Zhao Zong-Yuan
Encyclopedia
Zhao Zong-Yuan is an Australian chess
Grandmaster. He is the current Australian Chess Champion and number one ranked chess player in Australia.
graduate from the University of Sydney
.
Junior Chess League.
Zhao won with 8/8 the 1999 Queensland Under-18 Championship and then finishing just half a point behind Darryl Johansen
in the Australian Championship proper
, finishing with a remarkable 4/4 burst. In 2000, he finished second to Aleksandar Wohl
in the Oceania Zonal and in 2001, won the Australian Junior Championship. He played in the 2001 British Championship and scored 6/11. In 2004 he won the Doeberl Cup
with 6/7 ahead of Ian Rogers
, David Smerdon
, Johansen and Gary Lane
. In 2005 he won the Australian Junior Masters with a 9/9 score. He has represented his country in three Olympiad
s and in 2006
was on board three.
In January 2007, Zhao won the Australian Open with 9.5/11 points with a 2673 performance rating. In May 2007, he came first place at the 2007 Oceania Zonal in Fiji
with 7/9 points, ahead of New Zealander Puchen Wang. This enabled him to qualify for the 2007 FIDE World Cup
in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia, where he was knocked out in the first round by Magnus Carlsen
(0-2). In July 2007, he won the Australian National University
Open with a score of 6/7.
Zhao achieved all three of the required grandmaster (GM) norms
over two months in December 2007 and January 2008. Zhao scored 7/9 earning his first GM norm in the First Saturday chess tournament (1–10 December 2007) in Budapest
, Hungary. Zhao earned his second GM norm by convincingly winning with 6.5 points the VII Festival Internacional de Ajedrez GEMA tournament (10th category round robin) which was held from 26 December 2007 until 5 January 2008 in Mondariz Balneario (Pontevedra
), Spain. In his third attempt, which was unsuccessful, Zhao played in the 33rd Seville Open/XXXIII Abierto Internacional "Ciudad de Sevilla" (5–12 January 2008) Sevilla, Spain finishing with 6.5/9 points (=10th place). In 22–31 January 2008 he managed to achieve his final GM norm at the 2008 Gibtelecom Chess Festival in Gibraltar
. Together with achieving a rating over 2500, this means he has qualified for the title of Grandmaster. Zhao is Australia's third grandmaster, after Ian Rogers
and Darryl Johansen
.
Since Ian Rogers
, Australia's previous #1, has retired, Zhao played top board in the 2008 Chess Olympiad in Dresden, where he scored 6.5/10 with a performance rating of 2620, easily the best performance rating of the team.
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
Grandmaster. He is the current Australian Chess Champion and number one ranked chess player in Australia.
Early life
Zhao grew up in Coffs Harbour, Australia, a pharmacyPharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
graduate from the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
.
Chess career
Zhao became the youngest Australian international master at the age of 14, and was a member of the NSWNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
Junior Chess League.
Zhao won with 8/8 the 1999 Queensland Under-18 Championship and then finishing just half a point behind Darryl Johansen
Darryl Johansen
Darryl Keith Johansen is an Australian chess Grandmaster. He became an International Master in 1983 and Australia's second Grandmaster, after Ian Rogers, in 1995....
in the Australian Championship proper
Australian Chess Championship
The Australian Chess Championship is a tournament organised by the Australian Chess Federation and held every two years. The tournament is usually restricted to Australian chess players, although exceptions have been made on occasion. The winner of the tournament holds the title of Australian Chess...
, finishing with a remarkable 4/4 burst. In 2000, he finished second to Aleksandar Wohl
Aleksandar Wohl
Aleksandar Wohl is an Australian chess player, International Master.-Chess career:He won the Australian Championship in 1992. In 1989 he won the Australian Open Chess Championship and in 2009 tied for 1st with George Xie...
in the Oceania Zonal and in 2001, won the Australian Junior Championship. He played in the 2001 British Championship and scored 6/11. In 2004 he won the Doeberl Cup
Doeberl Cup
The Doeberl Cup is an annual chess tournament held in Canberra, Australia. It has been held every year since 1963 and is the longest running weekend chess event in Australia. Since its inception the event has grown both larger and stronger, and often attracts more players than the Australian Chess...
with 6/7 ahead of Ian Rogers
Ian Rogers (chess player)
Ian Rogers , is a retired Australian chess grandmaster and FIDE Senior Trainer .-Career:Rogers was the first Australian to become a Chess Grandmaster, a title he achieved in 1985 after becoming an International Master in 1980...
, David Smerdon
David Smerdon
David Smerdon is a chess grandmaster from Brisbane, Australia. David attended Anglican Church Grammar School and Melbourne University....
, Johansen and Gary Lane
Gary Lane
Gary William Lane is a professional chess player and author. He became an International Master in 1987 and won the Commonwealth Chess Championship in 1988...
. In 2005 he won the Australian Junior Masters with a 9/9 score. He has represented his country in three Olympiad
Chess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
s and in 2006
37th Chess Olympiad
The 37th Chess Olympiad, comprising an open and women's tournament and the general assembly of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs , took place between 20 May and 6 June 2006, in Turin, Italy.-Open tournament:...
was on board three.
In January 2007, Zhao won the Australian Open with 9.5/11 points with a 2673 performance rating. In May 2007, he came first place at the 2007 Oceania Zonal in Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
with 7/9 points, ahead of New Zealander Puchen Wang. This enabled him to qualify for the 2007 FIDE World Cup
Chess World Cup 2007
The Chess World Cup 2007 served as a qualification tournament for the World Chess Championship 2009. It was held as a 128-player single-elimination tournament, between 24 November and 16 December 2007, in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia....
in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia, where he was knocked out in the first round by Magnus Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen
Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen is a Norwegian chess Grandmaster and chess prodigy who is currently the number-one ranked player in the world. In January 2010 he became the seventh player ranked number one in the world on the official FIDE rating list...
(0-2). In July 2007, he won the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
Open with a score of 6/7.
Zhao achieved all three of the required grandmaster (GM) norms
Grandmaster norm
A norm in chess is one of the requirements to receive a title such as Grandmaster from FIDE.- Grandmaster norm :In order to qualify for the title of Grandmaster of chess, a title awarded by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, a player must achieve three or more grandmaster norms in events covering a...
over two months in December 2007 and January 2008. Zhao scored 7/9 earning his first GM norm in the First Saturday chess tournament (1–10 December 2007) in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary. Zhao earned his second GM norm by convincingly winning with 6.5 points the VII Festival Internacional de Ajedrez GEMA tournament (10th category round robin) which was held from 26 December 2007 until 5 January 2008 in Mondariz Balneario (Pontevedra
Pontevedra
Pontevedra is a city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the comarca and province of Pontevedra, in Galicia . It is also the capital of its own municipality which is, in fact, often considered as an extension of the actual city...
), Spain. In his third attempt, which was unsuccessful, Zhao played in the 33rd Seville Open/XXXIII Abierto Internacional "Ciudad de Sevilla" (5–12 January 2008) Sevilla, Spain finishing with 6.5/9 points (=10th place). In 22–31 January 2008 he managed to achieve his final GM norm at the 2008 Gibtelecom Chess Festival in Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. Together with achieving a rating over 2500, this means he has qualified for the title of Grandmaster. Zhao is Australia's third grandmaster, after Ian Rogers
Ian Rogers (chess player)
Ian Rogers , is a retired Australian chess grandmaster and FIDE Senior Trainer .-Career:Rogers was the first Australian to become a Chess Grandmaster, a title he achieved in 1985 after becoming an International Master in 1980...
and Darryl Johansen
Darryl Johansen
Darryl Keith Johansen is an Australian chess Grandmaster. He became an International Master in 1983 and Australia's second Grandmaster, after Ian Rogers, in 1995....
.
Since Ian Rogers
Ian Rogers (chess player)
Ian Rogers , is a retired Australian chess grandmaster and FIDE Senior Trainer .-Career:Rogers was the first Australian to become a Chess Grandmaster, a title he achieved in 1985 after becoming an International Master in 1980...
, Australia's previous #1, has retired, Zhao played top board in the 2008 Chess Olympiad in Dresden, where he scored 6.5/10 with a performance rating of 2620, easily the best performance rating of the team.
External links
- Profile in University of Sydney, Faculty of Pharmacy, Newsletter (PDFPortable Document FormatPortable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
)