[Event "FIDE Women's World Chess Championship"] [Site "Shanghai, China"] [Date "2023.07.06"] [Round "2"] [White "Ju, Wenjun"] [Black "Lei, Tingjie"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2564"] [WhiteTeam "China"] [BlackElo "2554"] [BlackTeam "China"] [Annotator "WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "D32"] [Opening "Tarrasch Defense: Symmetrical Variation"] [StudyName "2023 Women's World Championship"] [ChapterName "Ju, Wenjun - Lei, Tingjie (Begim)"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/DIriaEIZ/ZAbFdhkJ"] [Orientation "white"] 1. d4 { No Surprises Today! Ju Wenjun sticks to her main move, which has served her well for many years. } 1... d5 { Lei, on the other hand, prefers to play 1. ... Nf6 more than 1. ... d5, as the Grunfeld is in her repertoire. } 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 c5 5. e3 { It is a well-known opening for both of them for sure. This is the line Ju likes to play, and she has many games here. Even though Lei uses different move orders, she still goes with ... c7-c5 lines and has many games in this and similar positions. } 5... Nc6 { This is still the main line and the only move Lei ever plays here. } (5... a6 { is another interesting option. It prevents Bf1-b5 and takes the game in a different direction. They prepared the lines before the match for sure; also, Lie played her move fast. } 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Be2 Nc6 { reaches a normal position. }) 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Bb5 (7. Be2 { is the main line, which leads to a totally different structure. If } 7... cxd4 (7... Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. b3 { interesting lines, but again, it depends what kind of structure white wants to play. Ju's choice was a bit different }) 8. Nxd4 Bd6 9. O-O O-O 10. b3 { , then White plays against the isolated pawn on d5, while Black has more active pieces as compensation. }) 7... cxd4 8. exd4 (8. Nxd4 { Even here, Nf3xd4 is played more. However, Ju preferred to play a different structure which is more precise and manageable. It could be the result of her feeling about yesterday's game. She had a dangerous position, and today, she wanted to get a more straightforward position to warm up to the match safely. } 8... Bd7 9. O-O Bd6 10. Qb3 a6 11. Be2 $13) 8... Bd6 9. O-O O-O 10. Bg5 Bg4 11. Be2 Be6 (11... Re8 { is another good option because the attack on the d5-pawn appears to be not dangerous at all. } 12. h3 (12. Nxd5? Bxh2+ 13. Kxh2 Qxd5 14. Bxf6 gxf6 $17) (12. Bxf6? Qxf6 13. Nxd5 Qh6 { Unexpectedly, Black's attack is strong! } 14. h3 Bxh3! $19 { is winning! } 15. gxh3 Qxh3 { There is no way to stop eventual deflections on the f3-knight. }) 12... Be6 { is a better version for Black; they get back with the bishop on e6 after h2-h3 is played. }) 12. Re1 h6 13. Bh4 { Keeping the pin! } 13... Rc8 (13... g5 { That is probably what most people would do when it is not the world championship match, I was curious if it would work, and it appears that it is already played by some strong players such as Vidit, Sethuraman, and Tari. The idea is to get out of the pin and get some activity as compensation for the inclusion of ... g7-g5. However, it is understandable why Lei does not want such dangerous positions. She is still nervous, and there is no reason to risk it all; it is too early in the match. } 14. Bg3 Ne4 15. Bxd6 Qxd6 16. Bd3 f5 { This is a fun position to play, or, at least it is fun for us to watch if not for them to play. }) 14. a3 (14. Rc1 { faces } 14... Bf4 { . }) (14. Qd2 { is better, as it prevents ... Bd6-f4. }) 14... Re8 (14... g5 { is always an option! It feels even better after a2-a3 because Black's rook on c8 is also included in the game. It could be an excellent attempt to exploit White's passive play. }) 15. Bb5 a6 (15... Be7 { If Lei did not want to play with ... g7-g5, then ... Bd6-e7 was another way to get rid of the pin but } 16. Ne5 Nd7 17. Bxe7 Nxe7 { I am pretty sure she did not like this position where White's knight is active on e5. }) 16. Ba4 { Such moves were patterns for this game. None of the players want to have any imbalance in the position. They were too careful the whole game, trying to avoid any mess or dynamic position. } (16. Bxc6 { would be a good attempt to create some imbalances and create more of a game. } 16... bxc6 17. Qd3 a5 18. Re2 { avoiding ... Bd6-f4 is important, and now } (18. Rac1 Bf4 { is a bit unpleasant }) 18... Bg4 { The engine is suggesting this line; of course, it says it is equal. } (18... g5 { If not ... Be6-g4, then this is another attempt to play ... c7-c5. Black has to use her two bishops and open the position; it also eliminates potential c-pawn weaknesses on either c5 or c6. } 19. Bg3 c5 20. Rae1 c4 21. Qc2 Bxg3 22. hxg3 Kg7 $13) 19. Rxe8+ Qxe8 20. Bxf6 gxf6 21. h3 Bxf3 22. Qxf3 { However, it is tough to play this position from a human perspective. It is well known that the knight is great with weaknesses, and there are many of them in this position. So, playing with White and letting Black defend this position is easier. }) 16... b5 17. Bc2 { White is threatening Qd1-d3, so Black is forced to take action. } 17... g5 { Finally, ... g7-g5 was played } 18. Bg3 Bxg3 19. hxg3 Qb6 { Black is putting pressure on the d4-pawn and developing the queen. } (19... Na5 20. Ne5 Nc4 21. Nxc4 dxc4 22. Qd2 { would lead to a complicated position with some chances for both sides. However, Black did not like this option because of their king's weakness. }) 20. Qd2 { If not a3-a4, another logical move is to move the queen somewhere against ... Be6-g4. But this move seems a bit passive. } (20. a4 { White needed to remove the pressure on d4 as soon as possible. Now, } 20... Bg4 21. Rxe8+ Rxe8 22. axb5 axb5 23. Qd3 Bxf3 24. gxf3 Nxd4 25. Rd1 { equalizes immediately. }) (20. Qd3 { is an interesting option and my favorite } 20... Bg4 { now is not working. } (20... Kg7 21. Rxe6 { is very tempting, and it is suggested by the engine. White is trying to use Black's weak kingside pawn structure. } (21. Rad1 Na5 22. Ne5 $13) 21... Rxe6 22. Nxd5 Nxd5 23. Qh7+ Kf6 (23... Kf8?? 24. Qh8+ Ke7 25. Qxc8 $18) 24. Bb3 { is an only move. } (24. Qxh6+ Ke7 25. Qxg5+ Nf6 $19) 24... Qd8 25. Qxh6+ Ke7 26. Qxg5+ Kf8 27. Bxd5 Qxg5 28. Nxg5 Rd6 29. Bxf7 Nxd4 { This is a crazy engine line, which ends with equality, of course. However, it is hard to imagine humans being this precise. }) 21. Nxd5! Nxd5 22. Qh7+ Kf8 23. Qh8#) 20... Bg4 21. Rxe8+ (21. Qd3 { it still works! } 21... Bxf3 22. gxf3 Qxd4 23. Qf5 Kg7 24. Rxe8 Rxe8 25. Rd1 Qe5 26. Nxd5 Qxf5 27. Bxf5 Rd8 28. Nc3) 21... Rxe8 22. Rd1 Kf8 (22... Na5 { Now this idea is more robust because white cannot play Nf3-e5 anymore, so it is more annoying for White to deal with. } 23. b3 (23. Bb1 Nc4 24. Qc2 Kf8 { Now Black has an edge: the knight on c4 is strong. }) 23... Rc8 24. Rc1 Nc6 $13 { The knight created some weaknesses and it can go back now. }) 23. Qd3 b4 (23... Na5 { still gives an edge to black. Instead, Lei chose to put the knight on b4, which is also good. }) 24. Na4 Qb5 25. axb4 Qxd3 26. Rxd3 { Even though it seems like a weird move, it is understandable. White did not want to give away her central pawn by taking with the bishop. } (26. Bxd3 Nxd4 27. Nc5 Nxf3+ 28. gxf3 Bxf3 29. Ra1 { However, in this position, White has great counterplay on the queenside, while after Rd1xd3, White had to be on the defensive side. Here, it is unclear, and the game can go both ways. }) 26... Nxb4 27. Rd2 Nd7 { Black takes control over the central squares. } 28. Bb3 Bf5 (28... Bxf3 { Black missed a great chance to put significant pressure on her opponent. } 29. gxf3 Re1+ 30. Kg2 Ke7 { Try to make a move for White: it is not that easy. This was the moment that could change the outcome of the game. However, Lei only had a little time on the clock, only seven minutes. That played a role here, while Ju was playing faster and with more confidence the whole game. Being a challenger is not the most straightforward task. }) 29. Nc3 g4 { Black decided to force the exchange of some pieces and equalize. At this point, Lei understood she did not have much. Also, her time was down to five minutes. So, it was an excellent decision from her perspective. } 30. Ne5 Nxe5 31. dxe5 Rxe5 32. Nxd5 Nxd5 33. Bxd5 Re1+ 34. Kh2 a5 35. f3 h5 36. Rd4 Kg7 37. Ra4 Re5 38. Rd4 Re1 39. Ra4 Re5 40. Rd4 Re1 { Today both sides decided to play careful chess. Ju Wenjun did not want anything complicated after yesterday, and Lei Tingjie thought a draw with the black pieces was fine and did not want many complications. However, both sides had some exciting possibilities throughout the game. } 1/2-1/2