Great Players of the Past: Michael Basman

[@samsonpug]

I didn’t know he died. He helped my son play chess. My son is a fidget. Losing in the middle game in an under 10 tournament he accidentally knocked off half the pieces. Basman was arbitrating and allowed them to put the pieces back as best they could Miraculously my sons lost queen reappeared in the middle of the board. Soon crushing a bewildered opponent. Basman commented “your son has an effective but unconventional style”

[@masker9885]

I love Basman. I dont want to become the best player in the world and study engine and theoretical lines all day i just want to be a decent player and to have fun with the game and i feel like Basman captures that perfectly! These games are far more interesting to watch in my opinion

[@michaelwright8896]

Of course you'll only be abotu 1/1000 of Basman's strength.

[@masker9885]

@@michaelwright8896 no shit he’s an IM. Are u just pointing that out to be an asshole or was there a reason

[@GH-eo3gy]

Don’t worry mate, if you change your mind though, you’ll have to settle on becoming the best player in the world

[@Vronsky-dd8mg]

Well said. Same here.

[@samuelrosenbalm]

What a lazy approach. I don't have the innate strength to be the best in the world, and neither do you, but we should want to be the best we can be, and the right way to play chess is to play theoretically sound. No question, if Basman hadn't been lazy himself, he could have been much better. Such a waste.

[@Aizen343]

I'm from Brazil and i've heard since i was a kid about the great "Mequinho" (Meking). Just great to see one of his games in a Ben's lecture.

[@leonardopezzini1088]

Eu mandei um e-mail sugerindo uma aula sobre o Mequinho. Eles gostaram da ideia e me repassaram o valor para uma aula patrocinada… de repente a gente arruma uma vaquinha pra ver o Brasil representado no canal do Ben 😀

[@justchessminiatures1167]

He was so underrated. He drew some world champions and very interesting chess. Thanks for the video.

[@jaycayssa7155]

But he played terrible openings, and I know it for a fact 😜. I own his 'the killer Grob', bought it in the 90s and played the Grob with White and Black quite often. So Basman might be one of the reasons why I never got over 1900 ELO fide 😂. The book was well written though, it was fun to read. Greetings from Spain!

[@drpow6244]

​@@jaycayssa7155just bought the book yesterday

[@PsychInOz]

Thanks Ben, great tribute. While Basman was famous for his offbeat and unsound openings, as a junior I learnt so much from his "Chess Openings" book in a pre-engine time. For a beginner it was easy to understand, well-structured and covered a lot of basic fundamentals. It wasn’t anything over the top, simply detailing one white opening for each of e4 and d4 (Giuoco Piano and Queens Gambit), one black opening against each of e4 and d4 (Sicilian Dragon and Nimzo Indian) and a response against the Sicilian (Morra Gambit). There was enough to get a taste of each opening, enough to give one the confidence to try things over the board, yet not get overwhelmed in terms of information or analysis overload. That I still can remember this and use these openings to this day is a real testament to his teaching ability.

[@apmount]

I also found it to be an incredible book.

[@kingsethos5108]

Thank you Chris Hankinson for sponsoring this video!

[@aarongifs]

Great lecture Ben! I welcome more unconventional players for these lectures. Really fun one

[@mrpocock]

With engines being godlike, I can't help feeling that if you really studied with engine support some really crazy openings, that you could win a lot because others relying on prep to get to the mid game wouldn't know what to do.

[@XVRMEDIA]

Read his book The killer Grob 25 years ago and played this opening a lot over the board. Not flawless, but interesting approach and definitely playable even at higher levels.

[@Dessan01]

Yeah same - he even stuck in a few pages on how to play the Borg (the black grob) though to be honest I’d give that a miss, the tempo down means a lot there.

[@XVRMEDIA]

@@Dessan01 Still good for blitz and rapid ✌️

[@richardsimon4135]

Hi Ben, I don't do twitch but I want you to know just how valuable your content is to me. You taught me the Sicilian, which probably improved my rating 200 points. I really love the lectures, and I especially love learning about great players of the past. Keep it up and looking forward to the next lecture!

[@fingerprince_]

Great lecture. Really love to see GPOTP videos on lesser known, maybe lower rated but unique and interesting players - chess history is all the richer because of it. Thanks Ben.

[@anonanon6764]

He started a UK chess challenge (series of big tournaments around the UK with winners eventually advancing to a final) with massive numbers of children playing- he did a lot of work to encourage UK chess. My first ever tournaments were these in the 90s and most of the winners or runners up are titled players now. RIP Basman and thanks for doing this video on his creative style of chess.- I was a kid at the time but I vaguely remember him looking mildly disapproving when I agreed a draw with my opponent after 20 moves and 1 other occasion coming over to join analysis when I lost some benoni game in tactical mayhem, which presumably he approved of the fighting spirit.

[@r302112]

I enjoy these Ben thank you

[@robwhalenmusic8267]

I am about 1500 USCF. I have beaten two masters (in casual games, but still....) but no consistency whatsoever. If I find the way and play active and with as many complications as possible, I do well. I'm not talking about Tal sacrifices, just creating a plethora of opportunities for my opponent to make a mistake. It has proven to be better for me than waiting. Slow positional grinders kill me. I've often thought that went down to patience. I've learned it also has to do with enjoyment of the game, therefore keeping my interest and ability to focus high. Basman is my kind of player.

[@branislavlazin9285]

This is much more impressive for me than... super solid game of superGM current world champ... not for long, luckily. Thank you for another one great lecture on a brilliant player, previously unknown to me... Go Ben!

[@justsomeboyprobablydressed9579]

@25:27, I think after Black plays Bf4, White should play Bxf7+, rather than Bxc6+. After Bxf7+ Qxf7 Qxg4, White looks better. In the line Ben gives, Ben is right that he would rather be Black with the queen, which is too active.

[@dmitrykrachun179]

Yes, and also in the line Ben showed white is just lost after Qh5 winning white’s rook

[@justsomeboyprobablydressed9579]

Great lecture! I didn't know this player. Chess offers endless possibilities.

[@pranayrawat1]

game against Henrique Mecking was awesome.......great lecture GM Ben Finegold

[@neuroticmartian5183]

I have a suggestion for the finishing combination after Andersson plays Rf3 resulting in white losing the queen. After Qg4+ and Kh2, black can play Re2+. Taking the rook allows mate on g2, forcing Kh1. Then Bg2+ moves the king into a discovery. For instance, Kg1 leads to Bxf3+ and Bxd5. If, instead of Kg1, black plays Kh2, Bxf3+, Bxe2, Qh4+ followed by taking the queen.

[@mickgrundy4615]

Enjoyed that one, rip, michael

[@mrceadge]

If you search KZbin you will find some great videos by Mike Bassman himself, which deserve more views, just like his playing style deserve more respect and recognition. #rip

[@vapidviewer]

He was my school’s chess coach in 7th grade - I have no excuse for being such a patzer as a result

[@harmadavtian2916]

Feel better Ben

[@PsychedelicRealities]

Yee it's Ben, go Ben, cheers to sponsor mainly etc.. Very good creative lecture indeed ! Thanks.

[@blade6321]

What an inspirational player. Great lecture!

[@12jswilson]

"It doesn't matter what you play in the opening as long as you know what you're doing." That is the motto of Ben's 2nd favorite untitled player: Jonathon Schrantz

[@FailVines]

I'd love to have a lecture about GM Ken West

[@fireballxl-5748]

Really enjoyed this lecture. Real world chess for 95% of all the chess players in the world.

[@Minerva6699]

One of the best in the "great players of the past series"

[@johnybalohny]

I really like his style and feel inspired to have more fun when I play. I'm going to see if Michael did any kind of lessons on his channel.

[@ponza6887]

Would love a lecture on IM Emory Tate, played with the same creativity of Basman and apparently never studied a line of opening theory in his life

[@12jswilson]

Also got the beating of his life against GM Ben Finegold and he fathered one of the world's greatest shitheads. Tate v Finegold didn't go well for white

[@matthewregister6082]

He did a lecture on him years ago

[@MalleusIudaeorum]

@@12jswilson 🧂

[@Q-hv2cb]

​@@12jswilsonyou sound like a jolly person who definitely is not miserable in life...

[@thesawdustcollector1489]

Love that Ben emphasizes that Basman was all about having fun...

[@PlguDctR-yb7mi]

Knight e7 in the first game is a blunder. The tactics are sufficient to win the queen after the knight sacrifice takes the D pawn (Stockfish agrees).

[@sorgi9]

I have The Killer Grob-IM Michael Basman.Thanks for sharing Great

[@sab2808]

A great player indeed

[@waynebuckland7879]

after Bxd5 Bg4 white has Bf7+ not Bc6+

[@andrewkarsten5268]

Against Andersson, instead of Bxf1, you should play Rxf1. If he takes back Rxf1 then Qg3 wins. You can’t block with the queen because that gets mated, and if you move your king I win your rook on f1, but those are your only two options

[@ronnielaw9318]

Well I know what I'm going to be doing for the next 45 minutes. Getting my ass handed to me in 10 minute while not absorbing a damn thing.

[@mothecat776]

HEY GM.Ben It would be a good "IDEA" if the GM's of today would study these "offbeat" players and creative players such as Basman and Dzindzi and Shirov... etc... Bring in the bong cloud....

[@kmarasin]

I see a similarity too, but not to 19th century players. I see a similarity to modern chess engines that are "dumbed down" and programmed to play against weaker humans. They use what I call "anti-human" tactics, i.e. going for play where heuristics (like general principles) are next to useless. The style absolutely massacres weaker players who aren't allowed to play familiar patterns.

[@stolensoul2355]

1.Rf3 Rxf1+ 2.Rxf1 Qg3+ you up a piece: 3.Kh1 Bxf1 4.Qa8+ Kh7 5.Qe4+ Kh6 6.Qc6+ and then ...g6 or ...Kg5 (my favorite choice) both wins

[@isaakvandaalen3899]

What's the bet this guy was a beast in Chess960.

[@shawnburnham1]

10:00

[@stevenjohnston2263]

Ben feeling unwell in an unusual way. I wonder what that might be......

[@StoshGalumpke]

Massive !

[@mario97br]

Marvel 2006: Michael Basman Marvel 2021: Michelle Guitargirl

[@SenatorBluto]

So would Basman have had better or worse results if he hadn't become fixated on the g-pawn? Who knows? I'm guessing he would have had worse results with more standard play and not enjoying himself so much.

[@rukdropov]

No. I knew Basman. He was a very strong chessplayer who could have got the GM title if he wanted to. He really didn't care. He was more concerned with original, interesting chess. Botvinnik met him at Hastings and was very impressed.

[@innovega]

Ben, take some vitamin c 10,000 iu's of d3 and some zinc.

[@MrManumona]

Basman was a very creative player, but the first two games are just preposterous by any means.Basman was GM strength, potentially, but his berserk style just prevented him to become a GM.He beat several strong GM.The way in that he won against Andersson was just a delight.

[@cengizeren366]

what about the game in which he played his bishop back and forth for many consecutive moves 😂😂

[@TheChzoronzon]

But did he slapped?

[@ahrrydepp493]

F yeah

[@Hitmanx55]

Doctor said there's 5 bugs going around, including covid. Get well soon Ben

[@uPenguin]

Basman literally didn't care

[@subspace7290]

inspiring! if i played like this it would not be as pretty. but good to know

[@timjohnson3430]

Did he only play black?

[@Flight368]

Why this board is so painful to look at

[@abchernin]

Smacking dem luscious lips like there's no tomorrow

[@Dessan01]

Ben doing some weird swallowing and breathing in this vid - might want to get yourself checked buddy, could be reflux.