The highest-scoring eligible player (frequently the tournament winner) holds the title of Australian Chess Champion until the next tournament is held.
[1] Prior to 2008, the tournament usually began in late December (after Christmas) and finished in January.
In the table, the year refers to the date the tournament finished.
Where players tied for first place and the winner of the Australian Open Champion title on countback is known, the title winner is indicated followed by the players they tied with in brackets.
From 1989 to 2019 a system was in place with points accumulated in different Australian weekend tournaments.