Ding Liren, Zhang Xiaowen and Zhao Xue leaders after round 9
The Chinese Chess Championships 2011 are taking place from 30th March to 10th April 2011 in Xinghua, Jiangsu, China. Both groups are 12-players round robin tournaments. Women World Champion Yifan Hou competes in the Open section.
The top eight finishers qualify for the China Chess Championships 2012. The last four players will compete in China Chess Championship 2012 Group B. Champion of the Open section will be invited to play for the Chinese team in the World Chess Team Championship in Ningbo later this year. Four players already earned the place in the team: Wang Yue, Wang Hao, Li Chao b and Yu Yangyi.
GM Ding Liren, China champion in 2009, guards the lead in the Open section ever since he took it away from GM Ni Hua in the direct duel in the 7th round. Liren has 7.0 points, and GM Zhao Jun is trailing half a point behind. Ni Hua is third with 6.0, while top-seeded Wang Yue is uncommonly in the middle of the table with only 4.5 points.
GM Zhao Xue, who just defeated the top seed and defending champion WGM Ju Wenjun, and 2009 Asia champion WGM Zhang Xiaowen are joint leaders in the Women section, with 7.0 points each. Full point behind is the most pleasant surprise, the untitled player Wang Jue (2275).

GM Zhao Xue

Round 9 results (open):
Zhang Ziyang 0-1 GM Li Shilong
GM Bu Xiangzhi ½-½ GM Zhou Jianchao
GM Yu Yangyi 1-0 GM Wang Yue
GM Zhao Jun 1-0 Xiu Deshun
GM Ding Liren 1-0 GM Li Chao b
GM Ni Hua 1-0 GM Hou Yifan
Round 10 pairings (open):
GM Li Shilong – GM Hou Yifan
GM Li Chao b – GM Ni Hua
Xiu Deshun – GM Ding Liren
GM Wang Yue – GM Zhao Jun
GM Zhou Jianchao – GM Yu Yangyi
Zhang Ziyang – GM Bu Xiangzhi
Round 9 results (women):
GM Zhao Xue 1-0 WGM Ju Wenjun
WGM Shen Yang 0-1 WGM Wang Yu A
WGM Huang Qian 0-1 WGM Zhang Xiaowen
WGM Ding Yixin 0-1 WGM Tan Zhongyi
Wang Jue 1-0 WIM Xu Tong
WGM Gu Xiaobing 0-1 Guo Qi
Round 10 pairings (women):
WGM Ju Wenjun – Guo Qi
WIM Xu Tong – WGM Gu Xiaobing
WGM Tan Zhongyi – Wang Jue
WGM Zhang Xiaowen – WGM Ding Yixin
WGM Wang Yu A – WGM Huang Qian
GM Zhao Xue – WGM Shen Yang