Is there any chance that a 1300 rated player can beat a 2700 rated player?

"The probability is so miniscule that it won't happen"

That's wrong. 

" One set of chess moves...etc."

That's right. 

its always possible.. the other guy could just resign... duh

True, it is wrong because it has that smaller than .0000000000000000000001 chance that it will hit, but it's there. Time is limited. We don't have that time to wait and see if it comes true, therefore i said it won't happen.

I really think that might be the crux of the matter. Truly random moves will eventually beat the GM, the 1300 never will, because it's not completely random, it's based on flawed logic, strategy, tactics, everything. He might consider the correct move everytime, but will frequently discard it because of poor understanding.

In golf, for exmple, it's not the quality of the good shots that seperate a pro from an amateur, it's the quality of the bad shots. Believe me, my bad shots are so bad that no amount of lucky 50ft putts are gonna let me beat Tiger Woods.

Same with chess, the 1300's mistakes are just so much worse.

That may be so, but surely flawed logic is better than no logic at all. Think of all those trillions of games where the RMG plays 24 incredible moves, has the GM against the wall, then when it comes to delivering mate plays a pointless king move. 

I really dont think so. Remember, on the other side of th board from the 1300 sits a 2700, who sets deep plans and traps. Your RMG has a chance to get the correct move by luck, the 1300 will just crack like an egg.

Flawed logic or no, the right move would eventually be made. Even if for the wrong reasons. I've made the right move, thinking I was going to accomplish something else entirely, but it turned out I was just lucky being right for another reason.

Exactly. I also think a 1300 plays much better than an RMG and thus his chances will be much better to beat the GM.

For example: the RMG will usually miss mate in one if other moves are possible, the 1300 will often see and execute mate in one and thus needs less lucky moves.

For the record, I think a 1300 will have an overwhelming score against a RMG, but the RMG has a (really minutely slim) chance against a GM, while the 1300 has no chance at all.

Nobody said one set of outcomes affects other outcomes. That's called maturity of chances, which doesn't exist. As to the rest of your statement,   it might not happen in our life time, or even the universes life time, but given an infinite amount of time, it would happen. Not just once, but an infinite amount of times. This proves that at any given time, it could happen. Though the odds are so high against it, it's a good bet it won't happen in our, or the universes life time.

That's my point. We don't have an infinite amount of time to prove it.

"The probability is so miniscule that it won't happen".

What you're saying here is "The probability is non-zero, it's zero."

Forget about practical timescales, no-ones suggested we actually try and make this happen. The question is whether there is any chance, and clearly the answer is yes.

Low probability events rarely happen and when they do some other

explanation arises - so if a 1300 beat a GM people would be pretty

sure he cheated.

But they do happen. I would think he cheated too, simply because the odds are indeed so high against it, but this being said, it's still not virtually impossible.

Agree.

I seriously don't think a 1300 could beat a 2700, unless the 2700 is drunk from drinking Miller High Life or something like that. I don't think it is impossible for a 1300 to beat a 2700, though.

I'm not sure if someone mentioned this, but what if their cell phone rings too many times and the td makes them automatically lose? Then the 1300 would win, but I think that the probability that they would be paired one on one in a tourney would be about the same as the chance of the 1300 winning.

Yes. It is the probability that, with the beginner picking random moves, the master gets beaten.

But the question is the same as whether you could win 100 times in a row at the casino. The answer is yes, but that's not really interesting to know...

It reminds me of the joke between a mathematician and an engineer. They had a bet to see which person can reach the goal line by stepping half the distance towards the line for each move. The mathematician found it impossible. The engineer said "Close enough."*

*The joke isn't the same as told. I think i got it... close enough.

Anyway, the point is, it's close enough to impossible to say that it's not going to happen. 

Well that depends on what interests you, Irontiger. I think it's interesting how many people are unable to differentiate between impossible and improbable - and even understand what 'improbable' actually means. It is entirely possible if we were to arrange this match that the 1300 would win the very first game. Improbable, but possible. You're probably more interested in the occurance of improbabilities when they occur in your life as coincidences and such. 

Or perhaps you are interested when your 0.000154% (close to impossible?) chance of hitting a royal flush comes good.