Women's World Championship: Momentum Shifts in Round Seven

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courtesy Stev Bonhage/FIDE

The most important part of any good plan is the ability to know when it is time to change plans. Nobody wants to throw out months of preparation because one game doesn’t go their way. But, at the same time, sticking to a plan that isn’t working can turn from resilience to foolishness rather quickly.

The defending champion GM Ju Wenjun lost her last game with the black pieces after being out-prepared by challenger GM Lei Tingjie in her previous two games beginning with 1. e4. The intermission provided Ju’s team with two full days off to adjust. Would she stick to her guns?

Ju Wenjun (courtesy Stev Bonhage/FIDE)

In the seventh game of the 2023 FIDE Women’s World Championship — and first in Chongqing, China —Ju decided to put 1. … e5 to rest. If this game was any indication, this decision might be the turning point in a match that, previously, Ju was arguably lucky to be trailing by only one game.

Even though the result was a draw, Ju was pushing with black in a Caro-Kann where Lei was unable to create any problems. As was the case in their two Ruy Lopez games and their Italian which Lei won, Lei blitzed out some rare moves that appeared to be the result of deep preparation. But even though Ju is much more familiar with her Berlin structures than these more imbalanced ones, she navigated the unfamiliar territory flawlessly.

An unfamiliar position for Lei Tingjie (courtesy Stev Bonhage/FIDE)

Instead, it was Lei who showed a shaky grasp of the resulting position, over-pressing on the kingside in a way that offered Ju serious winning chances. Lei has been more of a 1. d4 player in the lead-up to this match, too, and this was the first time that was apparent in this match.

In a light-hearted post-game interview, Lei insisted she was not surprised by Ju’s opening move. After all, she said, Ju played the Caro-Kann just two weeks ago (against 13-year-old prodigy WIM Lu Miaoyi). But that game was a quick draw, and not a serious hint that the Caro-Kann was a major part of Black’s preparation.

courtesy Stev Bonhage/FIDE

Additionally, Lei did say in a previous round that she tells the truth, “About 50% of the time” in these interviews, contrasted with Ju who said she is truthful “99.9%” of the time. When asked how she felt returning to her hometown, Lei playfully insisted she had never been here before. Maybe that was a more truthful response to the question about the Caro-Kann.

Today's annotations come from IM Nazi Paikidze.

Stay tuned for our coverage of round eight. Play resumes Tuesday, July 18, at 2:00 a.m. CST.

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