Two Chongqing Players Compete in the 2022-2023 FIDE Women’s Candidates Final

Chongqing - The final match of the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2022-2023 began on March 28 in Chongqing’s Liangjiang New Area. Two Chinese chess players from Chongqing, Tan Zhongyi and Lei Tingjie, will face each other in a six-game classical chess match from March 29 to April 5 for a chance to challenge the current world champion, Ju Wenjun, and win the title of the Women’s World Chess Champion.

The FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament is one of the highest-level official events of the World Chess Federation. Lei Tingjie secured her spot in the final by winning the 2022 Monaco Pool A Women’s Candidates tournament, defeating Mariya Muzychuk and her sister Anna Muzychuk in the semi-final. Tan Zhongyi defeated Kateryna Lagno and Aleksandra Goryachkina consecutively in the 2022 Khiva Pool B Women’s Candidates tournament.

This is the first time in over a decade that two players from the same country and the same city have simultaneously entered the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament Final. 

FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said at the press conference, “The fact that the two Chongqing players met in the final is a major victory for Chinese women chess players. I think such a victory is not an accident; it is the result of the tireless efforts of Chinese chess, both individually and as a team.”

“We all remember that the Chinese men’s and women’s teams both won the 2018 Olympiad, and the Chinese men’s team won the World Team Championship in Israel last year. This year, FIDE’s two world championships will feature three Chinese players, which is a remarkable achievement.

This achievement is the result of a good and continuous tradition of chess development in China and is the result of the systematic development of chess in all major cities in China. At present, China has joined Russia, India, and the United States as a chess superpower,” Arkady Dvorkovich added.

Tan Zhongyi and Lei Tingjie, who advanced to the final, are excellent international chess players and incumbent members of the China Chess Team and Chongqing Chess Team. 

Tan Zhongyi has crowned the Women’s World Chess Championship in 2017 and became the 16th female chess champion in the history of international chess. This time, she will once again challenge the title of the world chess champion.

Lei Tingjie is a rising star and has achieved remarkable results in international and domestic competitions. She is currently ranked sixth in the world women’s international chess rating, just behind the current champion.

Tan said, “Compared to playing hundreds of games with Ju Wenjun, Lei Tingjie and I were teammates in Chongqing, so we have had fewer games with each other and were a kind of ‘most familiar strangers.’ So I thought this match with Lei would be more interesting”.

Lei said, “This tournament is a little bit closer to my dream. For every player, the world championship is the ultimate goal. I hope I can focus on the tournament. I am happy that all three of us (and Ju Wenjun) are Chinese women players, and it is a special pride that the future queen title belongs to us in China, and of course, I hope to stay in Chongqing”.

Then FIDE treasurer and former women’s world champion Zhu Chen said, “The development of chess in Chongqing is obvious, and Chinese players have been working very hard, and our young players have been working twice as hard. Therefore, I am confident in the development of our chess players, including the young players.”