Women’s World Championship: A tense draw, three games to go

by André Schulz
7/18/2023 – In the ninth game of the Women’s World Chess Championships, Lei Tingjie and Ju Wenjun showed a remarkable level of understanding both in the middlegame emerging from a Sicilian Defence and in the ensuing rook ending. The game ended in a draw after 59 moves. | Photos: Stev Bonhage / FIDE
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The tension is going up

The Women’s World Championship between two Chinese players, defending champion Ju Wenjun and challenger Lei Tingjie, is taking place in each of the two players’ hometowns. Ju lives in Shanghai, where the first half of the match was played, while Lei is now at home in Chongqing. Neither player could claim a home advantage. In Shanghai, Lei got the upper hand as she won one of the six games. In Chongqing, Ju has been on top so far, as she won the eighth game on Sunday to level the match.

After a rest day on Monday, the ninth game saw Lei playing white.

At chess tournaments, sponsors and supporters are honoured by symbolically making the first move and thus opening the round or game. The match in China is also enhanced by this ceremony. In fact, two people are always invited and execute the first move for White, but also Black’s immediate reply Why not? As long as not all the moves of the game are executed by guests of honour...

During the games in this match, the players are almost always sitting at the board thinking about their and their opponent’s moves. This is quite different from what has become common in the open World Championships, where the contenders regularly retire to a quiet room, watch the game via a monitor and appear when it is their turn to move. At times, neither of the players can be seen on stage.

Lei opened as usual with the king’s pawn, and this time Ju opted for the Sicilian Defence. Lei did not allow the usual transition to the Sveshnikov, but instead exchanged the knights on c6. With 10.a3, Lei deviated from theory, but achieved nothing afterwards. Eventually, a rook ending appeared on the board, which still required careful play by both sides.

Lei Tingjie2554-Ju Wenjun2564
WWCCM 2023
Chongqing18.07.2023[Schulz,A]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nxc6 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bf4 e5 8.Bg5 leads to the Sveshnikov variation. 6...bxc6 7.e5 Nd5 8.Ne4 Bb7 The most frequently played move. The main variation is 8...Qc7 forcing 9.f4 to defend the central pawn. 9.Be2 c5 10.a3 A noevlty. The move a2-a3 had never been played here before. 10.0-0 Qc7 11.Nd6+ Bxd6 12.exd6 Qc6 13.f3 13.Bf3 c4 13...c4 14.Qd4 0-0 15.Bxc4 Qxd6 1/2-1/2 (57) Carlsen,M (2847)-Artemiev,V (2709) chess24.com INT 2021 10...Rc8 After 10...Qc7 there is 11.Nd6+ Bxd6 12.exd6 Qc6 13.c4 11.c4 Ne3 12.Bxe3 Bxe4 13.0-0 Be7 14.Bf3 Bxf3 15.Qxf3 0-0
16.Rad1 A white advantage can hardly be found here. f6 17.Qg3 17.exf6 Bxf6 18.Qe2 d5 19.cxd5 exd5= 17...fxe5 18.Qxe5 Bf6 19.Qd6 Bxb2 20.Bxc5 Rf7 21.Rb1 Be5 A little tactical trick to further simplify the position. 22.Qxe5 Rf5 23.Qd6 Rfxc5 24.Rb7 R5c7 25.Rfb1 Rxc4 26.g3 26.Rxd7?? Rc1+ 26...R4c7 Black has won a pawn, but that hardly matters in this major piece endgame. White can put pressure on the black central pawns. 27.Kg2 a5 28.a4 h6 29.h4 Kh8 30.R1b2 Kh7 31.h5 Kh8 Black is obviously satisfied with a draw. 32.R2b5 Rxb7 After 32...Kg8 there is no big difference. 33.Rxb7 Qf6 34.Rxd7 Rf8 35.f4 Rc8 36.Qd4 Qxd4 37.Rxd4
The rook ending is balanced, but not necessarily drawn. 37...Kg8 38.Re4 Rc2+ 39.Kf3 Ra2 40.Kg4 Ra3 41.Rxe6 Rxa4 42.Kf5 Can you penetrate on the kingside? Kh7 No. Not 42...Ra1?? 43.Kg6 Kf8 44.Rc6 and White wins, e.g: Rg1 45.Rc8+ Ke7 46.Rc7+ Kf8 47.Rf7+ Ke8 48.Rxg7 Rxg3+ 49.Kxh6 43.Ra6 Ra1 44.Ra7 a4 45.Ra8 a3 46.g4
46...Ra2 46...a2 47.g5 hxg5 48.fxg5 Rf1+ 49.Kg4 49.Ke4?? a1Q-+ 49...Rg1+= Perpetual check or g5 falls. 49...a1Q?? 50.g6+ Kh6 51.Rh8# 47.g5 hxg5 48.fxg5 g6+ 48...Rf2+ 49.Kg4 49.Ke4 a2 50.Ra7 Rh2 51.h6 a1Q 52.Rxa1 gxh6 53.gxh6 Rxh6= 49...Rg2+= 49.hxg6+ Kg7 50.Ra7+ Kg8 51.g7 Rb2 52.Kg6 Rb6+ 53.Kh5 a2 54.Rxa2 Kxg7 55.Ra7+ Kg8 56.Ra8+ Kg7 57.Ra7+ Kg8 58.Ra8+ Kg7 59.Ra7+
Lei Tingjie
2554
½
½
½
½
1
½
3.5
Ju Wenjun
2564
½
½
½
½
0
½
2.5

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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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André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.
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