The 2023 FIDE Women’s World Championship ended in dramatic fashion as title holder Ju Wenjun won the final classical game in the match just as tiebreakers loomed large, overhauling a one-game disadvantage in full at the last possible moment to defeat fellow Chinese player Lei Tingjie.
Grandmaster Ju Wenjun first earned herself the prestigious title in 2018, first defeating Tan Zhongyi and then topping a 64-player knockout bracket in the same year. Then, two match format finals followed, with a victory over Aleksandra Goryachkina in 2020 and this year’s triumph making her a four-time champion.
In terms of ratings, it was always destined to be a close-fought affair between the champion and the challenger, with Ju boasting an Elo of 2564, just ten points ahead of Lei’s 2554.
The series turned out to be just as hard-fought as fans all around the world would have hoped based on the players’ styles and attitudes, and even the first four draws were eventful and unclear until the very end. After the challenger struck first in game five and managed to keep her lead for the next two games, with every passing day strengthening her claim on the title.
Related: Ding Liren wins 2023 World Chess Championship
However, Ju Wenjun proved her poise and mettle by winning two games out of the five remaining ones, avoiding the sort of quiet draw in the final game that many in the commentariat have predicted by going into a sharp sideline in the Queen’s Pawn opening.
The explosive and double-edged position eventually turned into a great positional struggle. Lei’s decision to push the e-pawn on move 22 seemed like a great opportunity to go on the offense, but it created a long-term weakness on d5, one the world champion skillfully and mercilessly exploited as the game went on.
Ultimately, Ju picked off the d5 pawn and escorted her own d-pawn up the board, and as it became inevitable that it would turn into a queen (or force massive material losses), Lei conceded defeat.
The post-match interviews revealed some interesting snippets of the players’ mindsets in this high-stakes affair.
“I think each time is very special for me, and I feel this time it was a really, really good quality of chess games, and I think both players were playing very well,” said the world champion, adding that “I feel it’s lucky for me!”
The challenger has already identified some takeaways from her close defeat, too, remarking that “I think the biggest part [of match play] is how you can control yourself under such pressure, and also I learned some spirit from my opponent, just fight for every game and fight until the end.”
Next up on the chess calendar: the Chess World Cup—not to be confused with the world championship match. Things can be confusing like that around here. This means Ju Wenju will be back in action soon enough, competing in the women’s division as the top seed, with her first game set to take place on July 30.
