Zhao Xue facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Zhao Xue |
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| Country | China |
| Born | 6 April 1985 Jinan, Shandong, China |
| Title | Grandmaster (2008) |
| FIDE rating | 2486 (July 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2579 (September 2013) |
Zhao Xue (Chinese: 赵雪; pinyin: Zhào Xuě; born April 6, 1985) is a famous Chinese chess player. She is one of the few women in the world to earn the highest chess title. This title is called Grandmaster. Zhao Xue was the 24th person from China to achieve this amazing title. She has been a key member of the Chinese national chess team. Her teams have won gold medals at big events. These include the Women's Chess Olympiad and the Women's World Team Chess Championship.
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Zhao Xue's Chess Journey
Zhao Xue started her chess journey very strong. She won two gold medals when she was young. These were at the World Youth Chess Championships. She won the Girls Under 12 section in 1997. Then, she won the Girls Under 14 section in 1999.
Winning Junior Championships
In 2002, Zhao Xue won another big title. She became the World Junior Girls Champion. This competition took place in Goa, India. Her victory here helped her qualify for the Women's World Chess Championship 2004. She won her first match in this championship. However, she was later knocked out of the competition.
Becoming a Grandmaster
Zhao Xue kept playing in major tournaments. In 2007, she won a tournament in Bad Homburg. She also tied for first place in the North Urals Cup in Russia. During these events, she earned special achievements called "norms". These norms are like high scores needed to get the Grandmaster title. She earned her first norm at the 2006 Women's Chess Olympiad. Because of her strong play, FIDE (the world chess organization) gave her the Grandmaster title in 2008.
Competing on the World Stage
Zhao Xue has competed many times in the Women's World Chess Championship. This is a very important tournament. In 2010, she had her best result. She reached the semifinals of the championship. She also won a stage of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix in 2011. This is a series of top-level tournaments.
In 2012, Zhao Xue won the Asian Women's Blitz Championship. Blitz chess is a very fast game. She also reached the quarterfinals of the Women's World Chess Championship 2012. In 2013, she won an award for the best female player at the Gibraltar Chess Festival. Later that year, she won the women's chess tournament at the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan. Her win helped China's team get a gold medal.
Zhao Xue continued to play in the Women's World Chess Championship in 2015, 2017, and 2018. She also won a gold medal in Basque chess in 2017. This was at the IMSA Elite Mind Games.
Playing for Her Country
Zhao Xue has been a very important player for China's national chess team.
- In 2002, she played at the 35th Chess Olympiad. She scored an amazing 11 points out of 12. Her team won a gold medal.
- In 2004, at the 36th Chess Olympiad, she scored 10 points out of 12. She won an individual gold medal for her performance.
- In 2006, she scored 10 points out of 13. She won another individual gold medal.
She also helped China win the first Women's World Team Championship in 2007. She played on the first board for her team. Zhao Xue also plays for the Beijing chess club in the China Chess League (CCL).
Key Achievements
Here are some of Zhao Xue's important wins and honors:
Individual Awards
- 2012: China Women's Masters, Wuxi, China
- 2011: FIDE Women's Grand Prix, Nalchik, Russia
Team Awards
- 2012: Asian Women's Nations Cup, Zaozhuang, China
- 2011: FIDE Women's World Team Championship, Mardin, Turkey
- 2011: China League Division A, Tianjin, China
