In 1874, Emanuel Schiffers defeated Andrey Chardin in a match held in St. Petersburg with five wins and four losses.
Schiffers was considered the first Russian champion until his student, Mikhail Chigorin, defeated him in a match held in St. Petersburg in 1879.
Rashid Nezhmetdinov held the record of five wins of the Russian Chess Championship.
Prior to 2004, the championship was organized as a Swiss-style tournament except for 1997 and 1999, where a knockout format was used.
Third place match: GM Alexey Dreev (2650) 1½:½ IM Alexander Lastin (2535)