Chess: How does White win?

THERE'S an unlikely three-way tie at the top of the 118th Scottish Championship taking place at the LifeCare Centre in Stockbridge, Edinburgh – three untitled players being chased by a pack that includes the two titled top seeds.

In round four, the top board clash between Clement Sreeves and Paul Roberts ended in a brief draw leaving the two leaders to be joined at the top on 3.5/4 by Anthony Dempsey, who easily beat Hamish Olson. But just half a point behind the leading trio there a four-player pack that includes top seeds GM Keti Arakhamia-Grant and IM Craig Pritchett.

The highlight of the round though was unquestionably the entertaining match-up between Jimmy "Tal" Doyle and Eoin Campbell – two true veterans of the Scottish circuit who could easily have opted for the Seniors, but who both instead equally enjoy the rough-and-tumble of playing among stronger opposition.

Today's game is what everyone would recognise as a "typical Jimmy Doyle mess" – it starts with an trademark early h4 attack, followed by pieces hanging and both kings at peril. But Doyle will be kicking himself for missing the instant win – in the style of his hero Tal with 19 Qc2! Bxc4 (19 ..d3 20 Qxd3 Bxc4 21 Qg6!!) 20 Qg6!! – and going on to lose.

Standings: 1-3. C Sreeves, P Roberts and A Dempsey, 3.5/4; 4-8. IM C Pritchett, GM K Arakhamia-Grant, W Burnett, A Green and C James, 3.

J Doyle - E Campbell

118th Scottish Championship, (4)

Grnfeld Defence

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 Bg5 Ne4 5 h4 Nxg5 6 hxg5 dxc4 7 e3 c5 8 Bxc4 cxd4 9 Qb3 e6 10 0–0–0 Qxg5 11 Nf3 Qe7 12 Nxd4 Bg7 13 Rh2 0–0 14 Rdh1 h5 15 g4 e5 16 gxh5 exd4 17 hxg6 Be6 18 gxf7+ Bxf7 19 Nd5? Qc5 20 Qb5 Rc8 21 Kd1 Qxb5 22 Ne7+ Kf8 23 Bxb5 Kxe7 24 Rh7 Rg8 25 Rg1 Kf8 26 exd4 Nc6 27 Rg3 Nxd4 28 Bd3 Bxa2 29 Rg4 Bb3+ 30 Ke1 Nf3+ 31 Ke2 Re8+ 32 Be4 Nd4+ 33 Kf1 Bc4+ 34 Kg1 Ne2+ 35 Kg2 Rxe4 36 Rxe4 Bd5 37 Kf3 Rh8 0-1