林丹
In June, Chen participated in the Indonesia Open. In Indonesia, he defeated the reigning Olympic champion, Lin Dan, 18–21 21–17 21–4 in the quarter-finals. However, Chen could not progress pass the semi-final stage after being defeated by Lee Chong Wei with a scoreline of 15–21 20–22. In August, Chen won a silver medal at the 2009 BWF World Championships. Chen once again fell to his compatriot, Lin Dan, 21–18, 21–16 in 45 minutes in the final in Hyderabad, India.