Blog GilaChess

Many young ones today don't know him but Christi Hon was Malaysia's first Fide Master after earning a rating from the World Chess Federation (FIDE). He also boast of having beaten Anand Viswanathan, a former  world champion from India, in an IM tournament in New Delhi in 1985. 

Besides holding the distinction of 5 times Malaysian Champion, Christi has represented Malaysia in the World Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Lucerne (Switzerland), Thessaloniki (Greece) and Dubai.

• Christi Hon -5 times (1978,1981, 1982, 1983, 1987) 
• Goh Yoon Wah - 2 times (1976,1981) 
• Jimmy Liew- 2 times (1980, 1984) 
• Peter Long - 2 times (1985,1986) 
• Francis Chin - 2 times (1985,1986) 
• Kamal Abdullah - 3 times (1988,1989,2019) 
• Mas Hafizulhelmi - 2 times (1994,1995) 
• Lim Yee Weng - 2 times (1996,1997) 
• Jonathan Chuah - 2 times (1999,2006) 
• Nicholas Chan - 2 times (2003,2004) 
• Fong Yit San- 2 times (2014, 2018) 
• Yeoh Li Tian -2 times (2015,2016) 

 Lim Zhuo-Ren is a name that should be known by all Malaysians, not just chess enthusiasts. He has not only brought pride to our country by becoming the Malaysian Chess Champion twice, but he has also overcome incredible obstacles that make him an inspiration to all.

In 2011, at the young age of 19, Lim Zhuo-Ren won his first Malaysian Chess Championship title making him National Master. It was a remarkable achievement for someone so young and it showed his potential as a chess player. He was not they youngest however, as CM Jonathan Chuah also 2 times National Champ got the title when he was 12 years old. However many National champions become inactive in their adult years due to study, family and/or work commitments but not Lim Zhuo-Ren who kept playing on and off after his first success as National Master.

In 2019, Lim suffered from a right muscle hematoma that left him in a wheelchair temporarily. Most people would have put chess on hold, but Lim Zhuo-Ren is not most people. Despite the setback, he went to Vietnam to play in the HD Banks Tournament. It was an incredible display of determination and strength of character.

Lim Zhuo-Ren's story is an inspiration to all Malaysians. He has shown us that no matter what obstacles we face, we should never give up on our dreams. His determination to continue playing chess even when faced with physical limitations should serve as a reminder that anything is possible if we set our minds to it.

As mentioned before many past Malaysian chess champions have left chess to focus on other areas of life, not Lim Zhuo-Ren. He has shown chess and other aspects of life can co-exist, even getting married a couple of years ago.