Ni Hua
Encyclopedia
Ni Hua is one of China's top chess
grandmasters and is the national team captain. In 2003, he became China's 15th Grandmaster at the age of 19. On April 2008, Ni Hua and Bu Xiangzhi
both became the second and third Chinese players to pass the 2700 Elo rating line, after Wang Yue
. He is ranked 59th globally, 7th in Asia, and 4th in China.
Ni Hua is to play on 4th board at the World Team Chess Championship
in January 3–14, 2010.
In 2000 he played in his first Olympiad
in Istanbul
, where he scored 5.5/9. In February 2000, he gained his first GM norm at the 1st Saturday GM Tournament in Budapest
with 7/10 score. He achieved his second GM norm at the April 2001 China Team Championship in Suzhou
with a score of 6.5/10. His third GM norm was achieved at the Tan Chin Nam Cup with a score of 6.5/9 in Qingdao
in July 2002. In the 2001 China-USA Summit Match, Ni Hua scored notable victories against Dmitry Schneider and Hikaru Nakamura
.
In February 2003, Ni had his Grandmaster title ratified. He achieved his GM norms at: the February 2000 1st Saturday GM Tournament in Budapest
(score 7.0/10), the April 2001 China Team Championship in Suzhou
(score 6.5/10), and the July 2002 Tan Chin Nam Cup GM in Qingdao
(score 6.5/9).
In August 2004, Ni won the 1st Dato’ Arthur Tan Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur
. In the (August) 2004 FIDE World championship he beat Evgeny Vladimirov
in round one but was put out by his fellow countryman Ye Jiangchuan
in the next round.
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In November 2005, the Chinese national team just needed one point to win the championship in the World Team Championship in Beersheba
, Israel but Ni Hua's two endgame losses (to Karen Asrian
of Armenia and Alexander Morozevich
of Russia) in the final two rounds allowed Russia to clinch victory. Ni won the Chinese National Chess Championship
twice consecutively in 2006 and 2007. In December 2007, he won the Prospero Pichay Cup in Manila
with a score of 7.0/9.
In April 2008, Ni competed at the Russian Team Championships in Dagomys
, Sochi
for the team Economist-SGSEU-1 (Saratov
), where he achieved a score of 7.0/11 (+4=6–1) and a performance rating of 2735. In May–June 2008, he became the Chinese National Champion for the third time running with 7.5/11 points in Beijing and having a performance of 2666.
In early September 2008, he competed for team Mérida Patrimonio on board three at the Division 2 – CECLUB Spanish Club Chess Championship. His team mates were Dmitry Jakovenko
(b1), Pavel Eljanov
(b2), Zoltán Almási
(b4), Ibragim Khamrakulov (b5) and Miguel Llanes Hurtado (b6). Ni Hua scored 4.0/5 (+3 =2 -0) and his team topped the group. (Team Victory Photo) In late September 2008, he competed at the 5th Russia v China Match in Ningbo
where he scored 2.5/5 with a performance rating of 2700 for the men's team (with Wang Yue
, Wang Hao
, Bu Xiangzhi
, Li Chao
).
In January 2009 he won the 51st Reggio Emilia chess tournament
, the first Chinese player to win this important event. In 2009, he made appearances at the Canada Open, 4th Kolkata Open, Russia v China match, Chinese National Championships, the Maotai Prince Cup China National Chess King & Queen Championships and the European Club Cup for the champions Economist Saratov.
He is to play at the London Chess Classic
on December 7–16, 2009 to be held at the Olympia Conference Centre
.
He has also been confirmed for the 2009/2010 Reggio Emilia edition (December 28 – January 6), and in Group B at the 72nd Corus
Wijk aan Zee
2010 (January 15 – 31 January).
In April 2010 he won Asian Chess Championship
in Subic Bay
.
and 1.e4 with either the Sicilian
or French
.
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...
grandmasters and is the national team captain. In 2003, he became China's 15th Grandmaster at the age of 19. On April 2008, Ni Hua and Bu Xiangzhi
Bu Xiangzhi
Bu Xiangzhi is a Chinese chess grandmaster. In 1999, he became China's 10th Grandmaster at the age of 13 years, 10 months, 13 days, at the time the youngest in history. In April 2008, Bu and Ni Hua became the second and third Chinese players to pass the 2700 Elo rating line, after Wang Yue...
both became the second and third Chinese players to pass the 2700 Elo rating line, after Wang Yue
Wang Yue
Wang Yue is a Chinese chess Grandmaster. He is China's highest-ever rated player with a peak Elo rating of 2751. In 2004, he became China's 18th Grandmaster at the age of 17....
. He is ranked 59th globally, 7th in Asia, and 4th in China.
Ni Hua is to play on 4th board at the World Team Chess Championship
World Team Chess Championship
The World Team Chess Championship is an international team chess event, eligible for the participation of 10 countries whose chess federations dominate their continent.-Men's team medals:-Women's team medals:-References:*...
in January 3–14, 2010.
Career
Ni learned to play chess at six. He won the S.T. Lee Cup for under 14 year-olds in 1996 and 1997 and repeated the performance in a higher age group in 1999.In 2000 he played in his first Olympiad
34th Chess Olympiad
The 34th Chess Olympiad, organized by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs and comprising an open and women's tournament, took place between October 28 and November 12, 2000, in Istanbul, Turkey.- Chess competition :...
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, where he scored 5.5/9. In February 2000, he gained his first GM norm at the 1st Saturday GM Tournament 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...
with 7/10 score. He achieved his second GM norm at the April 2001 China Team Championship in Suzhou
Suzhou
Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
with a score of 6.5/10. His third GM norm was achieved at the Tan Chin Nam Cup with a score of 6.5/9 in Qingdao
Qingdao
' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
in July 2002. In the 2001 China-USA Summit Match, Ni Hua scored notable victories against Dmitry Schneider and Hikaru Nakamura
Hikaru Nakamura
Hikaru Nakamura is an American chess Grandmaster . He has been ranked among the top six players in the world by FIDE....
.
In February 2003, Ni had his Grandmaster title ratified. He achieved his GM norms at: the February 2000 1st Saturday GM Tournament 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...
(score 7.0/10), the April 2001 China Team Championship in Suzhou
Suzhou
Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
(score 6.5/10), and the July 2002 Tan Chin Nam Cup GM in Qingdao
Qingdao
' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
(score 6.5/9).
In August 2004, Ni won the 1st Dato’ Arthur Tan Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
. In the (August) 2004 FIDE World championship he beat Evgeny Vladimirov
Evgeny Vladimirov
Evgeny Vladimirov is a chess Grandmaster from Kazakhstan. Vladimirov took on the computer program Hydra in August 2004 and lost three games and drew one....
in round one but was put out by his fellow countryman Ye Jiangchuan
Ye Jiangchuan
Ye Jiangchuan is a veteran Chinese chess player and has been one of China's leading players in modern history.In 1993, Ye became China's third Grandmaster, after Ye Rongguang and Xie Jun. On 1 January 2000, he became the first ever Chinese player to cross the 2600 elo rating mark...
in the next round.
Beersheba
Beersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....
, Israel but Ni Hua's two endgame losses (to Karen Asrian
Karen Asrian
Karen Asrian was an Armenian chess Grandmaster.As of the October 2006 FIDE rating list, his Elo rating was 2634, tied for the fourth highest rank in Armenia....
of Armenia and Alexander Morozevich
Alexander Morozevich
Alexander Morozevich is a Russian chess Grandmaster. In the November 2011 FIDE list, he had an Elo rating of 2762, making him the 9th-highest rated player in the world, although he has previously ranked as high as second, in the July 2008 list....
of Russia) in the final two rounds allowed Russia to clinch victory. Ni won the Chinese National Chess Championship
Chinese Chess Championship
The Chinese Chess Championship is the annual individual national chess championship of China.-Winners:-Women's Crosstables:Average Elo: 2382 Cat: 6m = 6.60Average Elo: 2372 Cat: 5m = 7.04Average Elo: 2346 Cat: 4...
twice consecutively in 2006 and 2007. In December 2007, he won the Prospero Pichay Cup in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
with a score of 7.0/9.
In April 2008, Ni competed at the Russian Team Championships in Dagomys
Dagomys
Dagomys ; is a microraion of Sochi, Russia , known for its resorts, vacation spots and tea plantations. It was developed as a resort since before the Russian Revolution, when a botanical garden was founded by order of Nicholas II...
, Sochi
Sochi
Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
for the team Economist-SGSEU-1 (Saratov
Saratov
-Modern Saratov:The Saratov region is highly industrialized, due in part to the rich in natural and industrial resources of the area. The region is also one of the more important and largest cultural and scientific centres in Russia...
), where he achieved a score of 7.0/11 (+4=6–1) and a performance rating of 2735. In May–June 2008, he became the Chinese National Champion for the third time running with 7.5/11 points in Beijing and having a performance of 2666.
In early September 2008, he competed for team Mérida Patrimonio on board three at the Division 2 – CECLUB Spanish Club Chess Championship. His team mates were Dmitry Jakovenko
Dmitry Jakovenko
Dmitry Olegovich Jakovenko is a Russian chess grandmaster. On the March 2010 FIDE Elo rating list, Jakovenko has a rating of 2725, making him the 20th highest ranked player in the world....
(b1), Pavel Eljanov
Pavel Eljanov
Pavel Eljanov is a Ukrainian chess grandmaster.In 1999, he was a member of the Ukrainian national youth team, which won the U-16 Chess Olympiad in Artek, Ukraine.Eljanov won the Corus B 2007 in Wijk aan Zee, Holland with a score of 9/13...
(b2), Zoltán Almási
Zoltan Almasi
Zoltán Almási is a Grandmaster of chess from Hungary. He is a seven-time Hungarian Chess Champion, winning in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2008...
(b4), Ibragim Khamrakulov (b5) and Miguel Llanes Hurtado (b6). Ni Hua scored 4.0/5 (+3 =2 -0) and his team topped the group. (Team Victory Photo) In late September 2008, he competed at the 5th Russia v China Match in Ningbo
Ningbo
Ningbo is a seaport city of northeastern Zhejiang province, Eastern China. Holding sub-provincial administrative status, the municipality has a population of 7,605,700 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 3,089,180 in the built up area made of 6 urban districts. It lies south of the Hangzhou Bay,...
where he scored 2.5/5 with a performance rating of 2700 for the men's team (with Wang Yue
Wang Yue
Wang Yue is a Chinese chess Grandmaster. He is China's highest-ever rated player with a peak Elo rating of 2751. In 2004, he became China's 18th Grandmaster at the age of 17....
, Wang Hao
Wang Hao (chess player)
Wang Hao is a Chinese chess Grandmaster. In November 2009, Wang Hao became the fourth ever Chinese player to cross the 2700 Elo rating mark. He is the reigning Chinese Chess Champion, with a ranking of No. 1 in China, No. 2 in Asia behind Viswanathan Anand and No. 19 in the world...
, Bu Xiangzhi
Bu Xiangzhi
Bu Xiangzhi is a Chinese chess grandmaster. In 1999, he became China's 10th Grandmaster at the age of 13 years, 10 months, 13 days, at the time the youngest in history. In April 2008, Bu and Ni Hua became the second and third Chinese players to pass the 2700 Elo rating line, after Wang Yue...
, Li Chao
Li Chao (chess player)
Li Chao is a Chinese chess Grandmaster. In 2007, he became China's 23rd Grandmaster at the age of 18. As of April 2009, he is the sixth highest rated junior player and is China's fifth highest rated player...
).
In January 2009 he won the 51st Reggio Emilia chess tournament
Reggio Emilia chess tournament
The Reggio Emilia chess tournament is a chess tournament played in Reggio Emilia, Italy. In Italian the tournament is called Torneo di Capodanno , as it starts just after Christmas and ends on the day of Epiphany...
, the first Chinese player to win this important event. In 2009, he made appearances at the Canada Open, 4th Kolkata Open, Russia v China match, Chinese National Championships, the Maotai Prince Cup China National Chess King & Queen Championships and the European Club Cup for the champions Economist Saratov.
He is to play at the London Chess Classic
London Chess Classic
The London Chess Classic is a festival of the game of chess held at the Olympia Conference Centre, West Kensington, London. The flagship event is a strong invitational tournament between some of the world's top grandmasters...
on December 7–16, 2009 to be held at the Olympia Conference Centre
Olympia, London
Olympia is an exhibition centre and conference centre in West Kensington, on the boundary between The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham, London, W14 8UX, England. It opened in the 19th century and was originally known as the National Agricultural Hall.Opened in 1886,...
.
He has also been confirmed for the 2009/2010 Reggio Emilia edition (December 28 – January 6), and in Group B at the 72nd Corus
Corus chess tournament
The Tata Steel Chess Tournament formerly called the Corus chess tournament takes place every year, usually in January, in a small town called Wijk aan Zee, part of the larger Beverwijk in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands...
Wijk aan Zee
Wijk aan Zee
Wijk aan Zee is a small town on the coast of the North Sea in the municipality of Beverwijk in the province of North Holland of the Netherlands. The prestigious Tata Steel chess tournament formerly Corus chess tournament and before that called Hoogovens tournament takes place there every year.Due...
2010 (January 15 – 31 January).
In April 2010 he won Asian Chess Championship
Asian Chess Championship
The 2007 championship was a FIDE Zone 3 qualification event for the 2007 Chess World Cup, the next stage in the 2009 World Chess Championship. Ten players were qualified for the 2007 World Cup: Zhang Pengxiang , Wang Hao , Abhijit Kunte , Zhao Jun , Susanto Megaranto , Wen Yang , Darwin Laylo ,...
in Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
.
Openings
Ni Hua almost always opens with 1.e4 with White and, usually, as Black, answers 1.d4 with either the Slav or GrunfeldGrünfeld Defence
The Grünfeld Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:-History:The first instance of this opening is in an 1855 game by Moheschunder Bannerjee, an Indian player who had transitioned from Indian chess rules, playing black against John Cochrane in Calcutta, in May 1855: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4...
and 1.e4 with either the Sicilian
Sicilian Defence
The Sicilian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the moves:The Sicilian is the most popular and best-scoring response to White's first move 1.e4...
or French
French Defence
The French Defence is a chess opening. It is characterised by the moves:The French has a reputation for solidity and resilience, though it can result in a somewhat cramped game for Black in the early stages...
.
Notable chess games
- Nigel Short vs Ni Hua, International Kings Challenge 2003, Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, General (B33), 0-1
- Ni Hua vs Mikhael Mchedlishvili, World Team Championship 2005, Nimzo-Indian Defense: Saemisch, Capablanca Variation (E29), 1-0
- Ni Hua vs Peter Svidler, Russia vs China Match 2008, Sicilian Defense: Canal Attack (B51), 1-0
- Ni Hua vs Sergei Tiviakov, Torneo di Capodanno 2008, Scandinavian Defense: Gubinsky-Melts Defense (B01), 1-0