For their first fixture of 2011, Grantham hosted Long Eaton in the 1st Division of the Nottinghamshire League. With Long Eaton defaulting Board 5, it was always going to be an uphill struggle for the visitors and so it proved. Wins from Nick Payne, Claudio Mangione and Nigel Birtwistle sealed a 4:0 lead.
The last game to finish proved to be the most exciting with top board Paul Cumbers unleashing a wild McCutcheon variation of the French Defence. More information on this variation may be found at the Chessgames website : http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessopening?eco=C12. Paul has had some good wins with this variation, including at the British Championships, and his opponent soon had a hugely complicated position on the board with Paul playing a sub-variation attributed to the Russian Grandmaster Alexander Morozevich. With both players well behind on time, Paul spurned a draw offer but, unfortunately, lost in the ensuing time scramble. The final score was settled at 4:1 in Grantham's favour.
