In April 2008, Ni Hua and Bu Xiangzhi both became the second and third Chinese players to pass the 2700 Elo rating mark, after Wang Yue.

In the 2001 China-USA Summit Match, Ni Hua scored notable victories against Dmitry Schneider and Hikaru Nakamura.

[5] In November 2005, the Chinese national team just needed one point to win the championship in the World Team Chess 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.

[12][13] 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, Pavel Eljanov, Zoltán Almási, Ibragim Khamrakulov and Miguel Llanes Hurtado.

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.

[17] In the subsequent month, he won the 14th Dubai Open scoring 7/9 and edging out on tiebreak Baadur Jobava, Mikheil Mchedlishvili, Normunds Miezis and Sandipan Chanda.

[18] In June of that year, he tied for first with Bu Xiangzhi in the 3rd Hainan Danzhou tournament after both scored 6/9, and finished second on tiebreak.