GM Ju Wenjun on Wednesday, April 16, beat compatriot GM Tan Zhongyi 6.5-2.5 to win the 2025 FIDE Women's World Championship and become only the fifth woman in history to win the title five times. The 34-year-old title holder since 2018 wrapped up the match with three games to spare after making a rock-solid draw in game nine, taking home the €300,000 ($340k) winner's prize, while Tan takes €200,000. Tan fought hard throughout the match, often holding promising positions, and never allowing Ju an easy ride. Despite being down, she entered the final game hoping to create imbalance and generate winning chances. But Ju, calm and focused, played with clarity and precision, guiding the game to the draw she needed. The final game opened with the Sicilian Rossolimo—revisiting the line from Game 6 where Tan, with the black pieces, obtained a slight edge. This time, Ju deviated with 5.Re1 instead of 5.d4, and the players soon found themselves navigating a fresh and dynamic position. White accepted an isolated queen’s pawn, which Ju temporarily sacrificed before regaining it after a series of trades. Ju first claimed the crown in 2018 by beating Tan in a match, before defending the title in a 64-player knockout later that year and then in matches against GMs Aleksandra Goryachkina (2020) and Lei Tingjie (2023). Her seven-year reign will now extend at least until the next match in 2026-7. The Chinese grandmaster has now joined Vera Menchik, Nona Gaprindashvili, and Maia Chiburdanidze in the rarefied ranks of players to have won the title five times or more. Fact sheet, Game 9, FIDE Women’s World Championship 2025: White: Ju Wenjun Black: Tan Zhongyi Result: ½ Opening: Sicilian Rossolimo Game length: 38 moves Match score: 6.5-2 (in favour of Ju Wenjun)
