Rogers: Zhao's Feat is A Record

The ABC's Paula Kruger has brief quotes from both GM Ian Rogers and Sydney arbiter Dr Charles Zworestine.

"You need a series of world class performances and Yuan has achieved them in seven weeks, it's a record," he said.

"No one has ever scored three Grand Master results in such a short period of time. It's absolutely incredible.

"In fact, in December he played his first ever Grand Master tournament, he won it. His second one, he won that as well.

In Aussie becomes youngest chess 'Grand Master'.

As an aside, it's no wonder that Zhao can be very successful in this game. These guys have incredible memories. One night during last year's SIO, while having dinner with the then IM and a few other players, Zhao surprised me by asking if I remember our first game. Of course I did! That was way back in '99 at the unforgettable Australian Open in Buderim. I lost in 18 moves.

I remember thinking, "My God, I can't believe I lost to this punk".