Ju Wenjun Clinches the Women’s World Chess Championship Title for a Record Fifth Time
Chess is a game that not many can follow through, since the mental stimulation and patience required to follow the pattern and anticipate the next move from the opponent can make or break it at any stage.
One fine example of a chess player, who has scripted history with her grit and calmness is GM Ju Wenjun of China. She became the first woman of Chinese origin to emerge as the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Championship, for a record fifth time.
The title holder since 2018 wrapped up the match with three full games to spare after making a rock-solid draw in game nine. She takes home $340,000 as the winner’s prize, while her long-time opponent and compatriot GM Tan Zhongyi takes $ 227,000.
The 34-year-old Grand Master from Shanghai became only the fourth player in the game’s history to win the Women’s World Chess Championship for five times, after Vera Menchik, Nona Gaprindashvili and Maia Chiburdanidze.
Despite a tight situation at one point, Ju managed to seal off four consecutive wins in this championship one round after another. Heading into her finale day on April 16, Tan had an uphill task of winning four games in a row to have a tie-break.
But Ju managed to retain her title 6.5-2.5 with three games to spare. In 2018, it was a win over Tan itself that saw Ju become women’s world champion for the first time back in the day. The way the match unfolded after Tan took an early lead, is a testament to the now five-time women’s world champion’s class.
With her exceptional understanding and solid mastery on her skills, Ju has been among the most formidable female chess players for a while now. She’s also the reigning women’s world blitz champion and a two-time women’s world rapid champion.
The career breakthrough moment came when Ju pulled off the biggest win of her career at the Tata Steel Chess tournament in January 2024 last year, defeating then-world No. 6 Alireza Firouzja. She also drew against both Ding Liren and D. Gukesh in the same tournament.
With so many accomplishments in her name already there, Ju is the only one of six female players to cross the 2600 Elo barrier. She is currently ranked as No. 2 in the world in the FIDE women’s rankings, with a rating of 2561, cementing her place as one of the top-most players globally.
