Adam Taylor is set to be International Master Adam Taylor after qualifying for the prestigious title with another brilliant performance at the 4NCL over the weekend.
Subject to Fide approval, the 21-year-old will become England’s newest IM and the first Battersea player to achieve the feat in a generation. Perhaps several…
We are currently scrabbling through the record books to work out whether anyone’s managed it since a certain Raymond Keene, who went on to become GM Ray Keene.
Playing for Wood Green – we don’t have a 4NCL team – in the final three 4NCL rounds, Adam entered the bank holiday weekend on 2398 needing just two more elo points.
He beat GM Mark Hebden (2420) with Black on Saturday, lost to the Hungarian GM Viktor Erdos (2610) on Sunday and then drew with GM Keith Arkell (2467) yesterday.
It was just enough to push him over the 2400 qualifying mark and with a third norm earn him the title, subject to paperwork.
Of course, with Adam’s talent, we at Battersea Chess Club thought it was just a matter of time. But it has no doubt taken an enormous amount of hard work and blood, sweat and tears.
Well done Adam!
His proud mum Deborah tweeted:
