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.