4/18/2025 – The 2025 FIDE Women's World Championship Match between Ju Wenjun and Tan Zhongyi concluded after nine intense games played across two cities. In over 517 moves and nearly 38 hours of play, both competitors delivered sharp openings, complex middlegames and dramatic endgames. Ju emerged victorious for a fifth consecutive time, but not without serious resistance from Tan. With standout performances, including a 98% accuracy win in Game 8, the match will be remembered for its fighting spirit. | Photo: Anna Shtourman
new: ChessBase Magazine 225
Chess Festival Prague 2025 with analyses by Aravindh, Giri, Gurel, Navara and others. ‘Special’: 27 highly entertaining miniatures. Opening videos by Werle, King and Ris. 10 opening articles with new repertoire ideas and much more. ChessBase Magazine offers first-class training material for club players and professionals! World-class players analyse their brilliant games and explain the ideas behind the moves. Opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in tactics, strategy and endgames show you the tricks and techniques you need to be a successful tournament player! Available as a direct download (incl. booklet as pdf file) or booklet with download key by post. Included in delivery: ChessBase Magazine #225 as “ChessBase Book” for iPad, tablet, Mac etc.!
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Two cities, nine games
Press release by FIDE
As the 2025 FIDE Women's World Championship Match comes to a close, the numbers tell a compelling story of fighting chess. Spanning two cities and nine gripping games, the match between Ju Wenjun and Tan Zhongyi was a battle of precision, stamina, and nerves, reflected not just in the score – but in the statistics.
The King‘s Indian Attack is a universal opening: easy to learn, flexible, and rich in both tactical and positional opportunities.
Total moves played: 517
A total of 517 moves were played throughout the match, with both players navigating sharp opening preparation, complex middlegames, and tense endgames.
Minutes spent at the board: 2,246
The games were all lengthy battles spanning over a total of 2,246 minutes – that's nearly 38 hours of focus and mental exertion!
Longest game: Game 3 – 87 moves, 326 minutes
The longest game of the match was Game 3, lasting 87 moves and 326 minutes. It was a critical turning point in the match, with Ju converting a small advantage into a full point after a marathon struggle. After more than five hours, it ultimately tilted the momentum of the match as Ju bounced back from her game 2 loss, regaining her confidence.
Shortest decisive game: Game 7 – 47 moves, 242 minutes
In contrast, the shortest victory came in Game 7. It lasted 47 moves and 242 minutes, and ended in a decisive win for Ju Wenjun. Interestingly, this was Tan Zhongyi's favourite game. Tan, playing with the black pieces, held a slight advantage, which Ju first equalized and then transitioned into a winning endgame.
Highest accuracy decisive game: Game 8 – Ju Wenjun: 98%
The highest accuracy in a victory was recorded in Game 8, where Ju Wenjun scored an exceptional 98% accuracy with the black pieces. After Tan erred in the middlegame, Ju capitalized with great precision, leaving her opponent no room to come back.
Average accuracy across the match:
Ju Wenjun: 96.4%
Tan Zhongyi: 94.6%
The consistency and precision of both players speak volumes about the world-class level of the match, with Ju holding a slight but significant edge.
From Mating with a queen; a rook; two bishops; a knight and a bishop; to the basics of pawn endgames – here you will gain the necessary know-how to turn your endgame advantages into victories!
Most popular opening: Sicilian Defence
There were many repeat openings, particularly by Tan, and it was her consistent choice of employing the Sicilian Defence as Black that makes this the most popular opening of the match. The Sicilian, known for its dynamic and unbalanced nature, its constant use reflected both players' combative spirit and unwillingness to settle for quiet draws.
In the end, Ju Wenjun held her nerve and claimed the title for a fifth consecutive time - an incredible achievement that speaks to her consistency, strength, and experience at the very highest level. But this match was never one-sided. Tan Zhongyi pushed her all the way, creating chances and keeping the tension alive until the very end. It was a hard-fought battle, rich in content and drama, and one that will be remembered as a true showcase of elite women's chess.
In this video course, experts (Pelletier, Marin, Müller and Reeh) examine the games of Judit Polgar. Let them show you which openings Polgar chose to play, where her strength in middlegames were, or how she outplayed her opponents in the endgame.
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IM Andrew Martin shows why this 19th-century opening weapon still is a fantastic choice for club players. The Evans produces exciting chess and teaches the art of attack.
The major part of the material on which the Petroff Defence Powerbook 2026 is based comes from the engine room of playchess.com: 357 000 games. This imposing number is supplemented by another 17 000 from Mega and from correspondence chess.
Petroff Defence Powerbase 2026 is a database which contains 6475 high class games from Mega 2026 and the Correspondence Database 2026, of which 682 annotated.
Videos: Felix Blohberger presents the surprise weapon 4…a6 in the Four Knights Game. Mihail Marin analyses the English Opening with 1.c4 e5 2.g3 g6 3.d4 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.Bg2 Nc6. Plus the ‘Lucky bag’ featuring 37 analyses by Berg, Radjabov and others.
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