Puzzle Time

Take a look at the following list of famous names, which I present in alphabetical order:-

• Alekhine
• Capablanca
• Chigorin
• Petrosian
• Smyslov
• Staunton
• Steinitz
• Whiteley
• Zhukova

A slightly eclectic and perplexing selection, you might think, and possibly you'd be correct, but at this stage your task is easy. Just put these 9 into what you think is the correct order of their ability. And if you're thinking that you can't compare across different periods in time, well you're only half right. Since 1970, when FIDE adopted the ELO system, we have ratings that cover the last 47 years, but what about before then? Well, there is the Chessmetrics website, where Jeff Sonas has produced an incredibly detailed retrospective assessment for the period 1840-2005. The two systems are not really interchangeable, but this is a quiz amongst friends (isn't it??) so I'd be quite prepared to accept a combination of the two. But ..... before you rush off to check out the ratings that you can derive from these two sources (and I know you were going to), I can save you the trouble, because I've already done it, with the following result:-

                                            Chessmetrics                                               FIDE
                                         Peak 1 yr Rating                                       Highest ELO
Capablanca                               2866
Alekhine                                   2851
Steinitz                                      2802
Smyslov                                    2794
Petrosian                                   2791
Chigorin                                    2765
Staunton                                    2680
Whiteley                                    2527
Zhukova                                                                                                   2499

So there you have it, Capablanca was apparently slightly stronger than Alekhine, with Steinitz best of the rest. And at the bottom come the two who you probably thought shouldn't have been in the list at all. Albeit, still sporting ratings of which we can only dream.

Not much of a quiz, was it? I've seemingly given you the answer. Only I haven't, because the correct answer to my question is the following ranking list, when the only female on the list goes from last place to first:-

                                                 Peak Lifetime
                                                 British Rating
Zhukova                                             115
Alekhine                                              87
Steinitz & Smyslov                              82
Capablanca                                         76*
Chigorin & Whiteley                            70
Petrosian                                              67
Staunton                                              30*

(* Estimated)

If you're not thinking that you could put together one hell of a team in the U-120 or U-700 Cups from these, you're probably thinking I've taken complete leave of my senses. How can this order of ability possibly be right? And why would they have such lowly ratings??  But rest assured, there is method in my apparent madness.

And the question for you, dear readers, is to explain the circumstances in which my ranking list could be absolutely, definitively and unarguably correct.

Happy cogitating. I'll post the answer in a week or two, though I'm sure you'll all have solved the conundrum by then.