Women's World Championship, Game 8

Ju Wenjun wins the fourth in a row, needs just one draw in the last four games to retain her title.

Game 9 is starting as I write this, and I wouldn’t be shocked if it ends before the post finishes. Hopefully the challenger, Tan Zhongyi, will give it the old college try and play to the bitter end; we’ll see.

That the end is almost guaranteed to be better is thanks to champion Ju Wenjun’s four-point lead, thanks to her four-game winning streak. Game 8 saw a different opening as Tan tried 1.e4 for the first time in the match. Ju played 1…e5, and the game was a Vienna/Bishop’s Opening hybrid. White enjoyed a very slight edge at some point, but that minimal advantage soon disappeared. It would not have been surprising to see the game end in a draw, but a White inaccuracy on move 25 and errors on moves 28 and 30 left her with a hopeless position. Ju confidently brought home the full point with good technique, and stretched her lead in the match to four points, giving her a 6-2 lead. (See the game here, with my comments.)

Game 9 is still going, but Ju has a pleasant, risk-free advantage after just seven moves. The match is still going…but not really.