Zhao Xue | |
|---|---|
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| Country | China |
| Born | (1985-04-06)6 April 1985 (age 39) Jinan,[1]Shandong, China |
| Title | Grandmaster (2008) |
| FIDE rating | 2442 (March 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2579 (September 2013) |
Zhao Xue (Chinese:赵雪;pinyin:Zhào Xuě; born 6 April 1985) is a Chinesechess player. She is the24th Chinese person to achieve the title ofGrandmaster. Zhao was a member of the gold medal-winning Chinese team at theWomen's Chess Olympiad in 2002, 2004 and 2016, and at the Women'sWorld Team Chess Championship in 2007, 2009 and 2011. She has competed in theWomen's World Chess Championship in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2018, reaching the semifinals in 2010.
Zhao won two gold medals at theWorld Youth Chess Championships, in the Girls Under 12 section, in 1997, and in the Girls Under 14, in 1999. In 2002, she won theWorld Junior Girls Championship inGoa, India, edging out defending championKoneru Humpy on tie-break. This victory qualified her to theWomen's World Chess Championship 2004, in which she knocked outShadi Paridar in the first round, then lost toElisabeth Pähtz and therefore was eliminated from the competition.
Zhao qualified thanks to her rating to theWomen's World Chess Championship 2006, in which she lost in the first round toMaria Kursova. Later in the same year, she took part in the2006 Asian Games, held inDoha, and won the silver medal in thewomen's individual rapid chess event.
In July 2007, she won the Queens Woman Grandmasters tournament inBad Homburg[2][3] and tied for first place with former women's world championZhu Chen in the women's supertournament North Urals Cup inKrasnoturinsk, Russia after both finished on a score of 6/9, but placed second on tiebreak.[4] In this tournament she also achieved her final "norm" required for the title ofGrandmaster; the first one was gained at the 2006Women's Chess Olympiad.[1]FIDE awarded her the title in 2008.
In theWomen's World Chess Championship 2008, Zhao was knocked out in the second round by compatriotShen Yang, after defeatingMarisa Zuriel in the first. In the following month, in October 2008, she won the silver medal in thewomen's individual rapid event at theWorld Mind Sports Games, which took place inBeijing.
Zhao took part in theFIDE Women's Grand Prix 2009–11, for which she qualified via rating. Her best results were third place at Nanjing 2009 and shared 3rd-5th in Ulaanbaatar 2010 events. In November 2010, she took part in the2010 Asian Games, held inGuangzhou, and won the silver medal in thewomen's individual rapid chess event.
In December 2010, she participated in theWomen's World Chess Championship and this time she reached the semifinals, where she lost by 1½-2½ to her compatriot and eventual runner-upRuan Lufei. This result enabled her to qualify for theFIDE Women's Grand Prix 2011–2012. In the leg held inShenzhen, Zhao scored 6/11 and finished in joint 5th-6th place along with Ruan Lufei, earning her 75 points in the Grand Prix.[5] In October 2011, she won theNalchik stage, with a score of 9½/11. In July 2012, she finished seventh inJermuk on 5½/11. In theAnkara event, she placed third with 7½/11. In the Grand Prix overall standings, Zhao placed fourth with 345 points.
In April 2012, Zhao won the 2nd China Women Masters Tournament inWuxi.[6] In the following month, she won the Asian Women'sBlitz Championship, held inHo Chi Minh City, on tiebreak overWang Jue andTan Zhongyi.[7] At theWomen's World Chess Championship 2012 she made it to the quarterfinals, where she lost toDronavalli Harika.
In January 2013, Zhao won the prize for best female player at the Masters event of theGibraltar Chess Festival scoring 7½/10.[8] She finished second, behindHou Yifan, in thewomen's standard event at the2013 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games. Soon after she won the women'schess tournament at the2013 Summer Universiade inKazan, contributing to China's team gold.[9]
Zhao competed in theFIDE Women's Grand Prix 2013–14. In January 2015, she won theNew Zealand Open with a score of 8/9.[10][11] Zhao took part in theWomen's World Chess Championship 2015, where she reached the quarterfinals, losing to the eventual runner-up,Natalia Pogonina. In the2017 edition, she lost in the second round toPadmini Rout. In December of the same year, Zhao won the gold medal in the women'sBasque chess event at theIMSA Elite Mind Games inHuai'an.[12] In November 2018, she took part again in theWomen's World Championship; Zhao defeatedCarolina Lujan in the first round by 2–0, then went out in the second after losing toZhansaya Abdumalik in the tiebreakers.[13]
Zhao, as a first reserve, scored 11 points out of 12 (performance rating of 2723) on board 4 in the 2002Women's Chess Olympiad, held inBled. Innext edition, held two years later inCalvià, she scored 10/12 on board 3 (performance rating of 2603) winning an individual gold medal. In 2006, she scored 10/13 on board 1 (performance rating of 2615) winning an individual gold.
Zhao played first board on the Chinese women's team in the 2005World Team Chess Championship held inBeersheba, Israel. Two years later, she led China to victory in the first Women's World Team Championship with a score of 6½/8 (performance rating of 2693).
Zhao Xue plays forBeijingchess club in theChina Chess League (CCL).[14]
Individual
Team
| Men's individual rapid | |
|---|---|
| Women's individual rapid | |
| Men's team classical | |
| Women's team classical | |
| Mixed team classical | |
