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Farewell to
A SCHOLAR,
A GENTLEMAN &
A CHESS LEGEND
Professor Lim Kok Ann, Singapore's chess patriarch
and one of Anglo-Chinese School's most illustrious old
boys, passed away on 08 March 2003 at the age of 83. His
passing is a great loss to ACS, the medical profession
and the chess fraternity.
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A brilliant scholar, Professor Lim topped the class of
1936 to be the first Seow Poh Leng Medallist. He also
bagged the prestigious Queen's Scholarship in 1938, just
as his grandfather Dr Lim Boon Keng, one of Singapore's
most influential pioneers, did before him.
Professor Lim was Dean, Faculty of Medicine from 1965 to
1972 and the first Singaporean Professor of Bacteriology
and Head of Department from1959 to 1977. In 1977, he
gained international fame when he isolated the flu virus
at the height of the Asian influenza epidemic. He was
also a pioneer in introducingthe Oral Sabin Polio
Vaccine to our Singapore children.
Professor Lim's passion and contribution to the chess
fraternity are legendary. Besides the honour of being
the first national chess champion in 1949, he
established the Singapore Chess Federation and served as
the secretary-general of the World Chess Federation from
1982 to 1988.
 In
his tireless efforts to promote chess in schools,
Professor Lim initiated the annual school junior and
team chess championships in the 60's and taught many
budding young players the finer points of chess. Few are
aware that he coached the ACS chess team to a glorious
victory in the inaugural Lee Geok Eng Shield competition
in 1949. It was an outstanding achievement as the team,
comprising Chee Chin Tiong, Chew Chin Hin, Jerry Goh,
Lee Suan Yew, Lee Chai Seng and Robert Tan, had to
compete against adult teams, including the combined
College of Medicine and Raffles College team. According
to Dr Chew Chin Hin, "We didn't think we stood a chance
against the more experienced adult teams, but with
Professor Lim's patient tutoring and inspiration, we
made it to the top!"
Professor Lim has done ACS and the nation proud. He will
be fondly remembered as the gentle and caring man who
touched and enriched the lives of many people around the
world through the game of chess and his contribution in
the medical field.
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Alumni Medical Directors (circa December 2000) -
Professor Lim Kok Ann is seated 2nd from the right |
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