My memorable chess memories

Hi to all.

I played a lot of chess in my childlooth and teenage years,and I have many memories chess related: happy,exciting or sad ones.So I want to write about one happy one .

1997,Cannes,World under 14 chess championship.I was a very shy boy,who loved chess passionately and always nervous when playing important games (this really limited my successes as a player in my career,but ok,it's old story) and in a world championship...well,you can guess.I lost the first game with a colossal blunder in a winning position,then won two games in a row and now I was paired against the french player Arnaud Rainfray (now an IM).he was on the cover of a french magazine on sale in the playing hall,so I was already scared!There was another italian player in the tournament a friend and rival of me (frienemy to quote Bobby Fischer) Peter De Bortoli.He was very talented and with an expansive and flamboyant personality,the opposite of me.Before the game,with all the other boys already seated,he began pushing me,like many young boys do when they like to play and fake a fight.I reacted and we both ended falling on the floor,with the other boys staring with embaressment and disgust,like in a B-rate sit com.So I began the game with a "I'll win fast and then I'll kill Peter" state of mind .

So I won this game,and in the evening I showed it to all my friends.I was on 3 out of 4 and the next day I played on board 8 with white,with good chances of a great result (in that days if an italian player scored more than 50% on these wrold championship it was a miracle).My Mr Hyde side emerged when I blundered in the opening moves because I was incredibly nervous .