Li Chao

Born 1989 in Taiyuan/China.

Li Chao studied at the Capital Institute of Physical Education, majoring in physical education, in Beijing/China. He started to play chess at the age of five. Currently, he is playing for the Beijing Aigo team in the Chinese league. He represented China at three olympiads, in 2008, 2010, and 2012. He got his Grandmaster title in 2007 and is currently number thirty-five on the world active players list, with a FIDE rating of 2710.

Li Chao’s first notable international achievement came at the 2002 World Youth Olympiad (U16) where he was a member of the winning Chinese team, and again at the same event in 2004, when he won an individual as well as a team gold medal. He qualified twice for the World Cup Championship in 2009 and 2011 and got through to the third round in 2009.

Since 2007, he has been a frequent winner of major tournaments. His successes in 2007 include – during a period of over three months – the Scandinavian Tournament in Täby/Sweden (8.5/9 in a field that included 5 GMs); the Dato Tan Malaysian Open (9/10, 6 GMs), and the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (Manila) Cup (equal first 7/9, 20 GMs). Since then he has won many more tournaments, the most impressive being the 26th Summer Universiade in Shenzhen/China in 2011: In a field that included 22 GMs he finished on 8.5/9, 2 points clear of field with a performance rating of 2993.

Apart from his individual successes, Li Chao has also been a powerful player in many team events. In 2008 his 91.7% result (5.5/6) for the United Arab Emirates Al-Ain Team in the First Asian Club Chess competition earned him an individual gold medal. Playing for the winning Shijiazhuang City in the Asian Cities Championship (2011) in Jakarta/Indonesia, he won both team and individual gold medals.