View source for Michael Basman

{{Short description|English chess player (1946–2022)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2012}}
{{Infobox chess biography
| name        = Michael Basman
| image       = London Chess Classic 2016 Day9-4 (31063941573) (cropped).jpg
| caption     = Basman in 2016
| birthname   = Michael John Basman
| country     = England
| birth_date  = {{Birth date|1946|3|16|df=y}} 
| birth_place = [[St Pancras, London]], England
| death_date  = {{Death date and age|2022|10|26|1946|3|16|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Carshalton]], England
| title       = [[International Master]] (1980)
| peakrating  = 2410 (July 1971)
}}
'''Michael John Basman''' (16 March 1946{{snd}}26 October 2022) was an English chess player and author. He was awarded the title of [[International Master]] in 1980.

==Chess career==
Once described by [[Murray Chandler]] as "the most bizarre player in the universe",{{r|nzlistener}} Basman was well known for employing [[unorthodox chess opening|unorthodox openings]].{{r|nyt|rememberingbasman}} Among these were the following:

*The [[Grob's Attack|Grob]] (for [[White and Black in chess|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 [[White and Black in chess|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{{r|chessgames78}} and the Borg Defence to defeat [[Jon Speelman]] in 1980.{{r|nyt|chessgames80}}

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]].{{r|nyt}}

{{Chess diagram small
 |tright
 |{{ubl|Andersson vs. Basman|(Hastings, 1974{{ndash}}75)}}
 |  |nd|  |qd|  |rd|kd|
 |rd|bd|pd|  |bd|pd|pd|
 |pd|pd|  |  |  |nd|  |pd
 |  |  |  |pd|nl|  |  |
 |  |  |  |pl|  |bl|  |
 |  |ql|nl|  |  |  |pl|
 |pl|pl|  |  |pl|pl|bl|pl
 |  |  |rl|  |  |rl|kl|
 |Position after 12.Qb3
|reverse=true
}}
{{Chess diagram small
 |tright
 |
 |  |nd|  |qd|  |rd|kd|
 |rd|bd|pd|  |bd|pd|pd|
 |pd|pd|  |  |  |nd|  |pd
 |  |  |  |pd|nl|pl|  |
 |  |  |  |pl|  |bl|pl|
 |pl|ql|nl|  |pl|  |  |pl
 |  |pl|  |rl|  |  |bl|kl
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |rl|
 |Position after 24.Rg1{{snd}}Basman's position has not changed in the last 12 moves
|reverse=true
}}

During the 1974{{ndash}}75 [[Hastings International Chess Congress|Hastings tournament]], Basman (playing Black) defeated the Swedish grandmaster [[Ulf Andersson]] in a match that became known as the "Immortal Waiting Game".{{r|nyt|rememberingbasman}} 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.{{r|chessgames75}}

In 1975, England contested a match over ten boards against France in Luton. Basman played [[Glossary of chess#first board|board one]], ahead of John Nunn and Jon Speelman.{{r|nyt}}

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.{{r|nyt|ukcc}} [[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."{{r|basmanforever}}

==Personal life==
Basman was born in [[St Pancras, London]], on 16 March 1946, the third of four children of John Onik Basman, an [[Armenians|Armenian]] immigrant, and his English wife, Bridgette Bettina Basman, [[née]] Marks. John Basman had shortened the family name from Basmadjian after arriving in England. The family knew the singer [[Cleo Laine]], who worked as a babysitter for the young Michael.{{r|nyt|times|telegraph}}

After graduating with a degree in history from the [[University of Leeds]], Basman received a scholarship to study medicine in [[Yerevan]] in the [[Armenian SSR]]. However, an aversion to blood and operations caused him to abandon his studies. Whilst living in Yerevan, he learnt [[Armenian language|Armenian]], won the local chess championship, and met a fellow student named Berdjouhi Kuiumdjian, whom he married. They had one child together (a son named Antranig Basman), but divorced in 1986.{{r|nyt|times|telegraph}}

After returning to England, Basman worked as a computer programmer at the [[Chessington Computer Centre]].{{r|nyt|times|telegraph}}

His creation of the [[UK Chess Challenge]] in 1996 led to a dispute with the [[Inland Revenue]], which claimed he ought to be collecting [[VAT]] on entry fees. In 2016, he was found to be personally liable for the back taxes due, and was ordered to pay {{GBP|300,000}}. He was declared bankrupt the following year and lost control of the UK Chess Challenge.{{r|nyt|times|telegraph}}

He stood as an [[independent candidate]] in the constituency of [[Kingston and Surbiton (UK Parliament constituency)|Kingston and Surbiton]] in the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 general election]]. His manifesto was described by [[Raymond Keene]] as "a curious blend of selective support for [[Jeremy Corbyn]]-style intervention combined with extreme [[libertarianism]]". He finished last of seven candidates, with 100 votes (0.2%).{{r|votebasman|bbc}}

He died in [[Carshalton]] on 26 October 2022, at the age of 76, from [[pancreatic cancer]].{{r|nyt|times|telegraph|ecf|chessbase|chesscom}}

==Publications==
*{{citation|year=1983|title=Play the St. George|isbn=0-08-029718-8|url=https://pdfhost.io/v/xUGXetqeR_Play_the_St_George}}
*{{citation|year=1987|title=Chess Openings|isbn=0-946284-74-1}}
*{{citation|year=1989|title=The Killer Grob|isbn=0-08-037131-0}}
*{{citation|year=1990|title=Batsford Chess Course|isbn=0-7134-6098-9|url=https://pdfhost.io/v/61OVomked_Batsford_Chess_Course}}
*{{citation|year=1992|title=Batsford Second Chess Course|isbn=0-7134-6475-5}}
*{{citation|year=1993|title=The New St. George|isbn=1-85744-019-6}}
*{{citation|year=1999|title=Chess|isbn=0-340-73649-6}}
*{{citation|year=2001|title=Chess for Kids|isbn=0-7894-6540-X}}
*{{citation|year=2021|title=Chess for Beginners|isbn=0-241-53843-2|url=https://pdfhost.io/v/7NDfcUSa4_Chess_for_Beginners}}

==References==
{{reflist|refs=

<ref name=basmanforever>{{cite web|first=Raymond|last=Keene|author-link=Raymond Keene|date=3 November 2012|title=Basman forever|url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/basman-forever/|website=[[The Spectator]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230804225753/https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/basman-forever/|archive-date=4 August 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=bbc>{{cite web|title=Election 2017: Kingston & Surbiton|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000770#election2017-logo|website=[[BBC News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614072709/http://www.bbc.com/news/politics/constituencies/E14000770|archive-date=14 June 2017}}</ref>

<ref name=chessbase>{{cite web|first=Diana|last=Mihajlova|date=31 October 2022|title=Michael Basman (1946–2022)|url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/michael-basman-obituary|website=[[ChessBase]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230804223507/https://en.chessbase.com/post/michael-basman-obituary|archive-date=4 August 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=chesscom>{{cite web|first=Peter|last=Doggers|date=31 October 2022|title=Michael Basman, 1946–2022|url=https://www.chess.com/news/view/michael-basman-1946-2022|website=[[Chess.com]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230805124652/https://www.chess.com/news/view/michael-basman-1946-2022|archive-date=5 August 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=chessgames75>{{cite web|title=Ulf Andersson vs Michael Basman|url=https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1328830|website=[[Chessgames.com]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327160335/http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1328830|archive-date=27 March 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=chessgames78>{{cite web|title=Michael Basman vs John Nunn|url=https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1102936|website=[[Chessgames.com]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525010601/https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1102936|archive-date=25 May 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=chessgames80>{{cite web|title=Jonathan Speelman vs Michael Basman|url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1026276|website=[[Chessgames.com]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118163040/https://chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1026276|archive-date=18 January 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=ecf>{{cite web|first=David|last=Thomas|date=27 October 2022|title=International Master Michael Basman RIP|url=https://www.englishchess.org.uk/international-master-michael-basman-rip/|website=[[English Chess Federation]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230805103818/https://www.englishchess.org.uk/international-master-michael-basman-rip/|archive-date=5 August 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=nyt>{{cite web|first=Dylan Loeb|last=McClain|date=6 November 2022|title=Michael Basman, Chess Master Known for ‘Bad’ Openings, Dies at 76|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/06/world/europe/michael-basman-dead.html|website=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20221107015912/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/06/world/europe/michael-basman-dead.html|archive-date=7 November 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=nzlistener>{{cite web|first=Murray|last=Chandler|author-link=Murray Chandler|date=2 February 1980|title=Try these for openers|url=https://www.newzealandchess.co.nz/history/pdfs/1980%20February%2002%20-%20Try%20these%20for%20openers.pdf|website=[[New Zealand Listener]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201231939/https://www.newzealandchess.co.nz/history/pdfs/1980%20February%2002%20-%20Try%20these%20for%20openers.pdf|archive-date=1 February 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=rememberingbasman>{{cite web|first=Luke|last=McShane|author-link=Luke McShane|date=5 November 2022|title=Remembering Basman|url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/remembering-basman/|website=[[The Spectator]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230814084029/https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/remembering-basman/|archive-date=14 August 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=telegraph>{{cite web|date=30 October 2022|title=Michael Basman, chess champion known as a quirky tactician and a keen promoter of the game – obituary|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2022/10/30/michael-basman-chess-champion-known-quirky-tactician-keen-promoter/|website=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20221030150910/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2022/10/30/michael-basman-chess-champion-known-quirky-tactician-keen-promoter/|archive-date=30 October 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=times>{{cite web|date=7 November 2022|title=Michael Basman obituary|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/obituaries/article/michael-basman-obituary-w09gn90lt|website=[[The Times]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20221107003502/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/michael-basman-obituary-w09gn90lt|archive-date=7 November 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name=ukcc>{{cite web|title=The UK Chess Challenge|url=http://www.ukchesschallenge.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114093753/http://www.ukchesschallenge.com/|archive-date=14 November 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name=votebasman>{{cite web|first=Raymond|last=Keene|author-link=Raymond Keene|date=3 June 2017|title=Vote Basman|url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/vote-basman/|website=[[The Spectator]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230805082245/https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/vote-basman/|archive-date=5 August 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
*{{fide|400505}}
*{{chessgames player|27319}}
*{{youtube|c=UClyOC2Mk9hrajXhG8WOdSyw}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basman, Michael}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:2022 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Leeds]]
[[Category:Chess International Masters]]
[[Category:Chess theoreticians]]
[[Category:English chess players]]
[[Category:English chess writers]]
[[Category:English male writers]]
[[Category:English people of Armenian descent]]
[[Category:Independent British political candidates]]
[[Category:People from St Pancras, London]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from the London Borough of Camden]]
[[Category:Writers from the London Borough of Camden]]