Game 5: Ju Wenjun wins, surges ahead 3-2 @ Shanghai

Four time world champion Ju Wenjun moved into 3-2 lead winning the fifth game against Challenger Tan Zhongyi at the FIDE Women’s World Championship at Shanghai. Down by a full point after game 2, Ju Wenjun has turned on the heat winning two of the next three games. The world champion has thrown up the gauntlet on the Tan camp and more such fighting games should be in the anvil.

A second Sicilian defeat in three games, will throw probing questions at Challenger’s preparation and Tan Zhongyi’s camp will be spending the midnight oil to find their way out. For, Ju Wenjun came up with a combination of tactical and positional brilliance today which found Tan Zhongyi wanting. On the other-side it was ambitious play of the Challenger that is always going to produce a result.

Going in for the Sicilian Defense for her third black showed the confidence of Tan’s team. The game followed Siclian Kan Variation and black showed early queen-side aggression giving 3 isolated pawns for white. That it brought the downfall for Tan later in the game is a different story.

Reflecting the earlier played game Yu-Sethuraman, 2018, the world champion differed with 9. Nc3 for GM Yu Yangi’s 9. Qe2 which ended without a result. But here, Ju Wenjun showed imagination and enterprise in picking up her chances on appropriate moments. Tan Zhongyi, despite her speed and advantage on the clock, found the position getting more and more uncomfortable. Tan’s 26…Nxf4 giving two pieces for a rook boomeranged on her quickly. Ju kept the pressure on both sides, pushing the “a” pawn and a queen, bishop & knight assault on the king, wrapping up the game nicely by 59th move.

The FIDE Women’s World Championship match holds a total prize fund of Euros 500,000 and the winner will be the first to reach 6.5 points. The sixth game is scheduled to begin by Thursday, 10th April 2025, at 3 PM local time.

Games can be followed live on Lichess, or on stream with commentary by IMs Jovanka Houska and Irene Kharisma Sukandar.

Ju Wenjun (2561) – Tan Zhongyi (2555) 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Bc5 6. Nb3 Ba7 7. O-O Ne7 8. c4 Nbc6 9. Nc3 Ne5 10. c5 N7g6 11. Be2 b5 12. f4 Nc4 13. a4 b4 14. Bxc4 bxc3 15. bxc3 Bb7 16. Qe2 O-O 17. Bd3 f5 18. exf5 exf5 19. Be3 Qc7 20. Bxa6 Rfe8 21. Bxb7 Qxb7 22. Qc4+ Kh8 23. Bd4 Re6 24. h3 Rae8 25. Rf2 Bb8 26. Raf1 Nxf4? (White already has a winning position. Here Tan’s 26…Nxf4 giving up two pieces for rook just to complicate, landed black in a losing position)

27. Rxf4 Bxf4 28. Rxf4 Re1+ 29. Rf1 Rxf1+ 30. Kxf1 Qe4 31. Kg1 Qb1+ 32. Kh2 Re1 33. Qd5 h6 34. Nd2 Rh1+ 35. Kg3 Qe1+ 36. Bf2 Qe2 37. Qd4 Rd1 38. Be3 Kh7 39. a5 Re1 40. Bf2 Rd1 41. Be3 Re1 42. Nc4 Ra1 43. Nd6 Ra2 44. Bf2 Qe6 45. Qf4 Kg6 46. Kh2 Qf6 47. Nc4 Kh7 48. Bd4 Qe6 49. Nd6 Qg6 50. Qf3 f4 51. a6 Rxa6 52. Qxf4 Ra2 53. Qf3 Qe6 54. Nf5 g5 55. Ne3 d6 56. c6 Ra8 57. Nd5 Rc8 58. Qd3+ Kg8

59. Ne7+ 1-0

Picture Courtesy: Anna Shtourman at https://www.fide.com/

Official Site: https://womenworldchampionship2025.fide.com/