Challenger Ju Wenjun began as the favourite in the Women's World Championship match. She is currently number two on the women's ranking list, while Tan Zhongyi is number ten. And Ju was indeed superior in the match. She was better prepared and all in all had more chances than Tan Zhongyi.
But Ju has not won just yet. In game eight, she missed a very good opportunity, and in the ninth game, she was tantalisingly close to a win that would have put her over the top.
World Champion Ju Wenjun? | Photo: Gu Xiaobing
Tan Zhongyi had white, but once again could not take advantage of the first move. In a Nimzo-Indian, the players reached a perfectly balanced position after the opening but then Tan was gradually outplayed in the middlegame and endgame, eventually reaching a rook ending in which she was two pawns down, and could hold only with a bit of luck and some help from her opponent.
The star move that put her on track to save the game was 45.e4!
The obvious 45...f4? would be an immediate draw after 46.Re6+ when the rook is taboo on account of stalemate and the black king cannot escape from the checks. The resulting endgame after 45...Rh4 was a theoretical draw which Tan held confidently.
This was surely a happy draw for the Champion, who, after a rest day tomorrow, May 17th, can hope to find a way to win the tenth and final game of the match which will be played on Friday. If — and with the black pieces it's a big 'if' — Tan wins this game and reach a 5:5 tie, then on Saturday, May 18, we would witness a rapid (and even blitz) tie-break.
She has done it before, in Game 6. Can she do it again?
Translation from German: Macauley Peterson
