It will be an all-China affair as reigning women’s world champion Ju Wenjun takes on challenger Tan Zhongyi for the fate of the Women’s World Chess Championship. China are the dominant force in women’s chess: the Asian giants hold the record for the most Women’s World Champions (six, one more than USSR’s five).
Here’s all you need to know about the FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship match between Ju Wenjun and Tan Zhongyi clash:
Format of FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship
The 2025 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship will be played in a 12-game format with the first player to score 6.5 points being declared the winner. Ju Wenjun will play the first game with white. The event will be played in two cities in China, starting with the first six games in Shanghai and then moving to Chongqing.
Shanghai is the hometown of Ju Wenjun. Chongqing is Tan Zhongyi’s hometown.
Time control
The time control for each game is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 1.
Full Schedule for FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship
April 3: Game 1
April 4: Game 2
April 6: Game 3
April 7: Game 4
April 9: Game 5
April 10: Game 6
Transfer to Chongqing
April 13: Game 7
April 14: Game 8
April 16: Game 9
April 17: Game 10
April 19: Game 11
April 20: Game 12
April 21: Tie-break (if needed) or Closing Ceremony
April 22: Closing Ceremony (if tie-break is played)
Who is Ju Wenjun?
The current women’s world champion, Ju Wenjun was born in 1991 in Shanghai. She started playing chess at the age of seven, after being inspired by the legendary Chinese player Xie Jun. Ju Wenjun first qualified for the Women’s World Championship in 2006. Ju Wenjun first claimed the World Championship title in 2018 by defeating Tan Zhongyi itself. Later that year, she retained her title by winning the 64-player knockout tournament. Ju successfully defended her crown twice more: in 2020 against Aleksandra Goryachkina and in 2023 against Lei Tingjie.
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Who is Tan Zhongyi?
Tan Zhongyi first became a world champion in 2017, when she defeated GM Anna Muzychuk in rapid tiebreaks. But the crown did not last long on her head as Ju Wenjun defeated her a year later to become women’s world champion. Now, Tan could take revenge by dethroning Ju.