[ad_1]
Challenger GM Lei Tingjie as soon as once more seized the initiative in recreation two of the 2023 FIDE Ladies’s World Championship in Shanghai, however a scarcity of time, and exact protection from reigning champion GM Ju Wenjun, noticed the sport finish in a 40-move draw. The rating is tied at 1-1.
Recreation three, when Lei can have the white items, begins, after a relaxation day, on Saturday, July 8, at 3:00 a.m. ET / 09:00 CEST.
Learn how to watch the 2023 FIDE Ladies’s World Chess Championship
The world championship match continues to be a tensely-fought battle between evenly-matched gamers, and on day two we realized that each individuals have highly effective help behind the scenes. Lei entered the venue with the world number-12 and 2019 FIDE World Cup winner, Azerbaijani GM Teimour Radjabov.
Ju has the help of her personal 2700-GM, Pentala Harikrishna from India, although each gamers little doubt have a full group who we are going to study—if in any respect—solely when the match ends.
Recreation 2: Ju Wenjun ½-½ Lei Tingjie
Ju acquired her first likelihood to play with the white items within the match and, initially, issues appeared to be going her means. There was an echo of recreation one, since as soon as once more we had been following a top-level recreation performed a 12 months in the past in Croatia. Within the Semi-Tarrasch Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined, Lei went for 11…Be6!?, a transfer not strictly essential because the d5-pawn was immune for tactical causes. GM Ian Nepomniachtchi had carried out the identical factor and misplaced to GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.
Lei Tingjie’s 11…Be6 was final performed a 12 months in the past in Croatia by Ian Nepomniachtchi, in a recreation he misplaced to Shakhriyar Mamedyarov! #FWWC2023 pic.twitter.com/KXSXILjl41
— chess24.com (@chess24com) July 6, 2023
Ju had a superb place and extra time on the clock than she began with, however just a few inaccuracies noticed Lei as soon as once more emerge because the winner of the opening battle.
Quickly the query grew to become whether or not she would go for essentially the most aggressive— and greatest—choice of pushing her g-pawn ahead to oust the white bishop. Former Ladies’s World Champion Kosteniuk put the case in opposition to.
Kosteniuk on the doubtless sturdy 15…g5!?:
“If I had been Black I might be very scared to make such a choice, as a result of when you play g5 it may be endlessly, and it weakens the kingside a lot. Except it is actually essential, I would favor to not!”#FWWC2023 pic.twitter.com/uNTu8gDvYH
— chess24.com (@chess24com) July 6, 2023
Lei revealed afterward that she was having the identical doubts, till she lastly went for it on transfer 17: “The bishops are on h4 and a4, and my items are pinned, so I wanted to discover a technique to free my items, and g5 is a large determination, as a result of when you push g5 I feel it’s slightly bit dangerous, however after a very long time pondering, I feel I’ve to do it.”
Over the subsequent few strikes, Lei targetted the d4-pawn with 19…Qb6, and 20…Bg4, undermining the knight that was defending the pawn.
The sport seemed balanced on a knife-edge, with the principle query whether or not Lei would have the ability to break via and take the lead within the match. Ju admitted she was involved: “Black has some risk on d4, and in addition my items will not be so lively, so I feel White must play exactly.”
That is simply what the ladies’s world champion did, with 25.axb4! a powerful determination.
After a 21-minute suppose that noticed her edge on the clock disappear, Ju Wenjun goes for 25.axb4: https://t.co/Rwwp8NKlj5 #c24live #FWWC2023 pic.twitter.com/fvoLNV7Oza
— chess24.com (@chess24com) July 6, 2023
“I spent a variety of time afterward as a result of I simply wished to attempt to discover some technique to press,” stated Lei, who right here used half of her remaining time on 25…Qxd3, exchanging off queens.
Lei had some regrets afterward about not holding the queens on the board with 25…Nxb4!?, when she felt White’s items could be considerably out of play. Our silicon overlords agreed with the transfer within the recreation, nevertheless, as did Ju: “I really feel that perhaps Qxd3 is simpler for Black to play. Nxb4 can be a selection, nevertheless it’s not a really clear benefit for Black, so I feel perhaps Qxd3 just isn’t a foul selection.”
In truth, there was little to fault within the play of both participant, with the final micro-chance maybe slipping away on transfer 28.
28…Bxf3! would eradicate White’s greatest minor piece and retain some successful possibilities, however, for the second time within the recreation, Lei determined to retreat her light-squared bishop as a substitute, with 28…Bf5!?. Lei’s determination was fully rational, nevertheless, given she was right down to underneath 5 minutes. She defined with a smile: “I additionally thought of […Bxf3], however I’m in time hassle. The place I believed might be slightly bit higher for me, however I nonetheless have 10 strikes to go!”
The sport quickly hurtled in the direction of a draw, with the gamers repeating strikes to achieve transfer 40, the second at which the rules enable draw affords.
Recreation 2 of the FIDE Ladies’s World Championship ends in one other tense draw! https://t.co/Rwwp8NKlj5#FWWC2023 pic.twitter.com/KO9trdSokv
— chess24.com (@chess24com) July 6, 2023
GM Rafael Leitao has annotated the sport beneath.
The gamers now go into the primary relaxation day with the scores locked at 1-1. Lei has received the primary opening battles, however Ju has proven she’s not going to surrender her title with out a battle.
| Fed | Title | Rtg | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Rating |
| Ju Wenjun | 2564 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |||||||||||
| Lei Tingjie | 2554 | ½ | ½ | 1 |
The battle resumes on Saturday, when Lei has the white items in recreation three.
The 2023 FIDE Ladies’s World Championship (FWWC) is a very powerful ladies’s over-the-board occasion of the 12 months. The defending ladies’s world champion GM Ju Wenjun faces the challenger GM Lei Tingjie to see who can be topped world champion. The championship begins on July 5 and boasts a €500,000 prize fund.
Earlier Protection
[ad_2]