The two world wars prevented the Championship from taking place on a small number of occasions, but due to Switzerland's neutral status, the event was less badly affected than in many other countries.
In 2008 the Championship underwent major changes, including running two alternate formats effectively in parallel.
The changes were aimed at keeping the tournament accessible to home and overseas players, while expanding the range of opportunities for nationals, both in terms of the Championship itself and also for Elo rating and title seeking purposes.
Since 2018, the Championship is conducted as an annual, closed, 10-Player Single Round Robin Invitational featuring the best Swiss chess players.
Joe Gallagher, a seven-times Champion, has dual nationality and also won the British Championship in 2001, a unique achievement.