Women's section: Ju beats Lei in overtime

The women's knockout stage showcased fewer twists and turns but a fair share of intense competition, with 3 out of the 7 matches going to overtime. Ultimately, Ju Wenjun emerged victorious, claiming the women's world blitz title for the first time in her career. Ju, the reigning women's world champion in classical chess, defeated Lei Tingjie in the final match. It was a rematch of their classical title contest last year, which had also gone Ju's way.

Ju's path to the final was commanding, as she scored convincing 2½-½ victories over defending champion Valentina Gunina and Vaishali Rameshbabu in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. Lei, on the other hand, had to work harder to secure her spot. She edged out 3-time women's world blitz champion Kateryna Lagno in a fiercely contested quarterfinal before overcoming Bibisara Assaubayeva in a tough semifinal match.

Ju Wenjun | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

World champion in blitz and classical chess | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

The all-Chinese final began with Lei holding the white pieces. Both players, deeply familiar with each other's styles, chose a cautious approach. All 4 regulation games ended in draws, with neither Ju nor Lei willing to take significant risks. Sudden-death games followed, and Ju defended resolutely with black in the first overtime game, holding a 38-move draw. With the white pieces in the second game, Ju capitalised on her chances to secure the title.

In the deciding encounter, Lei played a theoretical pawn sacrifice early in the opening...

Ju v. Lei - Game 6

This is a theoretical position out of the Tarrasch - Black gives up the central pawn voluntarily

...but failed to find compensation later on, as Ju showed great technique to make the most of the material advantage she gained at such an early stage.

By move 29, White has consolidated her advantage - from this point on, it was mostly a matter of technique, and despite the quick time control, Ju showed her class to win the game...and the tournament

The spectators at Cipriani Wall Street, the elegant New York venue, gave the new champion a standing ovation.

This triumph added another accolade to Ju's illustrious career, complementing her classical and rapid titles. Before this victory, her closest attempt at the women's world blitz title was a third-place finish in Riyadh in 2017. Similarly, Lei had achieved her best world blitz performance with a third-place finish in the 2018 championship in Saint Petersburg.

It was a hard-fought final match | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

A friendly post-mortem | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

Lei Tingjie and Ju Wenjun joined by semifinalists Kateryna Lagno and Vaishali Rameshbabu | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

FIDE Open World Blitz Women Final Championships 2024