Chess: What should Black play?

THUNDER, hail and flash floods had Mother Nature throwing Scotland into chaos at the weekend. Thankfully the torrential rain that hit Edinburgh didn't jeopardise the 118th Scottish Chess Championships, which got under way on Saturday at the LifeCare Centre in Stockbridge.

The only dark clouds were over the board of Jonathan Grant, as the 2006 Scottish champion proved to be the biggest casualty of the opening round, being sensationally defeated by Eoin Campbell. In the game, Grant's Hedgehog became roadkill as he misplayed the premature thrust of 13 e5, which is not very good for White.

Instead of 14 ...Bc5+?, as in the game, the correct response should have been 14 ..Nxe5! 15 Bxb7 Bc5+ 16 Nd4 (16 Be3 Qxb7 17 Bxc5 Nf3+) 16 ..Rd8! 17 Ncb5 Qxb7 18 Rxe5 a6 and Black would have stood better. Later in the game, no better was 16 ..Bc6 as 17 fxg7 Rd8 18 Bxc5 bxc5 19 Qe2! a6 20 Na3 Kxg7 21 Rad1 Qb7 22 Rf1 and White is easily winning.

The only consolation for the Grant household is that top seed and odds-on favourite, GM Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant, has turned in two near-perfect wins to lead the seven-strong pack at the top on a perfect 2/2 score.

Standings: 1-7 GM K Arakhamia-Grant, IM C Pritchett, P Roberts, A Dempsey, C Sreeves, A Green and W Burnett, 2/2; 8-12. R Kynoch, FM J Way (England), C James, H Olsen and A Lampard, 1.5.

E Campbell - J Grant

118th Scottish Championship, (1)

English/Hedgehog

1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 Nc3 e6 4 g3 b6 5 Bg2 Bb7 6 0–0 Be7 7 Re1 d6 8 e4 Nbd7 9 d4 cxd4 10 Nxd4 Qc7 11 Ndb5 Qb8 12 f4 0–0 13 e5 dxe5 14 fxe5 Bc5+? 15 Be3 Bxg2 16 exf6 Qb7 17 Bxc5 bxc5 18 fxg7 Rfd8 19 Nd6 Qc6 20 Nce4 Bxe4 21 Nxe4 Kxg7 22 Qg4+ Kh8 23 Ng5 Rf8 24 Qh4 Kg7 25 Qxh7+ Kf6 26 Rf1+ Ke7 27 Rxf7+ Rxf7 28 Qxf7+ Kd8 29 Nxe6+ Kc8 30 Rd1 Rb8 31 Qe8+ Kb7 32 Rxd7+ Ka6 33 Rxa7+ 1-0