Women's World Chess Championship 2025
Commented by: Alex Astaneh
Tan Zhongyi against the ropes
The match for the title of Women's World Champion kicked off in Shanghai 10 days ago, and so far it's been a major success for the defending champion.
While Ju Wenjun was considered the favorite going into the match, it was fair to say that the margins were extremely fine. After all, both players sport a rating of ~2550, and their lifetime score against each other was close to 50/50 before starting.
There was second round shock for Ju Wenjun, when she collapsed in an equal but tricky endgame, propelling Tan Zhongyi into an early lead.
But after that, it's been entirely one-way traffic, with Ju Wenjun viciously amassing point after point in the last four rounds. She's scored 3 wins and conceded only one draw in that time frame.
This means that, as we enter the second half of the match, Tan Zhongyi is under enormous pressure. Put simply, the next decisive game of the match must go her way if she is to keep her chances of taking the throne alive.
And just to add to the pressure, Zhongyi has the Black pieces today. Will Ju Wenjun strike again and almost end the match in the process? Or will Tan Zhongyi manage to fight her way back into contention?
Unfortunately, there's a technical issue re: showing today's game. Hopefully it will be fixable at some point, in which case we'll update the game with move-by-move commentary from the beginning. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Wenjun sticks to the king's pawn opening
It's been her choice throughout the match, and overall it's served her well. So even as we enter the second half of the match, it seems she sees no reason to mix things up!
Zhongyi goes for another Sicilian Defense
Also no surprises here, as she continues to essay the combative but also solid Sicilian Defense. It's a choice that increasingly makes sense, given she'll want to generate winning chances without taking undue risks.
Wenjun steps her king's knight out
The main move, as it sets up the possibility of pushing the queen's pawn forward next, and recapturing with the knight.
Zhongyi steps out her own knight
She goes for the queen's knight, opposing Wenjun's king's knight in the sense that both pieces are influencing the central dark squares.
The Rossolimo!
Wenjun avoids playing an Open Sicilian, and instead goes for a more positional system, known as the Rossolimo Attack. With this early bishop move, there is a threat to capture the knight and in this way damage the enemy pawn chain.
Zhongyi continues to develop
She's not concerned about the possibility of bishop takes knight, since after all that would allow her to build up a strong pawn center and to gain the bishop pair. So it's a double-edged trade.
Wenjun castles
She eschews the possibility of capturing, preferring instead to keep the piece tension and continue her development.
Zhongyi develops her other knight
She brings it to the less conventional square, but it makes a lot of sense here. On its more typical and more advanced post, it could be harassed by Wenjun's king's pawn. Besides, the knight here also defends the other knight and thus takes away the risk of a well-timed piece exchange.
Wenjun cracks open the center
She does go for the typical Sicilian pawn push after all, seeking to open lines and bring her pieces to the center in this way.
Zhongyi takes
99% of the time in the Sicilian, this pawn is captured automatically. That's because otherwise, the pawn could keep pushing up the board and cramp Zhongyi's pieces too heavily.
Wenjun recaptures
She takes back with her knight, and now has an edge overall in the center of the board.
Zhongyi targets the knight
She adds to the pressure on Wenjun's knight, in addition to her bishop. It seems she's looking to force Wenjun to clarify matters and perhaps exchange a couple of pieces.
Wenjun initiates the first piece trade of the game. It was necessary, as both her knight and bishop were under pressure by Zhongyi's queen.
Zhongyi recaptures
She takes 'towards the center', meaning that she captures with a pawn on the flank and brings it nearer to the middle of the board. That's usually the right way to recapture, since central pawns tend to be worth more than flank pawns in the opening & middlegame stages.
Wenjun drops back
She brings her bishop back near the center, protecting her pawn in the process.
Zhongyi steps her knight out
On its old square, it was blocking her ability to develop the dark-squared bishop. So she steps her knight out first in order to be able to continue bringing her pieces out.
Wenjun establishes a Maroczy bind
This type of pawn formation, with two advanced central pawns on light squares, is known as the Maroczy Bind. It's a good configuration to aim for, as it gains space and heavily restricts potential pawn breaks for the opponent.
Zhongyi continues to develop
She brings her bishop out, making room for her to castle in the near future.
Wenjun also continues her development
For her part, she brings the queen's knight out. She's perhaps going to aim it towards the edge of the board, from where it could kick back Zhongyi's quite actively posted queen.
Zhongyi castles
She ignores any action that's taking place on the queenside or even in the center, prioritizing king safety.
Wenjun steps her knight to the edge
With this move, she forces Zhongyi to leave the valuable diagonal that her queen is on.
Zhongyi drops back
She can't maintain her original position, so Zhongyi makes sure to grab a hold of the next most valuable diagonal, aiming at the enemy kingside once again.
Wenjun clamps down
She pushes her pawn along a dark square, the idea being that it gains control over that entire set of squares. Zhongyi will struggle to activate her pieces while that bind remains in place.
Zhongyi breaks free
She didn't like the restrictive effect of the pawn, so she pushes two squares forward in the center and forces Wenjun to a decision.
Wenjun takes!
She understandably captures. This costs her the advanced pawn, but it brings with it a significant positional benefit. That is, that now Zhongyi's pawn chain has been fractured.
Zhongyi takes with the bishop
For her part, Tan Zhongyi does not mind that her pawn chain has been slightly damaged. What's more important is that her pieces are now that bit more active and have more freedom to move around and create threats.
Wenjun posts her queen on the enemy kingside
She brings her queen to a very aggressive looking square, and yet one where it plays more of a defensive than an offensive role, at least for now. The point is that from here, the queen protects the pawn that was being attacked by Zhongyi's bishop-queen battery.
Zhongyi grabs the semi-open file
A semi-open file in chess is one where only one side has a pawn. In general, the side without a pawn benefits the most from it. That's because the heavy pieces like rooks can generate a lot of activity along them.
Wenjun pushes the pawn
She consolidates her structure on the queenside, setting up her pawn chain in a way that blunts the influence of Zhongyi's rook.
Zhongyi goes after the open file
It's all about maximizing piece activity for now, and so with her last move she occupies the other key file in the position.
Wenjun also contests the file
It's important for Wenjun to not fall behind in terms of piece activity. Moreover, Zhongyi was threatening to capture the pawn on the kingside and then pick up her undefended bishop after that. This move cuts out that threat.
Zhongyi invades into the enemy camp
It's the first piece that crosses the half-way zone, marking an entry into Wenjun's territory. The reason is clear: Zhongyi is seeking to play as actively as possible in order to put pressure. After all, she trails by two points, so she needs to start thinking about trying to win both from the White and the Black side.
Wenjun completes her minor piece development
The move is however not without its risks. Concretely, the bishop abandons a diagonal from where it was controlling a dangerous-looking knight jump. Will Zhongyi seek to capitalize on this?
Zhongyi does move in with her knight. Objectively, the position remains balanced. But a quick look at the path of equality that's suggested by the engine, reveals that Wenjun has to walk a tightrope in order to avoid going wrong!
Wenjun drops her queen back
It was under attack by the knight. She finds the right square for the piece, from where the queen adds support to the light-squared bishop.
Zhongyi correctly goes for the exchange, and now she needs to be precise to find the right sequence to win a pawn.
Wenjun recaptures with the rook. Forced, since taking back with the queen would have run into bishop takes pawn check, deciding matters on the spot!
Zhongyi correctly recognizes that it's important to first step her bishop out with a gain of time against the exposed rook. Next up, she can snatch the pawn on the right-hand side.
Wenjun drops back
Both players have been impressive, in that they've been able to find the best sequence of moves. But if anyone is pressing right now, it's Zhongyi. She can go up a pawn next, and it's going to be on Wenjun to prove that she has enough to show for it.
Zhongyi snaps up the pawn, with check. The only reason why things remain roughly balanced is because if Wenjun finds a precise series of moves, she'll be able to end up with better coordinated pieces. Plus, she does have the healthier pawn structure.
Wenjun shifts to the right
She needed to move away from the check, and this was the only legal move as Zhongyi's light-squared bishop was covering the square to the left.
Take the money and run!
Having picked up the pawn, Zhongyi returns with her bishop before it ran the risk of being trapped deep in the opponent's camp.
Checkmate is threatened!
Wenjun sets up a queen-bishop battery, pressuring Zhongyi's rook in the process. But the most important threat of all is: checkmate!
Zhongyi slots the bishop back
It's the safest way of guarding against the threat of checkmate, since other paths involved shifting pawns around. This way, Zhongyi keeps her structure as flexible as possible for the time being.
Wenjun jumps in with her knight
It's the natural square for her piece, which until now was sitting passively on the edge of the board. Now Zhongyi must deal with the threat against her rook and bishop.
Zhongyi drops her rook back
In this way, she saves both of her hanging pieces.
Wenjun continues to find the right moves at every turn, even when under some pressure due to the missing pawn. She would love to exchange queens, as that would bring her bishop to a great central square.
It's true that without the queens on the board, Wenjun's knight will no longer be defended. But Zhongyi cannot capture it, because of problems along the back rank.
Zhongyi avoids the queen trade
She correctly senses it's more important to stay guarding her rook. Now she's also threatening to pin the knight against Wenjun's queen.
Ju Wenjun goes terribly wrong! I'm not sure if this is an oversight or a miscalculation. But now Zhongyi has a clear path to going up material. She can trade rooks, and then pin the vulnerable knight!
What a pity for Zhongyi fans, as she finds the right idea but with the wrong execution. She needed to first exchange rooks to soften up the protection of the knight. That way, the pin against her piece would have been much more potent. Now the position remains close to balanced.
Wenjun chops off a pair of rooks
By doing so, she distracts Zhongyi's queen from the attack on her knight. This buys Wenjun some time to break the pin.
Zhongyi takes back.
Wenjun seems to be back in control here. She breaks the pin while offering a queen trade. The computer suggests that Zhongyi stands nominally better, but having played out that variation it in fact whittles down into a draw. So for now Wenjun is safe.
Zhongyi gives a check
Not the strongest continuation, since anyway Wenjun is happy to step her king one square to the left where it will be safer from attack.
Wenjun plays the only legal move in the position.
Zhongyi drops the bishop back
It was under fire by Wenjun's knight, so it was necessary to step it back. But Zhongyi is now also running some risks of things going sour, since her pieces have started to look very passive.
Wenjun shuts the diagonal down
She's looking to lock things down along the dark squares, to impose passivity on Zhongyi's light-squared bishop over the long run. However, it's a double-edged sword as she now loses the strength of her queen-bishop battery along the main diagonal.
Draw incoming?!
Zhongyi agrees to the queen trade, suggesting that she's no longer harboring any real ambition of winning this game. In a position like this one, the elimination of queens tends to remove most winning chances for both sides.
Wenjun takes back.
Zhongyi pushes her pawn forward
It's a useful move, even if it doesn't contain any immediate threat. At the right moment, Zhongyi might be able to push the pawn up one more square and undermine Wenjun's pawn chain.
Wenjun expands, strengthening her central pawn and also making room for her king to start approaching the middle of the board.
Zhongyi also expands, gripping some key dark squares and also potentially clearing a path for her king to zigzag up the kingside.
Wenjun approaches with her king.
Zhongyi slightly improves her bishop, occupying a second diagonal. It also clears the first rank, enabling Zhongyi to gradually bring her king closer to the center.
Wenjun moves her king in a little closer to the action.
Zhongyi goes for a pawn break, looking to break down the for now healthy pawn chain of Wenjun.
Wenjun drops her knight back, targeting two pawns simultaneously.
Zhongyi trades pawns, leading to a fractured structure for both sides.
Wenjun takes the pawn back.
Zhongyi moves her bishop up, in order to guard against the threat of capturing the pawn with the rook.
Wenjun looks to trade off bishops. It's a very typical idea, and here on this occasion it's exceptionally strong. That's because there's no good way for Zhongyi to avoid the bishop trade!
If Zhongyi drops the bishop back, then Wenjun would enter with her knight and win the trapped rook!
Zhongyi feels she has no choice but to agree to the trade. But all of a sudden, she's facing serious practical difficulties! The extra pawn is irrelevant, what matters is the clamp on the dark squares and the superiority of Wenjun's forces.
Wenjun recaptures with the knight. And here's the really troublesome part if you're a fan of Tan Zhongyi: she absolutely needs to sacrifice her edge pawn to avoid being objectively lost! And that's a near-impossible move for a human to go for.
Zhongyi fails to find the only slight chance at survival. This is rough. If Wenjun finds the right sequence, she'll be able to fully paralyze all of Zhongyi's forces.
Wenjun fails to spot the most precise path forward, which involved pushing the left-hand pawn up to avoid Zhongyi from sacrificing the pawn herself.
Neither player seems to be considering that pushing the left-hand pawn is the best move! Instead, Zhongyi drops her bishop back to be able to return with her rook into the game.
Wenjun grabs the undefended pawn, leveling the material.
Zhongyi drops her rook back to the first rank, in a desperate attempt to try and reorganize her forces. But her bishop sitting in the corner remains a sorry sight indefinitely.
Wenjun approaches with her rook. A good move, looking to target Zhongyi's weak isolated pawn very soon.
Zhongyi gives a check, seeking to activate her rook.
Wenjun steps away from the check.
Zhongyi brings the rook down into the seventh rank, seeking to capture one of Wenjun's pawns.
Wenjun drops her king back to avoid losing the pawn.
Zhongyi moves her rook to target the other undefended pawn of Wenjun's, near the center.
Wenjun gives a check, forcing the king to drop back to a more passive square.
Zhongyi drops her king back, keeping it relatively close to the center.
Wenjun now goes hunting for the pawn. This is an absolute nightmare for Zhongyi. It seems to me like she's not going to be able to save her paralyzed bishop.
Zhongyi brings her king forward. It's pure desperation, and so long as Ju Wenjun keeps her cool over the next 3-4 moves, it should be lights out.
Wenjun collects the pawn, and with it threatens to pick up the bishop for free.
Zhongyi grabs a pawn, though it's little consolation given that her bishop is unlikely to make it out alive!
Wenjun gives a clever check! The point is that now if the king drops to the back rank the bishop can be taken with check. While if the king moves up and to the right, then there's a nasty fork. So Zhongyi is almost without options.
Zhongyi steps her king forward to the only reasonable square, but the problem is that now Wenjun has a crushing pawn move available to her.
Wenjun looks to be about to win her fourth game of the match! The point is that now she is threatening both to take the bishop and to deliver checkmate! Zhongyi simply does not have time to cover against both threats.
Game over. Unfortunately for her, that passive bishop ended up proving to be her undoing. That's a fourth victory in quick succession for the defending champion, Ju Wenjun, and frankly it's looking like an impossible task lies ahead for Tan Zhongyi.
Today she fought bravely, and it even seemed like she was the only one pressing for a bit. Under that pressure, Ju Wenjun was in fact the first player to make a significant mistake, when she allowed a nasty pin against her queenside knight. Unfortunately for her fans, Tan Zhongyi spotted the right idea but played it in the wrong order. And this allowed Ju Wenjun to escape unscathed.
Not long after that, it was Wenjun's turn to crank up the heat. She went for a clever dark-squared strategy, locking Zhongyi's light-squared bishop out of the game. Against this, Zhongyi needed to be precise. However, in the time scramble, she proved unable to do so and her position quickly degraded.
It's going to be one of the ages if Tan Zhongyi finds a way to level this match. She's down three, and she's got only five rounds to correct course. Short of a victory tomorrow, she may find herself mathematically out of the running within as little as two rounds from today.
Let's see what tomorrow brings!