Defending Women’s World Champion, China’s Ju Wenjun is on the cusp of retaining her coveted title against compatriot Tan Zhongyi at the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Championship, happening in Shanghai and Chongqing. On Monday, after Wenjun claimed her fourth win on the bounce, it thrust her to six points from eight matches and a full four-point lead over her throne challenger.
All Wenjun needs a draw in the next game to reach 6.5 points and win her fifth championship.
It was Wenjun’s second win with black pieces and overall her fifth win in the championship. After losing the second game with dark pieces and giving a one-point edge to Zhongyi right away, Wenjun turned the tables by getting 5.5 points in the next six games. The first match resulted in a draw.
Wenjun beat the same opponent, Zhongyi in May 2018 to hold her first world championship and since then she has defended her crown four times.
This edition of the World Championship follows a 12-game format. The first player to score 6.5 points will win the title. The time control for each game is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 1.
If the championship is tied at 6-6 after 12 games, a tiebreak will be played to decide the champion. The tiebreak involves a series of rapid and, if needed, blitz games to ensure a decisive outcome.
As for the last three women’s world championships since 2020, this championship has also been played in two cities — the hometown of two finalists.
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Zhongyi earned the right to challenge Wenjun for the title after winning the Women’s Candidates Tournament in Toronto, Canada last year. For Zhongyi to ensure tiebreaks, she needs to win all four remaining games.
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