FINALLY...NM LIM ZHUO REN!

Being associated with ten normally is a good thing in life. In football, the most dangerous striker will normally wearing shirt number 10. In gymnastic, we got this phrase ‘perfect ten’ for the perfect performance just like what Nadia Commenici did in 1976 Olympic. Ofcourse, Bo Derek is also being called perfect ten but that is different story, a totally different story.

A story today is Lim Zhuo Ren (His name carried 10 characters) and seeded number 10, managed to beat 10 opponents (9 are his fellow competitors plus one is his nervous self, all he beat or tame convincingly) to be crown as a new chess champion of Malaysia, our new NM!

In arguably the strongest Malaysia National Closed for this new millineum with 1 IM, 3 NMs, 24 above Fide 2000 and 91 Fide rated players, LZR just run faster, fight stronger and defends tougher compare with the rest. He started with perfect 7 wins and this is when he face his two strictest examiners (the youngest master, Yeoh Li Tian, and the oldest master, IM Jimmy Liew), he passed the exam by safely drew both games.

When at the other part of the world, UN coalition bombing Libya with their precise and smart bomb. Here is Malaysia, LZR just bombing his opponents to pieces with his precise and smart chess move.

However, no doubt, the memory of National Closed 2009 (in which he lead the tournament but stumbled at the finishing line) keep haunting him in this year National Closed edition. According to LZR, it nearly killed his chess spirit but just like Phoenix, he rise from that experience and come back stronger.

Lim Zhuo Ren always used the initial of his name (LZR) when he shout at the shoutbox. LZR rhyme with LaZaRus. Do you know what Lazarus Syndrome/Phenomenon is? It is actually a name given to a medical miracle when heart patient suddenly come to life after almost certain death after a failed resuscitation. Spot on!

Statistically wise, it is easier to be CEO of listed company (got about 900 members) compared to be a National Master (less than 30 members, boy! NM is really one hell of exclusive club!) and to join this exclusive club at the tender age of 19 (again, 1 + 9= ten!) is absolutely amazing!.

For out of this world achievement and more, Chess Odyssey (as an out of this world blog...read: spacemanlah! :)) salute you, National Master Lim Zhuo Ren.