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| May-07-06 | | cruiseyleemorph: Michael Basman now runs the yearly Uk chess challenge for kids up to u'18's
He really looks like Bobby fischer with his white beard! lol! I work in a school as a TA and chess coach/football coach and I took a few of my players down and he was their doing all the organising. I offered to help and did not realise he was a once IM! He is very dithery now and showing his age and Im sure he does not play of a high standard anymore. But he seems to still show some signs of love for chess which is good to see as so many players lose that love 4 the game! I got on well with him 2day and we was having a good chat about some of the mega final matches. I will tell him of his slight stardom on here! |
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| Jul-17-06 | | arkady: I've worked quite closely to Michael Basman these past years. I am assured that he is still as strong as he ever was (as well as being, still, an excellent theorist). He could, I'm told, have quite easily got his GM title, but that would have required giving up the day job and stopping working so much with the young players. His dedication is amazing. I can assure you, having taken a few road trips/had a few drinks, etc... with him, that his "dithering" is in fact all a front put on to the public, partially to make him more child-friendly and partially to lull his opponants into a false sense of security. Oh, and he doesn't play the Grob anymore. He uses what's technically known as the Basman opening, although he prefers the name "Creepy-Crawly", which is 1.h3 ... 2. a3 ... 3.-50. Win. |
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| Sep-10-06 | | mack: Thanks for this, <arkady>, it's certainly nice to know he hasn't lost it. Do you still work with him? Any chance you could point him in the direction of this site? |
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| Sep-11-06 | | arkady: Of course: it is
http://www.ukchesschallenge.com/
Incidentally, last time I was working with him, some parents left a four month old baby (!) in the aisle in my section. Mike was near me, so I told him what I found: "What kind of baby?"
"Er...the small child variety."
It was really funny to watch him come round, look at him (poor thing...he looked so confused. The baby more then Mike.) before picking him up and taking him to lost property and putting an announcement on the megaphone. It was classic to watch him try and grin and cradle the child, all the while trying to hold in a way that he'll neither cry, nor throw up all over his suit. |
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| Sep-11-06 | | mack: Heh, lovely story. I'd always heard Basman was a top bloke. What I actually meant was could you point Mr Basman in the direction of chessgames.com - though I'm sure he's far too busy picking up babies and so on. |
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| Nov-03-06 | | ChesterTheJester: Yeah Basman is a great guy, he's very helpful with us trainers, always free to play a couple of blitzes. Him beating me with 'the Fred' (e4 f5) was one of the most embarressing experiences of my life! |
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| Nov-19-06 | | a.nugent: arthur978
There was an article on Basman
in BCM entitled,Chess
Evangalist.Did anyone read it?
Please share!Can I get access to it? |
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| Feb-06-07 | | Broon Bottle: Did he used to play for Southgate chess club in north London? |
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| Feb-06-07 | | Tomlinsky: <Did he used to play for Southgate chess club in north London?> Indeed he did in his 'teens. |
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| Mar-26-07 | | atripodi: I'm curious <arkady>, GM Keene, or anyone who's spent any time around Basman- does he sincerely believe that his opening schemes are especially good (on par with e4 and d4)? Or is it just, as Keene said earlier, fear of mainstream theory? If the latter is the case, it is certainly possible to avoid mainstream theory without venturing into Grob's, Creepy Crawlies, and 3.Qe2 King's Gambits. This makes me think that he has to believe in his openings to some extent. |
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Mar-26-07
 | | ray keene: i think basman really beleived in this stuff but i must say i always breathed a huge sigh of relief when he chose one of his irregular openings against me. when he tried normal openings he was very dangerous. |
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| Apr-01-07 | | Gejewe: <atripodi> <ray keene>
In my junior years I liked Basman's openings ideas and bumped on the man in tournaments in Biel 1979 and Liege 1981. I got the impression there, that he has really put a lot of thought into these unorthodox lines. But on the other hand he told me that he lost interest in chess around 1978 and trying to prove that St.George's and Grob's are playable was a refreshing new drive .. |
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| Feb-22-08 | | DrGrobb: Where is Mr Basman today? |
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| Mar-16-08 | | brankat: Happy Birthday Mr.Basman! |
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| Mar-16-08 | | Tomlinsky: Hey Mr Basman
You've got that certain something
Hey Mr Basman
You set that music thumping
To you its easy when you go 1-2-3
Bah B B Bah B Bha Bah BB
No, no Bah BB Bah Bah B Boom Boom Boom
Hey Mr Basman
You're on all the songs with a
Bag B B Bah Bah B Bah Bah BB
and a Bah BB Bha B Bah B Boom Boom
Hey Mr Basman you're the hidden king of Rock and Roll
Bah B B Bha B Bah B Bah BB
Bah BB Bha B Bha B Boom Boom Boom
Well it don't mean a thing
When the leader's singing
When he goes Ay Ay Ay Ay Yi
Hey Mr Basman
I'm asking just on thing
Will you please teach me
Yeah, the way you sing
'Cause Mr Basman
I want to be a basman too
Bah B B Bha B Bha B Bha Bah BB
Bah BB Bha B Bha B Boom Boom Boom
Well it don't a thing when the leader's singing
When he goes Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay
Hey Mr Basman
I think I'm really with it
Hey Mr Boom Bomm Bah Bomm
Di di di di di di
Come on Mr Basman
Now I'm a basman too
Bah B B Bha B Bha B Bha Bah BB
Bah BB Bha B Bha B Boom Boom Boom
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| Mar-16-08 | | brankat: WoW!!! |
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| Mar-16-08 | | DrGrobb: Happy Birthday!!!!King of uncommon openings!!! |
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| Mar-26-08 | | ChesterTheJester: He has recently begun to adopt a "Basman Sicilian" as black, 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 f5!. I played him at a recent congress and he used a Clarendon Court setup(f4 and c4) but with white. The setup proved too "mainline" for me and I lost in 38 moves! |
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| Jul-16-08 | | JonDSouzaEva: <DrGrobb: Where is Mr Basman today?>
Basman runs the UK Chess Challenge, which is huge tournament for children in the UK. Roughly 75,000 children take part in the first stage, which is held at their own school or club. Children who do well in this stage play each other in regional "Megafinals". Those who score highly in the Megafinals play in one of two national "Gigafinals" (one in the north of England, one in the south). The winners of the Gigafinals play in the "Terafinal", in which the children of all ages play against each other rather than against children of their own age (which is the case for the Mega and Gigafinals). The 2008 UK Chess Challenge has just finished the Gigafinals stage. My son was unlucky not to qualify for the Terafinal - he won his first five games but lost in the last round to someone on 4.5/5. |
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Nov-13-08
 | | Phony Benoni: I would pay to see Basman playing Fischer Random Chess. |
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| May-27-09 | | Albertan: How come there is no photo of IM Basman posted here? May I suggest this one be used...http://www.flickr.com/photos/392989... |
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| May-27-09 | | FHBradley: I wonder how much better results he would have achieved, if he hadn't played these "unorthodox flank openings". There is little point in being unorthodox, if being unorthodox implies being plainly wrong, someone said. |
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| Jun-10-09 | | Cardinal Fang: <ChesterTheJester> Back in the 70's in England, 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 was known as the "Basman Sicilian". |
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| Sep-23-09 | | JonDSouzaEva: Here's an early game by Mike Basman, played in 1960: [Event "From Junior Chess Games (Bott / Morrison)"]
[Site "Surbiton Chess Club"]
[Date "1960.?.?"]
[White "Michael Basman"]
[Black "Trevor Brugger"]
[Result "1-0"]
1. c4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. Nf3 Be7 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 b6 8.
Rc1 Bb4 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. Ne5 g5 11. Bg3 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Bxg2 13. Rg1 Bb7 14.
Qb3 Bxc3+ 15. Rxc3 Ne4 16. Bxe6 Nxe5 17. Bxe5 O-O 18. Rxc7 Qe8 19. Rxb7 Rc8
20. Bxc8 Qxc8 21. Rc7 Qf5 22. Qc2
1-0
I've submitted it for inclusion on chessgames.com. |
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| May-20-10 | | rapidcitychess: I recall when John Nunn played him and he played the Grob 1.e4 g5 2.d4 h6 and said two hours later, John Nunn found him saying "Where did I go wrong..." |
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