After a two-day break, the FIDE Women’s World Championship Match resumed with Game 7 in its second host city, Chongqing—and what a dramatic game it was. It looked as though Tan Zhongyi was on track to repeat her 2018 feat by claiming victory in the first game of the second half, but under immense time pressure, she first allowed her advantage to slip into equality and then made a critical error that left her in a completely lost position. Ju Wenjun converted with precision, extending her lead in the match to 5–2.
The ceremonial first moves were made by Xu Yuhua, General Secretary of the Chinese Chess Association (and, of course, the 11th Women’s World Chess Champion), and Wu Hui, Member of the Standing Committee of the Chongqing Fuling District Committee.
The moment before the game began was tense. As the 60-second timer on the clock counted down, the hall fell completely silent. Both players were locked in deep focus, their eyes fixed on the board. One could almost feel the pressure in the air. While both players face the shared weight of a World Championship match, their circumstances differ greatly. Tan Zhongyi, the challenger, began the second half trailing by two points—a significant deficit that will require her to take risks in the remaining games to try and level the score. Ju Wenjun, the reigning World Champion, holds the lead, but also bears the pressure of maintaining it. We’ve now left her home turf, which seemed to favor her, so the question becomes: Can she keep up her momentum on Tan’s home ground?
Of the first six games, four ended decisively—a rare occurrence at the World Championship level. And with so much at stake for both players, that trend of decisive results may well continue. Once again, the opening was a Sicilian—in fact, every game with Ju as White and Tan as Black has featured the Sicilian, while every game with the reverse colors has seen an English Opening. Though this repetition might seem monotonous, the variations have been different. In today’s game, we saw a Rossolimo, setting the stage for an imbalanced, fighting battle.
Both players appeared well-prepared, with Ju achieving another Maroczy Bind setup, her pawns on e4 and c4. Tan responded confidently, blitzing out moves from a line previously played by her second, Jeffrey Xiong, against Wesley So in 2020. While Xiong lost that game with the Black pieces, Tan deviated with 9…Be7 instead of 9…Bc4. Interestingly, neither player was aware of that earlier game. Overall, Tan has shown superior opening preparation throughout the match, and today was no exception—until Ju steered the game out of theory and into uncharted territory.
An interesting observation: Tan spent more time in the opening than in any of the previous games. In the post-game press conference, she admitted this was a deliberate attempt to find variations that would give her winning chances right from the opening. Ironically, that approach eventually led to the fateful time trouble.
Still, it was Black who seemed more comfortable, maintaining an edge through much of the opening and middlegame. She even secured an extra pawn, and with the bishop pair on the board, her position looked promising. However, failing to capitalize on key moments, Tan eventually allowed the position to equalize, until, under time pressure, she committed the most critical error of the game:
Black had multiple options in this position, such as 35…Kg7 and 35…Rb4, and needed to realize that the c6-pawn could not be protected due to …Bb7, activating her worst-placed piece.
Instead, Tan erred by first playing 35…Bb7?, stubbornly holding onto the pawn. This was met with 36.Bc5!, forcing the dark-squared bishops trade; otherwise, White’s knight would jump to d6. After 36…Bxc5 37.Nxc5, the tables turned and White now had a monster knight versus a miserable bishop. Tan could have tried to resist with the 37…a4 push, but this opportunity was missed. Instead her bishop became locked up on a8, with the key effectively thrown away. White soon collected the h-pawn, then the a-pawn, and played the remainder of the game essentially a piece up due to Black’s bad bishop.
This game was expected to unfold differently—even this report was originally written with a focus on positional nuances and critical decisions from both sides. But ultimately, Tan’s 35…Bb7 became the game’s defining moment. Despite playing well and gaining an advantage with the Black pieces, that one move overshadowed everything else. In chess, it’s often said that the loser is the one who makes the last mistake, and today, that was Tan Zhongyi.
Ju Wenjun now leads the match 5-2 and needs only 1.5 points from the remaining five games to retain her title.
Game 8 will take place tomorrow, April 14, at 15:00 local time, with Tan Zhongyi having the white pieces.
FACT SHEET, Game 7, FIDE Women’s World Championship 2025:
White: Ju Wenjun
Black: Tan Zhongyi
Result: 1-0
Opening: Sicilian Rossolimo
Game length: 47 moves
Match score: 5-2 (in favour of Ju Wenjun)
Follow FIDE’s social media channels for updates, tune into YouTube for live commentary and coverage, and visit the official match website for more information.
Written by Charlize van Zyl
Photos: Anna Shtourman
Official website: womenworldchampionship2025.fide.com/
About the Match
The 2025 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship match between Ju Wenjun and Tan Zhongyi follows a 12-game format. The first player to score 6.5 points will be declared the winner.
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.
If the match is tied at 6-6 after all 12 games, a tiebreak will determine the champion. The tiebreak procedure involves a series of rapid and, if necessary, blitz games to ensure a decisive outcome.
