Ju Wenjun vs. Tan Zhongyi, game 1 Opening: An Imbalanced Sicilian
Defending Champion Ju Wenjun has the White pieces against Challenger Tan Zhongyi in the first game of the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship, in Shanghai and Chongqing, China.
It begins with a Sicilian, 1. e4 c5, and an early …e6 by Black. Wenjun opted for the rarer 5. Bd3 to protect e4, over the usual 5. Nc3, and further pushed away from the best-known territory with 7. Bf4, delaying castling. Up to move 8, the game followed Carlsen-Erigaisi, 2023, but Zhongyi took a different approach than Erigaisi’s 8. …Be7, preferring 8. …g6.
Given the speed both players have been moving at, it seems they were within their preparation to here, where 9. Bg5 prompted the first think of the game, facing the simple threat of e5. As of move 11, it looks like Black may seek play on the queenside, while White may aim at Black’s kingside, given the moves …g6 and …h6.
The first 11 moves of game 1 are given below. Follow the game live on Lichess, or on stream with commentary by Grandmaster Judit Polgar and IM Jovanka Houska.
