Paul Morphy was considerably better than his contemporaries. So was Bobby Fischer. Neither benefited from computers, databases, or modern opening theory. For this reason, it is harder to compare the skill level of their play with the level of the top current players.
Gary Kasparov was only a bit better than his contemporaries but remained World Champion for 15 years.
Magnus Carlsen is the closest thing to a perfect human chess player. He knows more about chess than anyone ever. He definitely would lose to a computer, but that would be like a math contest against a scientific calculator, or a boxing match with a brick wall. Computers really are perfect, or at least close enough that we can't tell the difference, whereas all humans make mistakes, including Magnus.
As good as Magnus is, he is only a bit better than his contemporaries. There are a number of players who are not far behind.
Bobby Fischer reportedly had an IQ of 180. He was incredibly brilliant. I have heard that Magnus Carlsen has an IQ of 190. He is also incredibly brilliant. I don't know how one quantifies the difference between 180 and 190, especially half a century apart.
Magnus Carlsen once admitted that he had to drink less to play chess well. I have seen him play speed chess online while apparently drunk but he still won because he can play intuitively almost perfect chess. I've seen Russian Grandmasters also win while drunk. So, therefore, I've been wondering if Magnus Carsen is an alcoholic.
In this interview, he looks more disheveled than usual. It is also a bit odd that he decided not to participate in the World Chess Championship, giving up the World Chess Champion title that he has held for ten years.
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