Chinese grandmaster Ju Wenjun wins fifth straight Women's World Chess Championship

Chinese grandmaster Ju Wenjun beat compatriot Tan Zhongyi 6.5-2.5 in the FIDE Women's World Chess Championship on Wednesday, making history by winning a fifth consecutive title.

The 34-year-old Ju is now the fourth woman in history - and first from China - to claim the world championship five times.

Ju played with the white pieces in Game 9, and adopted a cautious approach from the onset, casting early on move four while employing the Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo attack against a Sicilian defense, which shifted the contest toward a more positional strategy.

As the two players engaged in a series of exchanges in the center, they navigated the match carefully, ultimately transitioning into a rook-and-pawn endgame in which neither side had a clear path to victory.

The showdown ended with a repetition of moves and concluded in a draw. That means after a rigorous nine-game battle, Ju emerged as the champion, marking the 16th time a Chinese player has claimed the women's world title.