WWC Match 2023: Lei Tingjie takes the lead with convincing win (1:0) over Ju Wenjun (3:2)

International Chess Federation@FIDE_chess:

Game 5 of the FIDE Women's World Championship match produced the first decisive result: Lei Tingjie won with the white pieces and now leads 3-2.

Tomorrow's game 6 will conclude the Shanghai half of the match, with the players moving to Lei's home city Chongqing for the remaining 6 games.

Lei Tingjie: "There is nothing I am worried about in my life, so I can just focus on chess totally."

https://twitter.com/FIDE_chess/status/1678813418617176069/photo/1

Text: Milan Dinic

Photos: Stev Bonhage

Official website: womenworldchampionship.fide.com/

https://www.fide.com/news/2516

LEI TINGJIE - JU WENJUN, 5 ПАРТИЯ, 1:0:

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.0-0 d6 6.c3 a5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.Re1 Ba7 9.h3 Be6 10.Bc2 h6 11.d4 exd4 12.Nxd4 Bd7 13.Be3 Ne5 14.Nd2 c5

After Lei made the thematic d3-d4 push in the centre, she got a slight edge which increased after somewhat committal 14..c5 by Ju.

With this move, Black blocked her dark-squared bishop and weakened the light-squares, which later had grave consequences.

In subsequent play, Lei then launched a push on the queenside, but Ju's response was far from optimal.

15.N4f3 Bc6 16.Nxe5 dxe5 17.a4 Qe7 18.Qe2 Rfd8 19.Red1 Bb8 20.Qc4 b6 21.b4 axb4

Here Ju took the pawn with 21…axb4?! Better options were 21…Bd6 and 21…Bb7.

As played, White got a clear advantage and control over the light squares in the centre. Over the next several moves, Lei built up the pressure while Ju was forced to switch to defending. After the Women's World Champion carried out a sound manoeuvre Nf6-e8-c7-e6 with the idea of Nd4, Lei had a very important choice to make.

Lei could have continued to ramp up the pressure with 30. Qc4, which, most likely, promised more, but instead, she traded her light-squared bishop for Black's knight with 30.Bxe6. White was still better, but Black had a break after some of the pieces had been removed from the board. Still, within a few moves, White again tightened her grip on the game.

An extremely uncomfortable position for Black. With no active play, Ju has to defend passively, while Lei can gradually improve her position and probe Black's defence here and there, taking no risks.

By this point, both sides had under 10 minutes, but with three more moves to the first time control, it seemed safe.

22.cxb4 Bd6 23.b5 Bd7 24.Qc3 Be6 25.Nc4 Bxc4 26.Qxc4 Ne8 27.Bb3 Nc7 28.Qc2 Ne6 29.Bd5 Rab8 30.Bxe6 Qxe6 31.Rd5 Be7 32.Rad1 Rxd5 33.Rxd5 Ra8 34.Bd2 Kf8 35.Bc3 f6 36.Qb3 Qc8 37.Qc4 Qe8 38.g3 Qc8 39.Kg2 Qe8 40.h4

After 38.g3 Qc8 39.Kg2 Qe8 40.h4 it became clear that White was preparing a break either in the centre or on the kingside to stretch Black's defence.

1. ...h5

40…h5?! This control move made by Ju appears to be the last straw that broke the camel's back as White breaks through on one of the wings. With precise 41.Bd2! Lei put the bishop in a position where it could see both flanks, noted Grandmaster and former World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk. On the next move, White played f2-f4 and began the final push.

41.Bd2 Rb8 42.f4 exf4 43.Bxf4 Rb7 44.Qe2 g6 45.e5

45.e5! - the clincher. Ju Wenjun was visibly nervous at this point. She spent nearly 23 moves trying to find the best response, but her position is beyond salvation.

1. ...Qa8

With five minutes on the clock, Ju played 45…Qa8 (a lesser of many evils was Rd7, although after 46.Qf3, it's still virtually impossible to hold), but it failed to 46. Qf3! played by Lei in under a minute.

46.Qf3 f5 47.Rd7 Ra7 48.Qxa8+ Rxa8

49.e6 Rxa4 50.Rb7 Ra8 51.Rxb6 c4 52.Rc6 Bd8 53.b6 Ra2+ 54.Kf3 Rb2 55.Rc8 Rb3+ 56.Ke2 Rxb6

After trading the queens, Lei penetrated with her rook into Black's camp and got to the b6-pawn.

With a single passer against White's two, Ju had no reasonable defence. Soon she had to give her bishop for one of them.

Ju played on, hoping for a miracle, but it wasn't meant to be. On move 65, the Women's World Champion resigned.

57.Rxd8+ Ke7 58.Rc8 Rxe6+ 59.Kd2 Re4 60.Kc3 Kf7 61.Rxc4 Re8 62.Rc7+ Kf6 63.Bg5+ Ke5 64.Re7+ Rxe7 65.Bxe7

White gradually picks up all of Black's pawns and promotes her h-passer. 1-0

00:07:56 - 00:02:37

1:0

https://chesspro.ru/chessonline/app2//64245

Yury_Chess: Вот теперь начнется интересный матч

Michael_S: Лэй Тинцзе не нашла мгновенный выигрыш. Но и так неплохо.

Michael_S: 47, Rа7 совсем безнадежно, через несколько ходов белые выиграют фигуру.

Michael_S: Черные прижаты к канатам. Белые наносят правый прямой е5!

Michael_S: Джока пианиссима подтверждает репутацию самого дельного дебюта 21-го века.

Yury_Chess: у Каспарова с Карповым были вполне боевые матчи за исключением первого, безлимитного, что понятно.

xajik: это не аргумент, так как не с чем сравнивать.

Yury_Chess: посмотрите, что за матчи идут с тех пор как убрали необходимость победы для претендента... разве что у Яна с китайцем - боевой матч, но это не сильнейшие даже...

xajik: обеим сторонам

xajik: при современных условиях при условии сохранении при ничьей проигрывать еще более неоптимально.

Yury_Chess: Это как невозвратный долг перед родителями, который мы отдаем уже не им, а своим детям... всё вполне естественно.

xajik: это заблуждение, наверное.

Yury_Chess: а так все думают лишь о том, как бы не продуть.

Yury_Chess: так что всё справедливо.

Yury_Chess: "nj Это к "если претенденту удастся получить +1, то он потом сам будет защищать звание на тех же условиях".

xajik: Если до матча и во время матча условия такие, что не устраивает только одну сторону, то это неспортивно.

Yury_Chess: Вот не дураками было придумано, что при равном счете чемпион сохраняет звание. Т.о. в любой момент матча счет кого-то не устраивал...

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