The Timeline Challenge

"I think I would beat Tal pretty easily. Fischer would be more difficult, but I think I could beat him too."


The reigning World Classical Chess Champion and World No.1 chess player by a decent distance, Magnus Carlsen, made the above 'quote' while granting an interview to THE TELEGRAPH, a few weeks ago. It is annoyingly reminiscent of the argument I found myself entangled in with a group of friends (all chess players) after we watched clips from the Tyson Fury vs Vladimir Klitschko boxing match. Someone noted that Tyson Fury's parents named him after former Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Mike Tyson (true or not, I can't say); then another declared that Tyson Fury would "beat 20 year-old Mike Tyson like a child!" Yeah, he said that. Two debating teams were magically formed. Sadly, like all such 'silly' timeline arguments are notorious for, hardly anything was learned or agreed upon.

I agree that the level of chess has improved astronomically over the years. However, making categorical sweeping statements, like "Kasparov would beat Fischer in a match", doesn't hold much water if any. Notably, Tal beat Kasparov in a blitz game (which he went to from hospital) in 1992, a month before the former's eventual demise. Kasparov did have a go at the ageing and ailing Mikhail Tal at Tblisi in 1978 and in 1979 at the USSR Championship, without coming away with a victory! Though Kasparov has a +1 score over Tal if you include 'every' recorded game they played (the simul exhibition by Tal, when Kasparov was just aboy + the 15games from 1978 to 1992), it doesn't help the argument on either side.

In 1988, at the age of 51 and in deplorable health, Mikhail Tal won the second official World Blitz Championship at Saint John, ahead of such players as Kasparov, the then reigning world champion, and ex-champion Anatoly Karpov. He defeated Rafael Vaganian by 3½–½ in the final.

At the risk of having totally gone off the point, I would also like to mention the isolated case of 79year old Victor Kortchnoi beating 18year old, then rising star, Fabiano Caruana in 2011 at the Gibraltar Opens.

I don't have to state the obvious, by saying the level of chess play is what it is today because we are "standing on the shoulders of giants". That's not the point I am making here. I just feel the timeline arguments are outright silly since they can't be proven credibly.