Michael Basman (1946–2022)

Sounds (and looks) like fifties sci-fi. Reads like a manual for chess hustlers, though. And that's its charm. Includes games, theory, and problems. Basman is not as balls-out as Bloodgood in his approach to the Grob, but the format of the book (and the fact that it's in algebraic) certainly serve it well.

Mike Basman is well known for using unorthodox openings and I was hoping that the book would be about his unusual style.

In fact it's more of a simple introduction to opening principles and it also covers a very few openings (Giuoco Piano, Nimzo-Indian, Sicilian Dragon, Smith-Morra gambit) in a little more detail. And I do mean a little.

But it's not his fault. It's an old book from 1987 and the target reader is probably a beginner - and for a beginner it would be a good introduction to the show more principles behind chess openings. show less

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