Best Wishes GM Michael Stean (04-ix-1953)

[John Upham]

Best Wishes GM Michael Stean (04-ix-1953)

England's third OTB Grandmaster.

Lost to the game aged 29 in 1982 to become a tax accountant.

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[Nick Ivell]

A great pity that Michael was lost to the game.

The terrible sadness of chess? It doesn't pay. Even if you've been in the camp of a world championship contender.

[Matt Mackenzie]

IIRC he was not happy with Campomanes becoming FIDE president in 1982, and this contributed to his withdrawal from OTB play.

(he carried on writing his Observer column for a while afterwards)

[Nick Ivell]

I was perhaps a little surprised to see Eley in the list of notable opponents.

Has there ever been a weaker British champion?

[Matt Mackenzie]

A few other candidates going back to before either of us was born, yeah. But he is probably the weakest "modern" winner.

[Nick Ivell]

So not surprising that Stean gets a plus score against him.

[IM Jack Rudd]

You'd probably have to define what you meant by "weaker". Absolute standard? World ranking at the time? Ranking among then eligible players?

[John Upham]

I was perhaps a little surprised to see Eley in the list of notable opponents.

Has there ever been a weaker British champion?

It was ChessBase that created the list.

You may be correct about weakest. I've not been tempted to write an article about Eley for hopefully obvious reasons.

[Simon Brown]

Michael is a really nice guy and a superb tax accountant.

[NickFaulks]

IIRC he was not happy with Campomanes becoming FIDE president in 1982, and this contributed to his withdrawal from OTB play

I don't find that entirely convincing.

[Matt Mackenzie]

His own comments at the time correlate, only he knows how sincere they actually were.

[Roger de Coverly]

His own comments at the time correlate, only he knows how sincere they actually were.

The Olympiad reports of one of the chess magazines quoted an unnamed member of the England team as saying that he would retire if Campomanes was elected. Stean would have seen Campo in action at first quarters in Baguio.

[Matt Mackenzie]

IIRC a subsequent issue of the same magazine named Stean as the GM concerned.

[David Sedgwick]

Michael is a really nice guy and a superb tax accountant.

Hear, hear.

He has acted professionally for more than one of England's leading players, although I shall not of course mention any names.

He wasn't entirely lost to chess after 1983; for instance, he was the captain of the England team at the Manila Olympiad 1992.

I imagine that the election of Campomanes as FIDE President in 1982 may have accelerated a decision which he was contemplating anyway. He was a very strong player indeed, but possibly a touch below the very highest class. As a result he felt that he needed a more secure career. Sixteen years later, Matthew Sadler made the same decision.

[John Upham]

Michael is a really nice guy and a superb tax accountant.

He has acted professionally for more than one of England's leading players, although I shall not of course mention any names.

Michael was Nigel Short's manager at around this time.

I've mentioned a name and I hope to have gotten away with it.