{"id":9647,"date":"2025-04-03T23:38:17","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T17:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chessbd.com\/?p=9647"},"modified":"2025-04-03T23:42:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T17:42:13","slug":"ju-and-tan-begin-title-rematch-with-balanced-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chessbangladesh.com\/?p=9647","title":{"rendered":"Ju and Tan begin title rematch with balanced battle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FIDE Women\u2019s World Championship Match 2025 began today at 15:00 local time in Shanghai, China. Ju Wenjun had the White pieces, while Tan Zhongyi, playing with black, steered the game into the Sicilian Defence. After 39 moves, with no major fireworks, the game concluded in a logical draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yesterday was a packed media day featuring interviews, press conferences, and the opening ceremony \u2013 all pointing toward a fiercely competitive match ahead. The storyline is compelling: two world champions, current and former, battling for the coveted title. Adding further intrigue is the d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu element, as the two players faced off in 2018, when Ju was the challenger and Tan the reigning champion. Ju claimed the title in that match and has successfully defended it ever since. This time, the roles are reversed, with Tan returning as challenger for the first time against her compatriot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The psychological backdrop is equally fascinating. In her exclusive interview with FIDE, Tan spoke with confidence, emphasizing that while she viewed herself as \u201clucky\u201d to be playing the 2018 match (having winning the title in 2017 in a knockout tournament) this time she felt more assured, having earned her place by winning the Candidates. With only a six-point rating difference between them, the outcome may come down to confidence. At the start of today\u2019s game, their body language told a subtle story. Tan appeared relaxed, sipping coffee and glancing around the room, while Ju was intensely focused, her eyes fixed solely on the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"662\" src=\"https:\/\/chessbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-11.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9649\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chessbangladesh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-11.png 1000w, https:\/\/chessbangladesh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-11-300x199.png 300w, https:\/\/chessbangladesh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-11-768x508.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ceremonial first move was made by He Fengxiang, Director of the Chess and Card Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China and President of China Qiyuan, along with Xu Bin, Director of the Shanghai Municipal Sports Bureau.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At exactly 15:00 local time, the chief arbiter started the clock, and the match was officially underway. Both players raced through the early stages of the Sicilian Defence, French Variation&nbsp; \u2013 a calmer line compared to typical Sicilian battles. Ju deviated from the mainline with 5.Bd3 \u2013 a less common continuation than 5.Nc3, though not unusual at the elite level. Tan, seemingly still in preparation, continued to play quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"635\" src=\"https:\/\/chessbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-12.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chessbangladesh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-12.png 1000w, https:\/\/chessbangladesh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-12-300x191.png 300w, https:\/\/chessbangladesh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-12-768x488.png 768w, https:\/\/chessbangladesh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-12-345x218.png 345w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, after 9.Bg5, the challenger paused for over five minutes, suggesting she was now out of preparation. In the post-game press conference, she acknowledged the psychological impact of that move and responded accurately with 9\u2026h6. A few moves later, Ju took her time for the first time in the game, indicating that both players were now navigating unfamiliar territory \u2013 something rare and refreshing at this level in today\u2019s computer-driven era. Ju appeared slightly more comfortable out of the opening thanks to her active pieces, while Tan\u2019s bishop on c8 remained undeveloped. On move 14, Ju spent nearly 20 minutes before simplifying the position with a trade and breaking in the center, signaling that the game was drifting toward a draw \u2013 though not without its complexities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"766\" src=\"https:\/\/chessbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-13.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9651\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chessbangladesh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-13.png 768w, https:\/\/chessbangladesh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-13-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/chessbangladesh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-13-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An interesting moment arose on move 18. Ju opted not to play 18.cxd5, which would have gained an extra pawn but allowed Black\u2019s pin with 18\u2026Ba6. Instead, she targeted the weak h6-pawn with&nbsp;<strong>18.Qe3<\/strong>, prompting Tan to find the precise&nbsp;<strong>18\u2026Qg5<\/strong>. After the queens were exchanged, White captured on d5, leaving Black with an isolated queen\u2019s pawn, balanced by the open nature of the position and a bishop versus knight scenario. Neither side had a tangible advantage or clear path to push for more. With this in mind, neither player was willing to take significant risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the engine bar showing complete equality, the game eventually ended in a draw. While we didn\u2019t witness any fireworks today, the game suggested that we won\u2019t be seeing quick, uneventful draws either. Will the players adopt a more aggressive approach as the match progresses? Or will caution prevail, potentially leading to tiebreaks? It\u2019s too early to tell, and only time will reveal the course of this tightly contested match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"666\" src=\"https:\/\/chessbd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-14.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9652\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chessbangladesh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-14.png 1000w, https:\/\/chessbangladesh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-14-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/chessbangladesh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-14-768x511.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second game of the match will take place on Friday, April 4t, at 3 PM local time in Shanghai, with Tan Zhongyi playing White.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>FACT SHEET, Game 1, FIDE Women\u2019s World Championship 2025<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">White: Ju Wenjun<br>Black: Tan Zhongyi<br>Result: \u00bd-\u00bd<br>Opening: Sicilian Defence, French variation<br>Game length: 39 moves<br>Match score: \u00bd-\u00bd&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Follow FIDE\u2019s social media channels for updates, tune into&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@FIDE_chess\">YouTube<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;for live commentary and coverage, and visit the official match website for more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Written by Charlize Van Zyl<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Photos: Anna Shtourman<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Official website:&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/womenworldchampionship2025.fide.com\/\">womenworldchampionship2025.fide.com\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The FIDE Women\u2019s World Championship Match 2025 began today at 15:00 local time in Shanghai, China. Ju Wenjun had the White pieces, while Tan Zhongyi, playing with black, steered the game into the Sicilian Defence. After 39 moves, with no major fireworks, the game concluded in a logical draw. Yesterday was a packed media day&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":9654,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-in-english"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ju and Tan begin title rematch with balanced battle -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/chessbangladesh.com\/?p=9647\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ju and Tan begin title rematch with balanced battle -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The FIDE Women\u2019s World Championship Match 2025 began today at 15:00 local time in Shanghai, China. Ju Wenjun had the White pieces, while Tan Zhongyi, playing with black, steered the game into the Sicilian Defence. After 39 moves, with no major fireworks, the game concluded in a logical draw. Yesterday was a packed media day...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/chessbangladesh.com\/?p=9647\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-03T17:38:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-03T17:42:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/chessbangladesh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/fwwc-2025.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"chessbd.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"chessbd.com\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" 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