Players
Ju Wenjun
A native of Shanghai, Ju Wenjun started playing chess at seven, and success came early. In 2004, at just 13, Wenjun won a silver medal in the Asian Women's Chess Championship and qualified for her first Women's World Championship. Although she was one of the lower-rated participants, she impressively made it to the third round.
Ju Wenjun
A native of Shanghai, Ju Wenjun started playing chess at seven, and success came early. In 2004, at just 13, Wenjun won a silver medal in the Asian Women's Chess Championship and qualified for her first Women's World Championship. Although she was one of the lower-rated participants, she impressively made it to the third round.
She won the Women's Chinese Chess Championship twice, in 2010 and 2014, and was awarded the coveted Grandmaster title the same year. By that time, Ju Wenjun had firmly established herself as one of the top female players in the world. Ranked #5 in the women's list for most of 2015, she entered FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2015–16 series as one of the favorites. She finished on top, winning two out of five tournaments and qualified for the World Championship Match against her compatriot Tan Zhongyi, who had won the 2017 knockout championship.
Ju Wenjun’s meteoric rise continued as she became only the fifth woman to cross the 2600 rating threshold, reaching a peak rating of 2604 in March 2017. A year later, in her seventh attempt at the Women’s World Championship, she defeated Tan Zhongyi 5½ - 4½ to become the Women's World Chess Champion. The match was played in two cities, with the first half in Shanghai and the second in Chongqing.
Ju has since defended her title thrice. In 2018, she entered a 64-player knockout tournament as the top seed, winning every round before the final without needing tiebreaks. She then defeated Kateryna Lagno in a tiebreak after making a dramatic comeback in the last classical game with Black.
In 2020, she faced GM Aleksandra Goryachkina in a match that ended 6-6 in classical games. Ju clinched the title by winning the third game of a rapid tiebreak. Three years later Ju Wenjun successfully defended her title against Lei Tingjie sealing the match by winning the twelfth and final game.
Just like in her first match that brought her the precious crown, Ju Wenjun is set to face her compatriot Tan Zhongyi again in the competition once more split between the same two cities, Shanghai and Chongqing. Filled with drama, the 2018 match saw five consecutive victories in games 2-6. Spectators expect no less this time, as there is no escape from memories and comparisons from their previous encounter. However, unlike in 2018 Ju Wenjun will now defend her title against a determined challenger eager to reclaim the crown.
Fide profile
Ju Wenjun’s meteoric rise continued as she became only the fifth woman to cross the 2600 rating threshold, reaching a peak rating of 2604 in March 2017. A year later, in her seventh attempt at the Women’s World Championship, she defeated Tan Zhongyi 5½ - 4½ to become the Women's World Chess Champion. The match was played in two cities, with the first half in Shanghai and the second in Chongqing.
Ju has since defended her title thrice. In 2018, she entered a 64-player knockout tournament as the top seed, winning every round before the final without needing tiebreaks. She then defeated Kateryna Lagno in a tiebreak after making a dramatic comeback in the last classical game with Black.
In 2020, she faced GM Aleksandra Goryachkina in a match that ended 6-6 in classical games. Ju clinched the title by winning the third game of a rapid tiebreak. Three years later Ju Wenjun successfully defended her title against Lei Tingjie sealing the match by winning the twelfth and final game.
Just like in her first match that brought her the precious crown, Ju Wenjun is set to face her compatriot Tan Zhongyi again in the competition once more split between the same two cities, Shanghai and Chongqing. Filled with drama, the 2018 match saw five consecutive victories in games 2-6. Spectators expect no less this time, as there is no escape from memories and comparisons from their previous encounter. However, unlike in 2018 Ju Wenjun will now defend her title against a determined challenger eager to reclaim the crown.
Fide profile
Lei Tingjie
Lei Tingjie was born in 1997 in Chongqing, the birthplace of the 16th Women's World Champion, Tan Zhongyi, and Chinese 9th Grandmaster, Zhang Zhong.
Lei Tingjie
Lei Tingjie was born in 1997 in Chongqing, the birthplace of the 16th Women's World Champion, Tan Zhongyi, and Chinese 9th Grandmaster, Zhang Zhong.
In 2017, at 19, Tingjie won the national championship ahead of the women's world champion at the time, Tan Zhongyi. The same year she earned the coveted Grandmaster title, becoming the sixth woman to obtain it as a teenager. At the same time, rated 2522, Lei Tingjie entered the top-10 women's list for the first time but later dropped out.
After the pandemic hiatus, Lei Tingjie regained momentum and won the prestigious 2021 Women's Grand Swiss tournament with a round to spare. This success qualified her for the 2022/23 Candidates Tournament and elevated her back to the top 10. In April 2023, she won the Candidates, beating Tan Zhongyi 3½–1½ in the final.
Lei Tingjie is following in the footsteps of her great compatriot predecessors Xie Jun, Zhu Chen, Xu Yuhua, Hou Yifan, Tan Zhongyi, and her current opponent Ju Wenjun and has a similar, trademark style – ambitious, dynamic, and willing to take risks. Should she win the match, Lei Tingjie will become the 18th Women's World Chess Champion and the 7th Chinese to claim the women's crown.
Fide profile
After the pandemic hiatus, Lei Tingjie regained momentum and won the prestigious 2021 Women's Grand Swiss tournament with a round to spare. This success qualified her for the 2022/23 Candidates Tournament and elevated her back to the top 10. In April 2023, she won the Candidates, beating Tan Zhongyi 3½–1½ in the final.
Lei Tingjie is following in the footsteps of her great compatriot predecessors Xie Jun, Zhu Chen, Xu Yuhua, Hou Yifan, Tan Zhongyi, and her current opponent Ju Wenjun and has a similar, trademark style – ambitious, dynamic, and willing to take risks. Should she win the match, Lei Tingjie will become the 18th Women's World Chess Champion and the 7th Chinese to claim the women's crown.
Fide profile