Michael Basman
Michael Basman | |
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International Master (1980) | |
Peak rating | 2410 (July 1971) |
Michael John Basman (16 March 1946 – 26 October 2022) was a British chess player and author. He was awarded the title of
Chess career
Basman was well known for employing
Among these were the following:- The Grob (for White), which begins with g4. Basman wrote The Killer Grob (1989) about this opening.
- The Creepy Crawly(for White), which begins with h3, followed by a3 and c4.
- The Borg Defence (for Black), which employs g5 as a response to e4. As the name suggests, this is essentially the mirror image of the Grob. ("Borg" is "Grob" spelt backwards.)
- The St. George Defence (for Black), which employs a6 as a response to e4. Basman wrote Play the St. George (1983) and The New St. George (1993) about this opening.
Basman used the Grob to defeat John Nunn in 1978[3] and the Borg Defence to defeat Jon Speelman in 1980.[1][4]
Possibly his greatest tournament success was when he tied for first place in the British Chess Championship of 1973, although he lost the play-off match with William Hartston.[1]
- Andersson vs. Basman
- (Hastings, 1974–75)
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During the 1974–75 Hastings tournament, Basman (playing Black) defeated the Swedish grandmaster Ulf Andersson in a match that became known as the "Immortal Waiting Game".[1][2] After the twelfth move, Basman shuffled his bishop, king, and queen back and forth for twelve moves, not changing his position at all. Andersson overextended himself, and Basman won.[5]
In 1975, England contested a match over ten boards against France in Luton. Basman played board one, ahead of John Nunn and Jon Speelman.[1]
In 1996, Basman created the UK Chess Challenge, a tournament for juniors of all standards and ages progressing over four stages, now advertised as the biggest chess tournament in the world.[1][6] Raymond Keene once wrote, referring to Basman's promotion of youth chess, "Michael Basman is in many ways the most important person in British chess."[7]
Personal life
Basman was born in
After graduating with a degree in history from the
After returning to England, Basman worked as a computer programmer at the Chessington Computer Centre.[1][8][9]
His creation of the
He stood as an
He died in Carshalton on 26 October 2022, at the age of 76, from pancreatic cancer.[1][8][9][12][13][14]
Publications
- Play the St. George, 1983, ISBN 0-08-029718-8
- Chess Openings, 1987, ISBN 0-946284-74-1
- The Killer Grob, 1989, ISBN 0-08-037131-0
- Batsford Chess Course, 1990, ISBN 0-7134-6098-9
- Batsford Second Chess Course, 1992, ISBN 0-7134-6475-5
- The New St. George, 1993, ISBN 1-85744-019-6
- Chess, 1999, ISBN 0-340-73649-6
- Chess for Kids, 2001, ISBN 0-7894-6540-X
- Chess for Beginners, 2021, ISBN 0-241-53843-2
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k McClain, Dylan Loeb (6 November 2022). "Michael Basman, Chess Master Known for 'Bad' Openings, Dies at 76". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022.
- ^ a b McShane, Luke (5 November 2022). "Remembering Basman". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 14 August 2023.
- ^ "Michael Basman vs John Nunn". Chessgames.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023.
- ^ "Jonathan Speelman vs Michael Basman". Chessgames.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022.
- ^ "Ulf Andersson vs Michael Basman". Chessgames.com. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023.
- ^ "The UK Chess Challenge". Archived from the original on 14 November 2016.
- ^ Keene, Raymond (3 November 2012). "Basman forever". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Michael Basman obituary". The Times. 7 November 2022. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Michael Basman, chess champion known as a quirky tactician and a keen promoter of the game – obituary". The Telegraph. 30 October 2022. Archived from the original on 30 October 2022.
- ^ Keene, Raymond (3 June 2017). "Vote Basman". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023.
- ^ "Election 2017: Kingston & Surbiton". BBC News. Archived from the original on 14 June 2017.
- ^ Thomas, David (27 October 2022). "International Master Michael Basman RIP". English Chess Federation. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023.
- ^ Mihajlova, Diana (31 October 2022). "Michael Basman (1946–2022)". ChessBase. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023.
- ^ Doggers, Peter (31 October 2022). "Michael Basman, 1946–2022". Chess.com. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023.
External links
- Michael Basman rating card at FIDE
- Michael Basman player profile and games at Chessgames.com
- Michael Basman's channel on YouTube