Alan Turing vs Alexander Alekhine
Two child prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Alan Turing | Alexander Alekhine | |
| Field | Art | Sports |
| Sub-field | Artist | Chess |
| Born | 1912 | 1892 |
| Died | 1954 | 1946 |
| Country of birth | ENG | France |
| Star sign | Cancer | Scorpio |
Who they are
Alan Turing
Father of Computer Science Enigma codebreaker · Turing machine · Convicted for being gay · Posthumously pardoned Born June 23, 1912 · London, UK · Died June 7, 1954
Full biography of Alan Turing →
Alexander Alekhine
When Alexander Alekhine arrived in Buenos Aires in September 1927 to challenge José Raúl Capablanca for the World Championship, the chess world expected a formality. Capablanca had not lost a competitive game in eight years. Grandmasters whispered that chess had reached its apex in the Cuban — that the game, played perfectly, would always draw, and that Capablanca was the player who played perfectly. Alekhine, a Russian émigré living in France, was a fine attacking player, perhaps the best combinational talent of his generation, but attacking chess against someone who never made errors was considered…
Full biography of Alexander Alekhine →
What they share
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- Different fields: Art for Alan Turing, Sports for Alexander Alekhine.
- Born in different countries: ENG and France.
- 20 years separate their births (1912 and 1892).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Alan Turing or Alexander Alekhine?
- Alexander Alekhine. Alan Turing was born in 1912, Alexander Alekhine in 1892.
- What field is each of them in?
- Alan Turing is filed under Art (Artist). Alexander Alekhine is filed under Sports (Chess).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.