5/6 | Fond du Lac | |
| 1986 | Thomas Moore | 5.5/6 | Racine | |
| 1987 | Steven Odendahl | 6.5/7 | Madison | |
| 1988 | Thomas Moore | David PenkalskiJeff Cooper | 5/6 | Manitowoc |
| 1989 | Chris Dunworth | Dale SharpMike La Budde | 5/6 | Fond du Lac |
| 1990 | Steven Odendahl | 5.5/6 | Stevens Point | |
| 1991 | Roman LevitDavid Penkalski | 5.5/6 | Oshkosh | |
| 1992 | William WilliamsJosh Manion | 5/6 | Madison | |
| 1993 | William WilliamsJeff Cooper | 5/6 | Fond du Lac | |
| 1994 | Roman Levit | 5/6 | Milwaukee | |
| 1995 | Roman Levit | 5.5/6 | Fond du Lac | |
| 1996 | Roman Levit | 5.5/6 | Fond du Lac | |
| 1997 | Aniruddha Deshpande | 5.5/6 | Eau Claire | |
| 1998 | Aniruddha Deshpande | 5.5/6 | Oshkosh | |
| 1999 | Bryan LillyJeff Cooper | 5/6 | Fond du Lac | |
| 2000 | Alex Betaneli | 5.5/6 | Green Bay | |
| 2001 | William WilliamsAlex Betaneli | 5/6 | Racine | |
| 2002 | William WilliamsYuan Jia Xu | 5/6 | Milwaukee | |
| 2003 | Bryan LillyLarry Butler | 5/6 | Oshkosh | |
| 2004 | Bryan LillyYuan Jia Xu | 5/6 | Green Bay | |
| 2005 | Alex Betaneli | 6/6 | Neenah | |
| 2006 | Jeremy KaneKelly Borman | 4.5/6 | Wisconsin Dells | |
| 2007 | Jeremy Kane | 5/6 | Madison | |
| 2008 | Erik Santarius | 6/6 | Green Bay | |
| 2009 | Erik SantariusJeremy Kane | 5.5/6 | Milwaukee | |
| 2010 | Erik Santarius | 5/6 | Madison | |
| 2011 | David Jin | 5/6 | Wausau | |
| 2012 | Alex Betaneli | 5.5/6 | Middleton | |
| 2013 | Erik Santarius | 5.5/6 | Neenah | |
| 2014 | Benedict SmailScott Haubrich | 5/6 | Oconomowoc | |
| 2015 | Scott Haubrich | 5.5/6 | Green Bay | |
| 2016 | Vijay Raghavan | 5/5 | Madison | |
| 2017 | Josh Friedel | 5.5/6 | Brookfield | |
| 2018 | Joziah Rudolph | 6/6 | Green Bay | |
| 2019 | Erik Santarius | 5.5/6 | Madison | |
| 2020 |