Michael Basman Legacy

 

This is Pure Gold for Basman's Fans!

YouTube Channel description:
"International Master Michael Basman, who died on 26 October 2022 at the age of 76, was an innovator who passed on his love and deep knowledge of the game to countless players in Surrey and beyond. He was founder of the U.K. Chess Challenge, a prolific author, and most of all an innovator both on and off the chessboard. This channel collects together his Audio Chess cassettes produced during the 70s and 80s, a perfect vehicle for active learning as listeners are invited to think for themselves."

And I'd like to add that PDFs are downloadable too!

Click HERE to access it

RIP IM MIchael Basman

Thank you Maestro! 💜 

"U cannot be serious!" by IM Gerard Welling and IM Michael Basman

A wonderful new book about Mike Basman's chess will be released at the beginning of April 2021! (And this is not an April Fools Joke 😉)

Two of the most esteemed chess players in the world of Unorthodox Chess Openings combined their efforts to produce the FINAL word on Basman's unusual openings.

A new book with 304 pages!

A real labour of love.

Content

004 Symbols and bibliography

006 Contents

007 Introduction

011 Chapter 1 Basmania in Biel

047 Chapter 2 Basmania in Belgium

061 Chapter 3 St. George’s Opening with Black and White

099 Chapter 4 Grob’s Inheritance

161 Chapter 5 Global Opening Play

217 Chapter 6 Basmania for the 21st Century

293 Chapter 7 Outro

299 Index Games

Here you can read a detailed description and a 18 pages sample as well!

I can't wait to read the whole book!

IM Mike Basman's YouTube Channel & Web Site

IM Basman has a new YouTube Channel & web site ! Click HERE & HERE to see them.

IMPORTANT: on his website Basman offers chess lessons! What an amazing opportunity to study Basman's unorthodox chess openings under the Master's own guidance!

Here's a YouTube Grob & St. George Video

Mike Basman's new - old book - "Bas-Man : My best games 1951-1961"

A new old book has been published.

The title is "Bas-Man : My best games 1951-1961" , 40 pages 30 annotated games with many diagrams.
Written in 1961 and first published in 2019 by :
Chess Ambassador Ltd.
ChessFest
7 Billockby Close
Chessington, Surrey
KT92ED England

Mike Basman's current email address where you can contact him is
surreyhundreds@gmail.com

The price is 5,95 British Pound

On the backflap text we read :

"Mike Basman is one of the most famous eccentrics of the chess world - but was he always like this ?
This book of his early years, written when he was about 15 year old, shows a more orthodox player,
who, steeped in the books of the great chess popularisers Fred Reinfeld and Irving Chernev,
played regular openings such as the Giuoco Piano. Queens Gambit and Sicilian Defence.
As such, the books is a marvellous instructional work for any young player hoping to rise up from the amateur and novice ranks to become a succesful performer on the national and international stage.
How far can YOU go ? "

PS I want to express my appreciation to IM Welling for letting me know about it.

News about Mike Basman

Mike Basman was active at the Kingston Rapidplay, 28 July 2018 :

http://chess-results.com/tnr368276.aspx?lan=1&art=4&flag=30

He scored 4 out of 6 with 4 wins and two losses. Beating IM Richard Bates in the last round he secured 3rd on tiebreak.
Here is a link to a picture from this event:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnchess2/41994989250

And another very recent chess news: in October 2018 Mike Basman will play in the invitation 10 round all play all in the Haarlem masters, not the open.

https://www.schaaksite.nl/2018/08/18/basman-en-bosboom-in-vierde-haarlemse-meesters-toernooi/

https://www.haarlemse-meesters.nl/2018/home/

My thanks to IM Gerard Welling for the news.

IM Basman in action - Dec. 2016

At the end of Dec. 2016 IM Basman won a Fide Rated tournament.

http://www.ljcc.co.uk/results.htm 
https://ratings.fide.com/tournament_details.phtml?event=148167
Possibly this game is from the same event:

IM Basman on Chess Teaching (probably Dec. 2016)

Basman plays the Polish Opening

A video of the rapid game between GM Fodor Tamas Jr and the chess legend IM Michael Basman played at the  Golders Green Rapidplay Congress August 2016

The difference of:

• 250+ elo points;
• 45 years of age (70 vs. 25)

between the players must be taken in consideration  as our hero lost, but we love to see Basman in action regardless.

For those who prefer to just see the pgn:

[White "Fodor, Tamas"]
[Black "Basman, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B28"]

1. d4 b5 2. e4 Bb7 3. Bd3 e6 4. Nf3 c5 5. c3 Nf6 6. Nbd2 a6 7. O-O Nc6 8. a4 cxd4 9. cxd4 Nb4 10. Bb1 Rc8 11. axb5 axb5 12. Qe2 Qb6 13. Nb3 Be7 14. d5 O-O 15. Be3 Qc7 16. Nbd4 exd5 17. Nxb5 Qd8 18. e5 Ne4 19. Nfd4 f6 20. e6 Nc6 21. f3 Ng5 22. Bf2 Nxd4 23. Nxd4 Ra8 24. Rxa8 Bxa8 25. exd7 Qxd7 26. Bf5 Qb7 27. h4 Nf7 28. Qc2 h6 29. Ne6 Rc8 30. Nc5 Bxc5 31. Bxc8 Bxf2+ 32. Rxf2 Qb6 33. Qf5 Nd6 34. Qe6+ Kf8 1-0 

Stockfish 7 recommends 17...Qc4 with equality.

PS As you can see, Basman annotated his game. More Polish Defense/St. George material (books or booklets) to come? :-) 

Super GM Richard Rapport plays the Macho Grob!

If people think that IM Basman is the only titled player in the world who can play the Macho Grob in a  tournament game...it is wrong..

Playing in Basman's style

When I saw this game, after Black's eight move I thought that IM Basman was playing Black....see diagram

I was wrong...It was IM Jens Ove Fries Nielsen.....

Basman in action again! - Dec. 2015

IM Basman played again at the London Classic weekend sharing equal 2nd place:

http://chess-results.com/tnr197808.aspx?lan=1
and...of course he always played 1.g4 & 1..g5! 

From the past

Hastings 1968  Basman, Keene & Co.

Sometimes playing in Basman's style doesn't pay off

Sometimes playing an early g4 move in Basman's style doesn't pay dividents even if white is a very strong GM:

Basman in action at the London Chess Classic Rapidplay 2014

In a previous post we talked about the game:
Basman,Michael J - Giri,Anish [A00] London Chess Classic Rapidplay 2014 
Mike Basman's tournament card from the London Chess Classic Rapidplay 2014

is fully respectable if we consider that Basman is 68 years old now and he doesn't play serious chess very often:
see link to the FIDE Rating's site
We have great respect for this chess genius and we would be more than happy to be able to see the game scores of Basman's wins & draws against players rated > Elo 2.400 ...... :-)
*********************************************

WE LOVE MIKE BASMAN'S CHESS 

Basman,Michael J - Giri,Anish [A00] London Chess Classic Rapidplay 2014

During the recent London Chess Classic Rapidplay, IM Basman played against super GM Anish Giri. Of course he played "his stuff": 1.g4
Basman lost the game, but after 13 moves the game would have been very interesting and approximately equal, had Basman played 13.Bg5!? instead 13.h5?!

IMO the difficulty with 1.g4 is that it is much easier to go astray with it than in standard openings. 

Basman,Michael J - Giri,Anish [A00]

London Chess Classic Rapidplay (5.6), 06.12.2014

1.g4 d5 2.h3 e5 3.Bg2 c6 4.d4 e4 5.c4 Be6 6.Nc3 Ne7 7.f3 Ng6 8.fxe4 dxe4 9.Bxe4 Bxc4 10.Nf3 Bb4 11.Qc2 Nd7 12.h4 Nf6 13.h5 [better is  13.Bg5 (see diagram) Qd6 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.0–0–0 and the game is open to every possible result]  

1.e4 a6!? 2.d4 h6!? tournament game between FIDE rated players above 2.250

A Creepy Crawly game in a Women's Int. Tournament game between the two winners:

see also this link

Basman in action again

Basman in action at the 5th London Chess Classic Weekend A Open 
Games wanted.

A new DVD on the St. George Defence by IM Martin

***************************************************************************

     Old St. George Defence's material

Link to Basman's tapes 

Basman in action again!

In August 2013 we reported that Mike Basman played a chess tournament.
Now my chessfriends pointed out that Basman has been playing again, for the second time in a short timespan.
It was a rapidplay event: 4NCL in Daventry, Oct. 6th 2013.
At this link you can download all the games (pgn format) including Basman's.
http://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/20134nclindivrap.html