James Morris: I was scared

This is kind of old, but it's new to me. International master James Morris, of Melbourne, on how he became an IM in 7 days.

When I discovered my opponent I nearly fainted. IM Stephen Solomon! Solomon is the current Australian Champion. I had beaten him a month earlier, but that would just make him stronger: he was out for revenge! I have to admit, I was scared…

I went into the final round nervous and jittery. I played the opening inaccurately and found myself worse. I began to knuckle down and defend but wasn’t sure whether it would be enough. To refresh my mind I got up and looked at the other games.

Read more over at the Sunraysia Chess Club.