Women’s World Championship: Ju fails to convert big advantage

by Klaus Besenthal
7/16/2023 – The protagonists of the Women’s World Championship moved to Chongqing to play the second half of the all-Chinese match. Game 7 was played on Saturday. Challenger Lei Tingjie still has a 1-point lead over defending champion Ju Wenjun after the latter could not convert a clear advantage into a win while marshalling the black pieces. Lei had won game 5, the only decisive encounter of the match so far. | Photo: Stev Bonhage / FIDE

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Switching strategies

Ju Wenjun had switched to the Caro-Kann Defence with black and was clearly on winning after Lei Tingjie’s attacking plans on the kingside came to nothing. In fact, it was Ju who put real pressure on the opposite king with a battery of rook and queen on the second rank, while already two pawns to the good.

Out of the blue, however, Ju offered an exchange of queens: Lei accepted the offer, and in the ensuing position, the two extra black pawns were not enough to win the game. Instead of a potential 3½-3½ after the game, Lei continues to have a 1-point lead going forward!

Lei Tingjie2554½–½Ju Wenjun2564
WWCCM 2023
Chongqing15.07.2023[Besenthal,Klaus-Günther]
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 e6 8.Ne5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Nd7 11.Qe2 Ngf6
In this position with 64 reference games, Lei now plays an uncommon move. 12.0-0 Almost exclusively had been played 12.Bd2 intending to castle long. 12...Be7 13.Rd1 0-0 14.c4 Qa5 This is not the best choice. After 14...Qb6! 15.Nxd7 Nxd7 16.d5 cxd5 17.cxd5 Bc5= the weak e6-square remains protected. 15.Bf4 This is quite tame. Better was 15.Nxd7 Nxd7 16.d5 and after cxd5 17.cxd5 Black loses a pawn, but gets some compensation in the form of slightly better placed pieces. 15...Rad8 16.Rd3 Nxe5 17.dxe5 Nh7 18.Ne4 Rxd3 19.Qxd3 Bxh4 20.Nd6
The lack compactness of the white position has resulted in the loss of a pawn, but now it is her who has the compensation in this case. 20...Qb6 21.Qe2 Rd8 22.Be3 Qc7 23.Qh5 Bg5 24.f4 g6 25.Qf3 Be7 26.c5 b6 27.b4 bxc5 28.bxc5 Rb8
All pretty much only moves. 29.g4?! This is rather optimistic. White may dominate the centre, but the b8-rook (and also the black queen) has a lot of room to manoeuvre. 29.Rc1= 29...Qa5 30.Rf1 30.f5? Ng5-+ 30...Qc3
The move g2-g4 proves to be rather useless. 31.Ne4? White continues to look for attacking chances, but they don't actually exist. The move creates new possibilities for the e7-bishop. At the same time, the white minor pieces look shaky. 31.Rf2 Rb1+ 32.Kg2 31...Qd3 32.Kg2 Rb2+ 33.Bf2 After 33.Rf2 Rxf2+ 34.Nxf2 Qa3 White's lack of coordination would lead to further material losses. 33...Qd5
Here Black was clearly winning - computers would have an easy time converting, but it's surely complicated for a human! 34.Rd1 Qxa2 Two extra pawns and two major pieces on the second rank! 35.f5 But all the same: Undaunted, Lei puts the previously conceived plan into action. exf5 36.gxf5 gxf5 Stronger was 36...Ng5! 37.Nxg5 Bxg5 with an obviously winning position. 37.Qxf5 Qe6? A weak move. After the exchange of queens, White is two pawns down, but she no longer has to worry about king security. Black also has weak pawns, and White can now attack them with her active pieces. 37...Nf8!-+ 38.Qxe6 fxe6 39.Rd7 Bh4 40.Kf1 Bxf2 41.Nxf2 a5 42.Ra7 Rb5 43.Nd3 Ng5 44.Ra6 Kf7 45.Rxc6 Rb3 46.Ke2 a4 47.Ra6 a3 48.Nf4 Rc3 49.c6 Ke7 50.Kd2 Rc4 51.Nd3 Kf7 52.Rxa3 Rxc6
White's chances of winning have evaporated. 53.Nf4 Rc4 54.Ra7+ Kf8 55.Nh5 Nf3+ 56.Ke3 Nxe5 57.Nf4 Rc6 58.Ke4 Nc4 59.Ng6+ Ke8 60.Kd4 Nb6 61.Re7+ Kd8 62.Rh7 Nd7 63.Rxh6 e5+ 64.Nxe5 Rxh6 65.Nf7+
½–½

Lei Tingjie

Lei Tingjie after escaping with a draw | Photo: Stev Bonhage

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1.Nf3 3 d5 22 2.e3 8 c5 25 3.b3 14 Nc6 23 4.Bb2 8 a6 19 5.g3 28 Qc7 4:45
6.d4N 19:28 A06: Réti Opening: 1 Nf3 d5. Predecessor: 6.c4 dxc4 7.bxc4 Nf6 8.Nc3 e6 9.Bg2 Be7 10.0-0 0-0 11.Qe2 b6 12.d4 cxd4 13.exd4 1-0 Jones,G (2670)-Petrosyan,M (2628) EU-ch Final Online 2020 (2.2) 6...cxd4 3:57 7.exd4 3 Bg4 5:08 8.Bg2 4:58 The position is equal. e6 25 9.0-0 1:10 Nf6 1:39 10.Nbd2 3:21 Bd6 14:51 11.c4 1:08 0-0 33 12.a3 5:32 a5 10:09 13.h3 2:44 Bh5 12 14.Qe2 10:09 Rfd8 3:22 15.Rac1 5:01 dxc4 4:56 16.bxc4 8:05 Be7 48 17.Qe3 22 Rac8 5:01 18.Rfe1 39 Bg6 3:22 19.Qb3 1:44 19.d5!? exd5 20.Bxf6 gxf6 21.cxd5 Rxd5 22.Rxc6       Remove Defender bxc6 23.Qxe7 19...Qb8 6:30 20.c5 2:36 Nd5 4:49 21.Nc4 5 Repels b6 a4 6:07       Decoy 22.Qxa4 9:29 b5 6 23.cxb6 2 Nxb6 4 24.Nxb6 3 Qxb6 5 25.Ba1 20 Qa5 8:07 26.Qxa5 11 Nxa5 4 27.Rxc8 3 Rxc8 4 28.d5 2 Nb3 6:00 29.dxe6 15 fxe6 2:21 30.Be5 2:24 Bxa3 3:29 30...h6 31.Re3± 53 Bc2 3:23 32.Nd4 17:04 32.Ne1 Bd1 33.Rd3 32...Nxd4 7 33.Rxa3 2 Nc6 47 34.Bxc6 50 Rxc6 4       Endgame KRB-KRB 35.Ra8+ 3 Kf7 5 36.Ra7+ 2 Ke8 42 37.Rxg7 20 White is more active. Kf8 3:46 38.g4 1:25 Rc5 30 39.Bf6 23 Be4 41 40.Kh2 0 40.f3 Bxf3 41.Rxh7 40...Rb5 0 Better is 40...h5 41.Re7 3:02 41.f3 Bxf3 42.Rxh7 41...Rb6 5:22 42.h4 4:25 Rb3 18:35 42...Rb2± 43.Kg3 Rb3+ 44.Kf4 Rb4 43.Rxe6+- 6:50 Bf3 4 44.g5 33 Bg4 3:49 45.Re7 12 Bf5 19 46.Kg2 3:08 Bh3+? 57 46...Bg6 47.f3 Rb1 47.Kg1 26 Bf5 6
48.h5! 5:19       Rh3 5 49.h6 3 Rd3 20 50.Kh2 1:09 Rh3+ 4:14 51.Kg2 5 Rd3 7 52.f3 4:35       Rd7 10 53.Re5 2 Bc2 1:13 54.f4 2:57 Rd5 12 55.Re7 3 Less strong is 55.Rxd5 Be4+ 56.Kg3 Bxd5+- Not 55.Bg7+ Kf7 56.Rxd5 56.g6+ Kxg6 57.Kf3 Bd1+ 58.Ke4 Rxe5+ 59.fxe5 Bb3= 56...Be4+ 57.Kg3 Bxd5+- 55...Bf5 1:35 56.Kf2? 6 56.Ra7+- and the rest is easy. 56...Rd2+± 53 57.Ke3 1:17 Rd6 1:03       This move loses the game for Black. 57...Rd3+± is tougher. 58.Ke2 Rd4 58.Rc7+- 1:13 Hoping for Be7+. Rd3+ 5 59.Ke2 1:12 Threatens to win with Rc5. Rd5 4 Prevents Rc5. 60.Bc3 1:44 Rg7 is the strong threat. Ke8 42 61.Kf2 51 Kf8 1:13 62.Bb4+ 1:12 Ke8 15 63.Re7+ 1:30 Kd8 4 64.Rf7 4 Ke8 1:28 65.Rf8+ 1:54 Kd7 4 66.Bc3 1:07 Bg6 22 Wards off Rf7+ 66...Be4 67.Ke3 Bc2 67.Rg8 30 Rd6 46 68.Be5 1:02 Rd2+? 1:07 68...Ra6 69.Rg7+ Ke8 69.Kf3 1:03 Rd3+ 41 69...Bf5 70.g6       Promotion hxg6 70.Kg4 27 Threatening mate with Rxg6! Rd1 23
71.Rxg6! 31       Remove Defender, Promotion hxg6 4 72.h7 2 Weighted Error Value: White=0.14 (very precise) /Black=0.28 (precise)
1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Ju Wenjun2564Lei Tingjie25541–02023A06WWCCM 20238.1
Lei Tingjie2554Ju Wenjun2564½–½2023B45WWCCM 20239.1
Ju Wenjun2564Lei Tingjie2554½–½2023A13WWCCM 202310.1
Lei Tingjie2554Ju Wenjun2564½–½2023C55WWCCM 202311.1
Ju Wenjun2564Lei Tingjie25541–02023D04WWCCM 202312.1

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Klaus Besenthal is computer scientist, has followed and still follows the chess scene avidly since 1972 and since then has also regularly played in tournaments.

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