Interview Provided By: FM Lim Zhou Ren
May has been a month full of rollercoasters for us Malaysians. With the uncertainties of adapting to this new normal, the breakout of new diseases and more, May has been full of unsettling times. However, May has also been filled with new opportunities such as the amazing accomplishments that our fellow Malaysian athletes have achieved in this year’s 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games 2022. All in all, the month of May from the beginning to the end has truly made its mark in the hearts of not just Malaysians but us Tenbians. May has truly been the ‘M’ for Memories month we were all hoping for. And in this article, I would like to share with you some very special memories by one of our very own Malaysians - a SEA Games Representative and my coach FM Lim Zhou Ren. Being selected to represent Malaysia as one of our SEA Game Chess Team members, I am very honored that he has taken his time and effort to share with us the memories that he has made in the 31st SEA Games 2022 and I hope that this article can show you how May has truly been a month of memories.
1) Hi Coach, could you please give us a brief introduction about yourself?
My name is Lim Zhuo Ren from Malaysia. I grew up in KL but moved to Klang when I was turning 15. I did my A-levels at Taylor's Subang before going to the UK for university. I studied at the University of Sussex and London School of economics (LSE).
I became interested in chess when I saw my dad teach it to my mum whilst on a family holiday. I then asked him to teach me. The full story is on my Facebook page. I don't think what I am doing constitutes being a professional player since that would entail making a living from it. Which I don't do. I actually needed to spend so I could travel and play. My motivation for going into chess...I wouldn't call it motivation. It's more like a crisis that led to it. After coming back from the UK, I worked for about 3 years and my health deteriorated. I came to a realization that we are brought up to build our lives around our working life. For example, go to school, get good grades, and get to a good uni. Then to graduate and get a good job. And then life is set. After quitting my job, I spent a year soul searching in 2017. I thought, shouldn't the order be reversed? Like wouldn't it be better to build your work around the life you want to live. And I thought the thing I enjoy the most are tournaments. But thinking about something isn't the same as doing something. I decided to test it. I made a goal to travel to 10 different tournaments in 2018. The plan was to use the money I saved up for 3 years of working to fund it. I played 9 tournaments in 7 different countries that year. And then the next question was how I sustain doing this. Every year since, I've gotten better at sustaining it with my resources (time, money, and energy). It's still a learning journey for me. But it started with the crisis back in 2016. And crisis is another word for opportunity. So, my motivation isn't really motivation. I'm not sure what to call it exactly but I hope this story makes it clear.
2) What is the most memorable moment you had in the SEA Games and your chess career?
My most memorable experience was probably my disastrous start with 0/3 on day 1. Haha, all jokes aside, my teammate said that maybe the problem with my preparation is that I didn't play enough. With that being said, I spent a few hours that day playing blitz with my teammate and Malaysia’s #1 IM Yeoh Li Tian. I beat a GM in the first game on day 2. There isn't one memorable moment per se. For me, it's the team spirit and camaraderie of my teammates. Many of my teammates, I have known for over 10 years. I always enjoy playing for my country. It's even better if my teammates are people I trust and the team we sent to these SEA games was easily the top 3 (if not) strongest team we’ve ever assembled for any event. Unfortunately for me, this was maybe the worst performance I had. At least my 2nd event was better. And I got 4th again.
3) What is it like to travel to different countries to play chess?
Traveling to different countries to play chess is quite exhilarating. I feel very 'alive' when I travel. It’s hard to explain. Of course, the waiting times at airports and tiring traveling from one place to another can be annoying. But it's part of it. There is this concept called peak-end rule. It essentially states that you must remember the peak and the end of an experience. So, I always remember that for the most places I go, I have this feeling of being alive (the peak). I thought this was a good rule to bring up since it goes with your theme of memories.
4) What was one of your proudest chess games you played at the SEA games this year?
I don’t have a game that I’m most proud of. But I do have a game that was the most relieving. It was my first point after losing. And it was a game against a GM. A nice attacking game where I played well. It was a relief to not end with 0. And to get it after 0/3 against a GM no less. It reminds me that sometimes when things go bad, you just need to trust in yourself and all the effort you put in. Obviously, it can be hard to do. I was proud that I was able to try and do my best despite having such negative results. To be honest, it did affect my confidence. My teammate, Wong Yinn Long, gave me a lot of words of encouragement and advice. He didn't berate me for the performance. Like I said, having good, trustworthy teammates is important. They can help pull you out of a hole.
5) What advice would you give to aspiring young players like me based on your experience in the SEA Games?
Here’s some advice; chess is a cruel game. You have to really love it to stay the course. A Lot of times, one move can change all the hard work you’ve put into it. One move can make a good position bad; one mistake can throw away all your effort. My first 2 games were lost in One move from good to great positions. I would like to point out that 3 of the 5 men players in the team have been around for more than 10 years. The other one is 13 and the last is 18 but has been playing overseas a lot too. I first played with him 6 years ago when he was 12. To be able to stay the course, you need to love the game. In a nutshell my advice is chess is a marathon, not a sprint. We have all lost games against each other. But one loss 5 years ago doesn't mean anything if you are still moving forward and progressing. It's not a race. In a race, people will drop out. The ones that make it the furthest are the ones who have the staying power. I'm the oldest player of chess in SEA games. A Lot of my competitors from my teens are no longer playing. Opponents I worried about 10 years ago have never played with me again. This would be my advice for most players regardless of SEA games or not. It's also why loss isn't the end of the world.
6) What qualities do you feel make a good chess player?
Haha, good question. There are many things. But one important one is resilience - the ability to bounce back from setbacks without loss of enthusiasm. That is hard because when I say setbacks, I don't only mean losses. I also mean stupid, silly, 'i can’t believe i made this move' moves.
Many times, you will play one such move in your game and lose your advantage. It's very easy to beat yourself up and a lot of players will play worse after that. You need to have a lot of resilience and mental strength to say ok, I made a bad move but the game isn't over. I can still come back. Let's move on and continue playing well. Making that adjustment is hard. Therefore, I think this ability to bounce back and readjust, readapt after setbacks is important. One example, after losing his norm and chance at a gold medal, Li Tian beat world #32 the next day. As for me, I lost 3 in a row vs IM and FM then beat a GM the next day. For me, obviously what Li Tian achieved is incredible, but everyone has their own ways of bouncing back and of course in Malaysia he is the one who probably had to bounce back the most. So, treat every loss, every bad move, every setback as an opportunity to exercise your ability in bouncing back. Like I said, a crisis can be an opportunity in disguise.
7) How did you prepare for the SEA Game?
My preparation was more or less the same as what I had been doing the last 10 months or so. Just to different degrees.
I solve 12 to 20 positions every week.
I look at recent games, analyze the ones most instructive.
Work on openings. Generally, I do more than 3 prior to events. And after the tournament I would figure out what I was doing bad in and work on that more. For example, after Jan 2022, I had to work more on critical moments and defending difficult positions. Since I had been working quite consistently, I didn't really change much. That was a mistake in hindsight. Because I'm not a rapid and blitz specialist, which were my events. I'm the strongest in classical so I was doing the things that would help my classical strength. Only during the tournament, Yinn Long, who is strong at all 3-time controls, told me that for rapid, it's important to play a lot. Practical strength is important. Only then did I start playing more and my results improved after that. Like I said, it's still a learning journey for me
8) What is your biggest inspiration and how do you stay motivated?
In one sentence, my environment, and people. I do get off track... a lot. I remember reading a quote that went, 50% of success is getting back on track once you fall off track.
The speed in which you get back on track matters more. I don’t have one biggest inspiration. It's more like things I take from my environment which I can relate to getting back on track/staying on track that helps me. This can be from things I read, people I talk to or just wherever. Staying motivated. Like I mentioned, I wouldn't call it motivation. Sometimes I find remembering back to the crisis moment. Had I not done something, I wouldn't be here. And all the things I built won’t be here too. I use that to remind myself to be grateful and, at least for me, it's easier to be productive from a place of gratitude. My students also inspire me to be better too. Not wanting to let people down is important to me so, like in the SEA games, I felt I let Yinn Long down, but he said no problem, I trust you. This after starting with 0/3. It's the biggest push you can give someone. So, my biggest motivation is always from the people who support me and the environment.
9) Who is your current favorite chess player and who is your all-time favorite chess player and why?
I don't have an all-time favorite. I just enjoy good games and many players play really good ones. Especially ones I can learn. Recently I have been following Nordibek and Prag's games and of course, Carlsen. A few years ago, I was looking for moves I could pick up from Kramnik's games. Whoever can help me learn as well as enjoy their moves is what I see.
10) What are some major life lessons that you have learnt from chess?
Major life lessons: Failure is 'nothing'. We are conditioned to believe that failure is something bad, disgraceful and to be avoided, but failure is nothing like that. I once blew a huge tournament lead to become a Malaysian champion. 6/6 and then a total collapse. I bounced back from that. It took 2 years though (staying power, marathon does not sprint).
Regardless of if this is true or not, I believe that people who fail the most are the ones who will have a lot of success too, because when you try and do something new, you will automatically be bad at it the first few times. How you get better. Another word for being bad at something is failing. And another word for getting better is succeeding
In conclusion, I feel that all the amazing memories that my coach made at the 31st SEA Games this year is truly inspiring and with the upcoming ISP CHESS TOURNAMENT FINALS on the 3rd June 2022, I hope that the memories and advice my coach has shared, showed you all, my dear readers, why May is truly the ‘M’ for memories month we were expecting! To all the members of the junior and senior team, I hope this article inspires you to try your hardest and do your best in what you love. Finally, I would just like to give a big thank you to my coach and all Malaysian Athletes for representing Malaysia and for lighting the spark of inspiration in all of us Malaysians!
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