Ju Wenjun

Ju Wenjun was born in Shanghai in 1991. She earned the right to challenge Tan Zhongyi by winning the 2015-2016 Women's Grand Prix organized by FIDE, the International Chess Federation. A Grand Prix is a series of tournaments that awards qualification points. Ju won their 2018 match and became women's world champion.

Later that year she retained the crown in a knockout tournament, where losing a head-to-head contest can eliminate a player. She then defended the title against Aleksandra Goryachkina in 2020 and Lei Tingjie in 2023. In April 2025 she defeated Tan again, this time 6.5 to 2.5, to secure her fifth women's world title.

The changing formats matter. Ju did not hold five separate crowns at once; she won five championship editions while maintaining or renewing her status as champion. Her period followed that of Hou Yifan and placed her beside long-influential champions such as Nona Gaprindashvili.