Club stalwart Arnold gives his view of a night when Battersea welcomed a true legend of English chess
Tuesday night was our first ever Coffee House Chess evening. The chequered tablecloths and the dainty foodstuffs evoking the image and the atmosphere of a nineteenth century Parisian café or even Simpson’s-in-the-Strand as it might have awaited the arrival of Paul Morphy to play a demonstration game against Howard Staunton.
However, it was not Morphy whose company we hoped to enjoy that evening but the 21st century’s answer to that player in the person of IM Michael Basman who came upon us with his books and his gear, a grey-bearded, twinkly-eyed elf of a man, ready with his quiet charm to sweep away any doubts we may have had regarding the pleasure and instruction we might expect from the evening ahead.
Mike Basman mentioned a win against Afek. Afek, has created some of the most amazing problems that I have seen. This was one that I was able to show. White to play and win. It took a whole minute for Basman to solve. (2) pic.twitter.com/seDyA5B14W
— Simon Williams (@ginger_gm) September 5, 2018
After a few words from Aldo – some of which were to assure us that he would never pick up a microphone again unless perhaps world peace depended on it – the microphone was handed to Blair who gave our guest a resounding speech of welcome backed up with a passionate and moving tribute to Michael’s prowess as a player and a teacher.
Master and pupil
Blair had been a pupil of Michael’s and he recalled how Michael with patience and skill had taught him to be a better player and even, by some mysterious osmosis, a better person. Blair’s spirited address was followed by a similar tribute from GM Simon Williams who had also been a pupil of Michael’s and remembered him with equal fondness and respect.
At last Michael himself took centre stage in front of the demonstration board. After some thank yous and a few amusing remembrances regarding Blair and Simon he talked about the first of the four thoroughly discreditable openings we were to examine in the course of the evening.
Michael’s first offering in his role as Chef de Cuisine was the entrée dish 3. Qe2!? In the King’s Gambit Accepted. At first glance it was not easy to see how 3. Qe2 might offer a plausible alternative to 3. Nf3 or Bc4. Of course! The early escape of White’s Queen to e2 left d1 available for His Majesty if ever he should come under fire on the d8-h4 diagonal.
Aldo read out the pairings for the first round of games and play began with a dozen or more pairs of players and with the aforesaid moves set up on all boards as follows: 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Qe2!? I don’t think any of us had ever played this position before and here we were in a blitz game having to make the best of it. A second game against the same opponent, swapping colours, completed the first round. The unusual, OK weird, positions encountered offered thrills, spills and plenty of fun. However, I’m not sure in the aftermath that any of us were any clearer regarding the plausibility of 3. Qe2.
The Basman/Paulsen Defence
The next dish served up as a main course was 4……Bc5 in the Sicilian variation normally attributed to Louis Paulsen. However, Michael pointed out that Paulsen had stolen the idea from him to use against Morphy but had got crushed by the master and never used it again. Only a few Battersea chess players are old enough to have witnessed this encounter but Arnold Hunt and one or two others might be willing to testify as to its veracity.
The main course then was 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5!? This is not so controversial a dish as our entrée. I have seen Tim Wells play it with success at the Nightingale, Balham, on a Friday evening where he uses it to baffle Emil Todorow and (sometimes) himself. And so we played our second round games with those four moves of the Basman/Paulsen defence, already set up on all boards. Hint, 5. Nb3 might look natural but it moves a piece that has already moved and sends Black’s Bishop to b6 where it might have wanted to go anyway.
For England, and St George!
For dessert we looked at the St George which answers e4 with 1…..a6 (though Michael was at pains to point out that 1.e4 e6 2. d4 a6 was probably more accurate). After Michael had given some account of the origin of the opening, away we went into the third round with only the occasional cry of despair as a piece was left en prise or a mate appeared from nowhere.
The Borg Defence
Last on the menu came the Borg Defence. This, as lovers of Star Trek might have hoped did not involve technical reconstruction of our cognitive functions, metallic facial adornments or assimilation into The Collective, but only the simple, but deadly, reply to 1. e4 g5!? Nothing less than the dreaded Grob, beloved, favourite opening of the death-row chess player Claude Bloodgood, turned on its head to become The Borg.
Had a great time listening to Michael Basman's lecture at @BatterseaChess tonight. The diagram below is one of Mike's wins that will always stick in my mind. Black has moved all his pieces backwards, yet he manages to beat Ulf!? WTF!? (1) pic.twitter.com/lREIVwOjHb
— Simon Williams (@ginger_gm) September 5, 2018
And so we played our final round with 1. e4 g5 set up on all boards.
Then it was over. The last drinks were bought; the last cupcakes eaten. There were more speeches, more thank yous and more rounds of applause.
We're searching for the owner of this member of the Paw Patrol who was left at Battersea Chess Club last night. Chase is on the case! (In fact he's been stored in one) pic.twitter.com/D616WVTjCd
— Battersea Chess Club ♞♜♛♚ (@BatterseaChess) September 5, 2018
Handsome drinking vessels with art work by Aldo, were handed to the leading scorers. I should add at this point that Adam Taylor, that ingenious fellow who mesmerizes his opponents with moves of relentless accuracy was the overall winner, Malcolm Dancy did well but also young Denis Dupuis was up there with the top adult scorers and took away a mug for his bedtime cocoa.
Mugs also went I think to Blair, to Simon, and to Chris Beckett. Michael himself condescended to receive one, much appreciated because it bore, as he put it, his own pretty face.
“Thanks for organising a great evening of chess with the legendary Mike Basman. I enjoyed it immensely and I am sure everyone else did too.”
– Club stalwart Joe Skielnik
We had several new faces at the club Mick, Ted, Marcos Mackie and FM Tim Wall who was down from Newcastle. Two new young guns Teo and Luca also joined in the action.
“Thought Mike was brilliant – a real legend of the game and great enthusiast with a very enjoyable presenting style and dry sense of humour. Thanks Battersea Chess Club for making the club look brilliant and putting so much effort in to make it a fun event. Would definitely be up for a second round.”
– CLL1 captain Chris Beckett
Finally, Michael with his goods and his gear and his ideas disappeared like any hero in any tale back into legend via the dark streets of Clapham Junction.
It was a great evening.
Just a big thank you to everyone involved.
Arnold Hunt
And finally… our next event
