Michael Francis Stean is an English former chess grandmaster, author and financial services professional. He was born on 4th September in 1953. Stean earned his International Master title in 1975, won a gold medal at the 1974, World Student Chess Olympiad and his Grandmaster title in 1977. He retired early from professional chess around 1980 to pursue a career in financial services.
Stean scored numerous victories against very strong competition. He has won against the carries of Grandmasters such as Bent Larsen and Svetozar Gligorić. He tied for first at the British Chess Championship in 1974 and represented England in the Chess Olympiads three times.
Stean is also an author. His most famous work, a book entitled 'Simple Chess', was published in 1978. It breaks down and examines the elements of chess strategy in an accessible format. The book is widely considered a classic chess tome.
After retirement from professional chess, Stean began working in finance and became a Chartered Accountant (FCA). His name was involved in the 2016 Panama Papers scandal where he was linked as a director of an offshore company owned by the Icelandic Singer, Bjork.