Statistical overview (classical chess)
Born in 2002 in Jiaxing, Zhu Jiner has spent a few years progressing largely outside the spotlight. In 2025, that quiet ascent culminated in her reaching second place in the women's world rankings, behind only Hou Yifan, who has held the number-one position since September 2015. By the end of the year, Zhu trailed Hou by 34 rating points and had even overtaken the reigning women's world champion Ju Wenjun.
Zhu began 2025 ranked tenth in the world. A much welcomed opportunity arose early in the year when her compatriot Lei Tingjie withdrew from the Women's Grand Prix series for personal reasons. Zhu was called up to contest the final three legs of the 2024/25 series, all played between March and May - which also marked her first classical-chess tournaments of the year. What followed was one of the most striking runs in women's chess during the season.
In the Grand Prix events in Cyprus, India and Austria, Zhu scored 6/9, 7/9 and 6/9 respectively. She tied for first place in all three tournaments and, curiously, failed to be declared champion on tiebreaks each time, yet accumulated more than 33 rating points. More importantly, her consistency across the series secured her overall victory in the Grand Prix series and gained her a spot at the 2026 Women's Candidates Tournament.
Zhu Jiner at the Austrian leg of the Women's Grand Prix | Photo: Przemysław Nikiel
After that exceptional spring, Zhu's form dipped during the early summer. At the Sharjah Open, she scored 4/9, a result that cost her less than a rating point given the strength of the field. A more damaging setback followed at the Norway Chess Open, where a 5/8 score against lower-rated opposition led to a loss of 13.7 rating points, her weakest classical performance of the year. She then competed in the FIDE Women's World Cup, reaching the fourth round before being eliminated by the eventual champion Divya Deshmukh. As the second-highest-rated participant, Zhu may have hoped for more, but the event still added valuable experience in high-pressure knockout play.
The final phase of the year showed a clear recovery and renewed momentum. At the Turkish League in Ankara, Zhu delivered a remarkable 8/9 performance, winning eight games and losing only once, to Polina Shuvalova, in a completely drawless tournament.
She then entered the Fujairah Superstars Tournament, where she was the only female participant and the lowest-rated player in a strong 44-player field. Zhu finished fifth with 5½/9, gaining 20.5 rating points and claiming wins over Yuriy Kuzubov, Alexander Motylev and Ivan Cheparinov, all with the white pieces.
She closed her classical season at the Women’s European Club Cup, scoring 5/6 on the top board for Tajfun SK Ljubljana.
By the end of 2025, Zhu Jiner had transformed her standing within women's chess. From a solid top-ten player, she emerged as the world number two and a central contender in the World Championship cycle. Her qualification for the Women's Candidates Tournament, scheduled to begin on 28 March, represents the most significant challenge of her career to date and the natural next step after a year defined by consistency and sustained progress.
Ivan Cheparinov facing Zhu Jiner | Photo: Fujairah Superstars / Anna Shtourman
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