In a match in which the two players struggled to gain the tiniest of advantages, GM Ju Wenjun took a chance in the biggest-stakes game of them all.

The result: Ju won the 12th and final game of her women’s world championship clash in Chongqing, China against compatriot GM Lei Tingjie, taking the overall match by a score of 6½-5½ (2-1-9) and successfully defending the title she has held now since 2018. It’s the second time in barely three months that a Chinese grandmaster has won a world title with a dramatic last-round win: GM Ding Liren memorably took the fourth and final rapid playoff game against Russia’s GM Ian Nepomniachtchi in April to win the open world title in Kazakhstan.

The Ju-Lei match lacked the fireworks of the roller-coaster Ding-Nepomniachtchi clash. Both players were well-prepared and whole games went by with the computer evaluation giving neither side an appreciable advantage. But in the deciding game, after Lei as Black backed down on a chance to sharpen the play against White’s Colle System (13…g5!? was a provocative but promising idea, with Black having good play on 15. Nxg5 Bxh2+ 15. Kh1 Bd6), Ju went for it was an unbalancing line that gave both players chances.

Thus: 17. a3 Nb3 (see diagram) 18. Bxf6!? (grabbing two minor pieces for a rook and pawn and effectively jettisoning her proud queenside; the engines preferred the stolid 18. Ra2) Nxa1 19. Bxa1 Qxa5 20. Qc3! — a move that may have discombobulated her opponent. The queens come off the board, muting White’s attacking hopes, but now her minor pieces come into their glory.

The gamble pays off on 20 … Qxc3?! (too hasty; 20…Bf8!, putting the question to White over how to simplify, was better) 21. Bxc3 Rcb8 22. Nd4, and now 22…e5? (Bc5 23. N2f3 Ra3 is still very much a game) may have cost Lei her chance at the crown. The advance fatally weakens the Black d-pawn and gives Ju’s nimble knights some beautiful blockading squares after 23. Nf5! Bf8 24. Bxe5! Rxb5 25. g4 g6 26. Nd4 Rb2 27. Nb1!, and the redeployed White pieces will soon lock down and target Black’s fatally weak center.

The doomed Black d-pawn falls on 35. Nf4 d4 36. exd4, and now it’s almost a matter of technique as the knight pair escort the White d-pawn down the board. With 47. Kd3 Rb1 48. Nxc3 Rh1 49. f3!, White has picked up a second pawn and her knights prevent the Black rooks from generating any counterplay. It’s over on 60. d7 Rd3 61. Nd6+ Kf4 62. Rb8, and the pawn will queen; Lei resigned the game and the match.

Following in Ding’s footsteps, the champ is not taking a break. Ju is the top seed for the FIDE Women’s World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, that starts next week.

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Two young Americans who may themselves one day challenge for the women’s world chess title had an epic clash of their own at the just-concluded U.S. Girls Junior championship at the Chess Club of St. Louis.

Minnesota IM-elect Alice Lee, still just 13, confirmed her place as one of the country’s most promising young talents, clinching the 10-player invitational with a round to spare over the weekend.

Critical to Lee’s impressive win was an epic Round 7 victory over second-seeded IM Carissa Yip, a battle that did credit to both players before Lee finally pulled it out. As in Ju-Lei, an unexpected opening results in an unbalanced position, but this time it is the rooks that prevail over Yip’s minor piece army in the game’s critical passages.

The venerable Center Game (1. e4 e5 2. d4) is a rare visitor to top-flight chess events these days, but Lee reacts well to the surprise and even gets in the first blow on 14. Qd4 Nxg4!? 15. Ne2 (c4!? is more testing, with Black having the choice of 15 … Bf5, 15 … Qh4 and even 15 … Qb6; not so great is 15. fxg4?! Bxg4, which can run into disasters such as 16. Rd3?? Re1+ 17. Kd2 Rd1 mate) Qf6 16. fxg4 Bxg4 17. Qxf6 Nxf6 Nc3 (Rd2 Ne4 19. Ng3 Nxd2 20. Bxd2 Rad8 21. Bd3 saves material but White’s edge is minimal) Bxd1 19. Nxd1 Ne4 — this time, White gets two strong bishops for the rook and pawn, though Lee’s rooks get two superb central files as compensation.

Black takes a positional trump on 26. b3 Rad8 27. Bf2?! (bad was 27. Bxf6+ Kxf6 28. bxa4 Re1+ 29. Kb2 Rdd1, but White had the clever 27. Ne3! Re4 [Rxd4 28. Nf5+] 28. bxa4 Rexd4 29. Nf5+ Kf7 30. Nxd4 Rxd4, with chances for both sides) Nc3 28. Nxa5 (Kb2? Nd1+) 28. Ne2+, getting one of the bishops off the board. In the tricky play that follows, White manages to eliminate all of Black’s queenside pawns but Lee gets her rooks in position to escort her kingside pawns down the board.

Yip walks a tightrope, but her connected passers should be just enough to salvage the draw until a fatal misstep: 47. Ne4 (b7 Rb8 48. Kc3 is equal) R2f5 48. c4 g4 49. c5 Re5, and the only move to save the game now is 50. Nf6+! Rxf6 51. Rxf6 Rxc5 52. Rf4 Rb5+ 53. Kc3 Rxb6 54. Rxg4+, with a book draw.

Instead, the knight is trapped on the unfortunate 50. Ng3? Re3! 51. Rd6 (Nh5 Rf2+ 52. Kc1 Re1 mate; or 51. b7 Rf2+ 52. Ne2 Rfxe2+ 53. Kc1 Rc3+ 54. Kd1 Rb2 55. Rc8+ Kf7 56. b8=Q Rxb8 57. Rxb8 Rxc5 and wins) Rxg3 52. c5 Rf2+, and Black has just enough time to corral the scary White pawns.

Black preserves both kingside pawns and White’s king is locked out of the play after 58. Kd4 Rf6 59. Rg2 h5 60. Ke4 Kg6; Yip resigned.
Two other national champions were crowned at the St. Louis site this week: GM Melikset Khachiyan, like Lee, took the U.S. Senior title with a round to spare, finishing 1 1/2 points ahead of GM Alexander Shabalov, and GM Abhimanyu Mishra, 14, edged a quartet of pursuers by a half-point to take his first U.S. Junior national title and earn a slot in the U.S. national championship tournament later this year. IM Arthur Guo had a chance to tie for first but was upset in the ninth and final round by IM Kirk Ghazarian.

(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)

Ju-Lei, Game 12, FIDE Women’s World Championship Match, Chongqing, China, July 2023

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 c5 4. dxc5 e6 5. b4 a5 6. c3 axb4 7. cxb4 b6 8. Bb5+ Bd7 9. Bxd7+ Nbxd7 10. a4 bxc5 11. b5 Qc7 12. Bb2 Bd6 13. O-O O-O 14. Nbd2 Rfc8 15. Qc2 c4 16. Bc3 Nc5 17. a5 Nb3 18. Bxf6 Nxa1 19. Bxa1 Qxa5 20. Qc3 Qxc3 21. Bxc3 Rcb8 22. Nd4 e5 23. Nf5 Bf8 24. Bxe5 Rxb5 25. g4 g6 26. Nd4 Rb2 27. Nb1 Bg7 28. Bxg7 Kxg7 29. Nc3 Ra5 30. Rd1 Rb6 31. Nde2 Rb3 32. Kg2 h6 33. Kf3 f6 34. Rc1 Kf7 35. Nf4 d4 36. exd4 g5 37. Nfe2 f5 38. gxf5 Rxf5+ 39. Ke3 g4 40. Nf4 Rb8 41. d5 Rf6 42. Rc2 Ra8 43. Nb5 Rb6 44. Nd4 Ra3+ 45. Ke4 c3 46. Nfe2 Rb2 47. Kd3 Rb1 48. Nxc3 Rh1 49. f3 gxf3 50. Nxf3 Rf1 51. Nd4 Ke7 52. Kc4 Rf4 53. Rb2 Rh4 54. Rb7+ Kf6 55. Rb2 Ra8 56. Kc5 Rh3 57. Ncb5 Re3 58. d6 Ke5 59. Nc6+ Ke4 60. d7 Rd3 61. Nd6+ Kf4 62. Rb8 Black resigns.

Yip-Lee, U.S. Girls Junior Championship, St. Louis, July 2023

1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qc4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Bd2 O-O 7. O-O-O Re8 8. f3 a5 9. g4 d5 10. exd5 Ne5 11. Qd4 c6 12. Bf4 Bxc3 13. Qxc3 Nxd5 14. Qd4 Nxg4 15. Ne2 Qf6 16. fxg4 Bxg4 17. Qxf6 Nxf6 18. Nc3 Bxd1 19. Nxd1 Ne4 20. Rg1 g6 21. Ne3 f6 22. a4 Kh8 23. Nc4 Nc5 24. Be3 Nxa4 25. Bd4 Kg7 26. b3 Rad8 27. Bf2 Nc3 28. Nxa5 Ne2+ 29. Bxe2 Rxe2 30. Be1 Rde8 31. Bg3 Ra8 32. Re1 Rg2 33. Bc7 g5 34. Kb2 f5 35. Nxb7 Rf8 36. Re6 f4 37. Be5+ Kf7 38. Rf6+ Kg8 39. Rxc6 Re8 40. Bd4 f3 41. Nd6 Rf8 42. b4 Rd2 43. Bc5 f2 44. Bxf2 Rdxf2 45. b5 Rxh2 46. b6 Rhf2 47. Ne4 R2f5 48. c4 g4 49. c5 Re5 50. Ng3 Re3 51. Rd6 Rxg3 52. c6 Rf2+ 53. Kc1 Ra3 54. Rd2 Rc3+ 55. Kb2 Rxc6 56. Rxf2 Rxb6+ 57. Kc3 Kg7 58. Kd4 Rf6 59. Rg2 h5 60. Ke4 Kg6 White resigns.

• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email at dsands@washingtontimes.com.

• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.