Remembering Basman

Just a fortnight ago, I had the pleasure of introducing a friend to the ‘Immortal Waiting Game’, Michael Basman’s victory over the Swedish grandmaster Ulf Andersson, played at Hastings in 1975. Basman landed in a passive position out of the opening, and began to shuffle back and forth, so that at move 23 his pieces were in the identical state they had been in at move 11. It was a psychological masterstroke. Andersson, a distinctly patient player, girded himself to attack, only to waver and botch the execution so badly that Basman turned the tables and won the game.

On 26 October, Basman died from cancer at the age of 76. He was an amiable maverick, who will be remembered for his colossal achievement in creating the UK Chess Challenge, a major event for schoolchildren of all ages which has run for 25 years. Since its inception, over 1 million children have taken part, including Harry Grieve, who won the event in 2017 and went on to win the (adult) British Championship this year. Sadly, this great project became a source of adversity for Basman, who in 2016 became locked in a dispute with HMRC over unpaid VAT estimated at £300,000. Basman declared bankruptcy, and the tournament lives on under its new owners Sarah and Alex Longson, with sponsorship from Delancey.

He was born in London in 1946, his Armenian immigrant father having changed the family name from Basmadjian. Basman went on to represent England at the Lugano Olympiad in 1968, and tied for first place at the 1973 British Championship, missing out on tiebreak. He also spent time in Armenia, becoming champion of Yerevan in 1970. Besides numerous wins against grandmasters, he had the better of draws with Botvinnik and Tal. In 1980 he was made an international master.

Basman was a free spirit at the chessboard, loyal to all manner of eccentric openings which feature exuberant advances of the flank pawns, contrary to conventional wisdom. As White, he championed the Grob (1 g4), and later the Creepy Crawly (a3, h3 and perhaps c2-c4), while as Black, the Borg (that’s Grob in reverse: 1…g5) made regular appearances. Playing them is a high-wire act, but the offbeat middlegames were an ideal canvas for Basman’s dynamism and tactical flair. In the game below, a St George Defence (involving an early a6/b5/Bb7), Basman follows an early pawn sacrifice with energetic counterplay against White’s centre. According to the 2021 book U Cannot Be Serious! (Michael Basman and Gerard Welling), the queen sacrifice arising from the diagram was part of Basman’s home analysis, though I’ve no doubt he could just as well have improvised it.

Craig Pritchett-Michael Basman

Bristol Open, 1980

1 e4 e6 2 d4 a6 3 c4 b5 4 cxb5 axb5 5 Bxb5 Bb7 6 Nc3 Bb4 7 Bd3 f5 8 Qh5+ g6 9 Qe2 Nf6 10 Bg5 (see diagram) fxe4 11 Bxe4 11 Bc2 was preferable. Nxe4 12 Bxd8 Nxc3 White has no good options, e.g. 13 Qe5 Ne4+ 14 Kf1 O-O 15 Nf3 Bd6! 16 Qb5 Ba6! wins the queen, and illustrates the energy in Black’s setup. 13 bxc3 Bxc3+ 14 Kd1 Bxa1 15 Qb5 Hoping for 15…Bxg2 16 Qg5! Bxh1 17 Qe7# Bd5 16 Bxc7 O-O White is ahead on material, but his king is in danger and his pieces coordinate poorly. 17 Ne2 Rxa2 18 Bxb8 Rb2 19 Qxb2 Bailing out into a bad endgame, but the alternative 19 Qxd7 Rfxb8, with ideas of Rb2-a2 and Rb8-b1+ would be difficult to defend. Bxb2 20 Bg3 Bxg2 21 Rg1 Bf3 22 Kc2 Ba3 The extra pawn and bishop pair confer a decisive advantage. White resigned at move 59.