Ju Wenjun Survives Heavy Pressure As Game 4 Goes To Bare Kings

GM Ju Wenjun survived heavy pressure on the board and on the clock to make a five-hour, 80-move draw against GM Tan Zhongyi that leaves the scores level at 2-2 after game four of the 2025 FIDE Women's World Championship. Both players competed to sacrifice pawns early on, with Ju eventually accepting and slipping into a near-lost position. Tan rushed, however, and Ju survived to a tricky but holdable endgame that ended in bare kings.  

Game five, when Ju will have the white pieces, starts on Wednesday, April 9, at 3:00 a.m. ET / 09:00 CEST / 12:30 p.m. IST. 

GM Rafael Leitao has analyzed game four of the match below.

After two decisive games in a row the players could have been forgiven for taking things easy in game four, but what followed was another intense battle, with Ju commenting on the final position: "It’s quite common to have one king against one king because we show fighting spirit to the end, and this is also a kind of responsibility to the fans." 

We show fighting spirit to the end, and this is also a kind of responsibility to the fans.

—Ju Wenjun 

The players followed the pattern of the match so far by repeating the same opening move, in this case Tan's 1.c4, only for a deviation to follow fast. In this case, it was Ju who opted for 1...e6, instead of the 1...Nf6 and later ...e5 that she played in game two of the match.  

Tan Zhongyi repeats the English Opening (1.c4) in Game 4, but Ju Wenjun already varies with 1...e6! https://t.co/piekoD6Nwv#JuTan pic.twitter.com/LVyzE3Na4M

— chess24 (@chess24com) April 7, 2025

A few moves later, the players had reached a playable position that had never been seen before. Ju was running risks with the black pieces when she played 10...d5, offering up her d-pawn.

Tan took on d5 once, but no more, giving Ju the chance to hold onto the pawn. Then, after dodging an opportunity to make a draw by repetition, Tan played 18.Bf4!?, sacrificing a pawn herself in a position where the simple 18.Ne2 was very strong. 

The bold decision seemed to pay off, however, since Ju, already 20 minutes behind on the clock, burned up 19 minutes on 18...Nfxd4!? (18...b5! is the silicon choice) and then after 19.Rfd1 invested another 12 minutes in 19...Nb5?!, which had the virtue of simplifying the position but the drawback of giving Tan a very clear advantage on the board and a 50-minute lead on the clock.

Ju, who rated her overall play as 6/10, admitted she hadn't played the first half of the game well, but Tan was also "not very satisfied," which was understandable since she let a big edge slip when going for 24.Bd6?, running into 24...Ra5!.

A move earlier, Tan could simply have captured on b6 with her queen, when the passed b-pawn would be a monster. Now, however, 25.Qxb6? would run into the cold shower 25...Nc8!, simplifying the position to a likely draw. Tan admitted she'd simply missed that fork when going for this position.

Ju was right back in business, but her time situation was still perilous, and that was a factor in her missing a number of sharp ways to force a draw. For instance, she chose 30...Bf5 instead of the 30...d4!, when grabbing the pawn leads to the loss of a piece.

With 30...d4! Ju could have solved her problems by setting a devilish trap — 31.Rxd4? loses to 31...Nd5! 32.Bxd5 Qb1+! 33.Kg2 Bxd5+ 34.Rxd5 Qe4+!, picking up the rookhttps://t.co/piekoD6Nwv#JuTan pic.twitter.com/nN6MHzNHyz

— chess24 (@chess24com) April 7, 2025

Tan would no doubt have dodged that trap, but then the d5-square would be opened up for the bishop to force more simplifications.

The pattern continued, with Ju not quite shutting the door, and Tan getting some hope in the run-up to the time control. She later agreed she'd pushed her b-pawn too early, however, and Ju gained an extra 30 minutes in a position where the b-pawn could be blockaded, the white bishop was out of play, and the black d-pawn and knight could create counterplay.

The tension was maintained and there were more critical moments ahead, but Ju's verdict that she "actually defended the game precisely" was hard to dispute. Tan had overall missed some chances to regain the lead in the match, but the 80-move draw was a fair outcome of a very hard-fought game.

Ju Wenjun survives heavy pressure to make an 80-move, 5-hour draw against Tan Zhongyi — after 4 games, the Women's World Championship match is level at 2-2! https://t.co/9Xuzj84SDT pic.twitter.com/kvGwIvS7ht

— chess24 (@chess24com) April 7, 2025

The players now get their first rest day before Ju has the white pieces in Wednesday's game five. That's already the penultimate game in Shanghai, since after game six the players will travel 1,700 km west to Chongqing for the second half of the match.

The 2025 FIDE Women's World Championship is the most important women's over-the-board event of the year. The defending women's world champion, GM Ju Wenjun, faces the challenger, GM Tan Zhongyi, to see who will be crowned world champion. The championship started on April 3 in Shanghai and boasts a €500,000 ($540k) prize fund.

Previous Coverage

• • Game 3: Ju Wenjun Strikes Back To Win Game 3
  • Game 2: Tan Zhongyi Stuns Ju Wenjun To Win Game 2
  • Game 1: Tan Holds Ju To Draw As Women's World Championship Starts In Shanghai
  • Can Ju Wenjun Win 5th World Championship?
  • 2025 FIDE Women's World Championship: All The Information
  • Gukesh Youngest Ever Candidates Winner, Tan Takes Women's By 1.5 Points
  • Ju Wenjun Wins 4th Women's World Championship Title