GMPengxiang Zhang

Zhang Pengxiang was born in Tianjin in 1980 and learned chess at five. He won national youth titles in 1992 and 1993 and the Chinese junior championship in 1999. He became an IM in 1998 and a GM in 2001. At the 2001 FIDE World Championship he eliminated former world champion Anatoly Karpov in rapid tiebreaks before losing to Evgeny Pigusov. He won the Chinese championship in 2002 and the Asian Individual Championship in 2007.

Zhang's international victories included the 2004 Essent Open in Hoogeveen, the 2005 Cannes festival and the 2006 Arroyo Cup in Manila. He won individual gold at the 2003 Asian Team Championship and represented China at the 2002 and 2006 Olympiads. His later interests included teaching young players through online classes.