Career
In 2004, he became China"s 19th Grandmaster at the age of 17. Zhao plays for the Shandong chess club in the China Chess League (CCL). Playing under the handle CK-324, he earned a spot in the 2006 FIDE Blitz Championship by winning a qualifying tournament on the Interstate Commerce Commission. He competed in the Chess World Cup 2007, where he knocked out Pendyala Harikrishna in the first round, then he was eliminated from the tournament by losing to Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu in the second round.