Ronnie's 27-0 score

Old Free FIDE Master Dr Ronnie Lim, the Malaysian National Chess Champion in 2001, scored a clean sweep of 27 games at the first simultaneous chess exhibition organised by the Chess Section of The Old Frees' Association today. His opponents comprised OFA members, their children and grandchildren, as well as members of the Penang Free School chess team. 

Before play began, I had the privilege of saying a few words as chief arbiter. I welcomed the participants and expressed the hope that they would make full use of the occasion. A simultaneous exhibition is not really about trying to beat the master, although if someone does manage it, we'll probably be hearing about it for years to come. The real value lies in watching how a strong player thinks, learning from the experience and, above all, enjoying the game. 

I also thanked those who had made the afternoon possible. The idea had come from OFA Secretary Han Boon, and among the senior chess members our response was simply, "Why not?" With the help of Han Boon and fellow Chess Section members Tay Aik, Terry and Anthony, the idea gradually took shape. Hopefully, this will be the first of many such activities.

It also gave me the opportunity to say a little about the history of chess within The Old Frees' Association. Our involvement goes back to around 1991 or 1992, when I managed to assemble a team of eight Old Frees to compete in the Penang Chess League. That modest beginning eventually grew into more than three decades of regular participation in team tournaments around the state and in the annual Merdeka Team Chess Championship in Kuala Lumpur.

Over the years, more and more Old Frees became involved, not just as players but also as organisers and arbiters. Today, we have at least 30 members who have contributed to chess at state, national and even international level. Among them are state champions, national champions, FIDE Masters and three accredited International Arbiters. At one point during my introduction, I acknowledged fellow International Arbiter Tan Kai Ming, who was present with his grandson, one of Ronnie's challengers that afternoon.

Introducing Ronnie himself was perhaps the easiest part. I've known him since the mid-1990s when he was still a schoolboy at Penang Free School, representing the school in the Penang Chess League. Even then, it was obvious that he possessed exceptional talent. By that stage he had already been playing for several years, having taken up chess while still in primary school, and before long he was winning age-group championships around the country.

I briefly ran through some of his achievements: Malaysian National Champion in 2001, multiple national age-group champion, MSSM Under-12 champion, ASEAN Under-18 bronze medallist, SEA Games bronze medallist, two-time Penang Closed Champion, Royal Selangor Open champion, FIDE Master with a peak rating of 2349 and, away from the chessboard, a consultant radiologist by profession.

The simultaneous exhibition eventually stretched over three hours and 40 minutes. At the start, everything happened at breakneck speed. Ronnie moved briskly from board to board, making his opening moves almost without breaking stride, while his challengers scrambled to keep up. But as the middlegames began to develop and complications arose on virtually every board, his pace inevitably slowed. 

After about an hour and a half, only five games had been decided. The remaining boards were still full of life, with players hanging on stubbornly and trying to find ways to make life difficult for the master. Gradually, however, experience began to tell. One after another, Ronnie's opponents were forced to resign.

As the number of games dwindled, the pace picked up again. During the final hour, only five or six boards remained in play, allowing Ronnie to devote much more time to each position. The last player standing was Chan Kah Poh, whose steady, solid game proved surprisingly difficult to crack. As is customary in simultaneous exhibitions, once only a single game remained, a chess clock was introduced so that the contest could proceed under normal tournament conditions. In the end, Ronnie's greater experience prevailed, bringing an end to what had been an absorbing afternoon of chess.

Afterwards, Ronnie admitted that about four or five players had given him genuine problems before he gradually gained the upper hand. What surprised me even more was when he quietly confided that this had been the very first simultaneous exhibition of his life. Considering how effortlessly he had moved from board to board, calmly keeping track of 27 games at once, I would never have guessed it. Having defeated all 27 challengers at his first attempt, he could hardly have asked for a better introduction to this unique form of chess.

There was a completely unexpected moment that made the day especially memorable for me. When I invited Ronnie to say a few words before the exhibition started, he looked across at me and remarked that he had first become interested in chess after reading my newspaper chess columns when he was in Standard Four. I must confess that caught me completely by surprise. One never really knows whether one's writing has influenced anyone. To hear that it had played a small part in inspiring someone who would later become one of Malaysia's strongest players was deeply gratifying.

Watching Ronnie move calmly from board to board while children, parents and grandparents all concentrated over their games, I couldn't help thinking that this was exactly the sort of activity the Association should be organising more often. Chess has a wonderful way of bringing generations together. Judging by the smiles around the hall, I suspect this first simultaneous exhibition won't be our last.