Credit: X
Chinese Grandmaster Ju Wenjun won the FIDE Women’s World Championship title after getting the better of her compatriot Tan Zhongyi on April 16. Wenjun, who has been holding the FIDE Women’s World Championship title since 2018, defeated Zhongyi by 6.5-2.5. The 34-year-old defended her title with three games left as she reserved a stalemate in game 9. With this success, she bagged a lucrative amount of $340,000 (INR 2.91 crore approx) as the champion of the tournament while Zhongyi also became the recipient of $227.315 (INR 1.95 Crore approx).
With her latest achievement, Wenjun has become the fourth woman in chess history to bag the FIDE World Championship title on five occasions. She won her maiden title after defeating Zhongyi in 2018. Following that year, she defended it in a 64-player knockout. In 2020 and 2023, she displayed her valiant side against Russian Grandmaster Aleksandra Goryachkina and her country’s Lei Tingjie respectively to retain the title. Her reign will now continue until the next edition of the tournament to be played in 2026-27.
Ju’s scintillating victory helps her join legends
Ju’s notable success has catapulted her on the list of chess legends which includes the names such as Vera Menchik, Nona Gaprindashvili, and Maia Chiburdanidze. These renowned figures have won the title five times or more. The 34-year-old’s sensational achievement has passed a message that she is the undisputed queen of the chessboard and her reign will be continued for the next few months.
The Chinese star player also gave credit to her team members Grandmasters Ni Hua and Maxim Matlakov, for keeping her morale high following the early disappointments. Ju, along with Tan, will now be seen in action in the international competition next month. Tan will travel to Austria and Sweden while Ju will head to Norway.
