Lei Tingjie Leads After Shanghai As Game 6 Ends In A Draw

GM Lei Tingjie made an effortless draw with the black pieces against GM Ju Wenjun in game six of the 2023 FIDE Women's World Championship to lead 3.5-2.5 at the midway point. The players now move from Shanghai to another Chinese mega-city, Lei's birthplace of Chongqing. 

Game seven, when Lei will have the white pieces, starts on Saturday, July 15, at 3:00 a.m. ET / 09:00 CEST. 

Ju is a three-time world champion who has held the title for five years, but many observers have noted that it's Lei who not only leads on the chessboard but has projected more confidence off it. Her facial expressions have caught the eye. 

Ops. She found our camera 😅 pic.twitter.com/d9ylqqEJaG

— David Llada ♞ (@davidllada) July 12, 2023

Kosteniuk elaborated while commentating on game six.

"She is such a charismatic player. You like watching, because her facial impressions change all the time and make it entertaining to watch, because Ju looks very sad. Maybe it’s just her regular… she’s more to herself, she’s more of a closed person, in a way. It looks like a battle of an extrovert and an introvert, and that’s why this match is so interesting to watch."

Kosteniuk: "It looks like a battle of extrovert and introvert, in a way, and that's why this match is so interesting to watch!" #FWWC2023 pic.twitter.com/ZfwBNgIwnr

— chess24.com (@chess24com) July 12, 2023

The question going into game six was whether Ju would try to hit straight back after her loss in game five. If she did, would Lei be able to take advantage and extend her lead? 

Game 6: Ju Wenjun ½-½ Lei Tingjie

Both players have stayed true to their opening strategy, with Lei playing 1.e4 in all three games with White, while Ju has opted for 1.d4. Ju did vary from her earlier games this time on move three, but her approach could hardly come as a surprise to Lei, who had faced the same opening in the clash that got her to the match, the FIDE Women's Candidates final against GM Tan Zhongyi.

Tan Zhongyi went for 10.b4 against Lei Tingjie in the Women's Candidates Final, while Ju Wenjun goes for 10.e3 instead — Lei doesn't pause for thought as she continues to blitz out her moves#FWWC2023 pic.twitter.com/79bW6EgbKJ

— chess24.com (@chess24com) July 12, 2023

Instead of the visually striking 10.b4, this time we got the modest-looking 10.e3, but Lei continued to blitz out moves even when the novelty 15.0-0-0 appeared on the board. It was only after 16.b3 that Lei briefly paused for thought.

The most noteworthy feature of this queenless position is that Ju has the advantage of the bishop pair, but Lei noted she had no weaknesses and soon a large edge on the clock. Was she worried?

"I was ok with this kind of position, because if you play this opening there are so many positions like this, so for me it’s nothing!"

The psychological balance was illustrated when Ju spent 28 minutes on 19.Rhe1. Even after the game, she was still asking herself, "I don't know if that's a very precise move"—and Lei, who had stayed in her seat, replied instantly with 19...Rac8. 

19.Rhe1 cost Ju Wenjun 28 minutes. Lei Tingjie responded with 19...Rac8 after just 7 seconds!#FWWC2023 pic.twitter.com/KDpxjgVs3e

— chess24.com (@chess24com) July 12, 2023

Ju still had a small advantage, but it fizzled out in the next few moves. 27.Bb6 was as close as we got to some tactical excitement.

Both the rook on d8 and the bishop on e4 are attacked, but Lei quickly replied with 27...Rd7!, and though Ju took the bishop on e4, her own bishop on d1 was also captured. The bishop pair had gone, and with it, any reason for White to hope to win the game.

In fact, it was Lei who could dream of more, but she had very limited resources to work with as she advanced her pawns.

Can Lei Tingjie squeeze a win out of this position to take a 2-point lead? #FWWC2023 pic.twitter.com/mBRvdjFLZG

— chess24.com (@chess24com) July 12, 2023

Ju realized the danger and carefully traded down pieces until a draw was reached with only kings and knights on the board. Both players could be satisfied; Ju had steadied the ship after her loss, while Lei had kept the lead going into the second half of the match.   

GM Rafael Leitao has annotated the game below.

So at the halfway point of the match, Lei has a one-point lead, but Ju still has six games in which to hit back.  

The players now have a two-day break, but one in which they have to move 1700km up the Yangtze River from its mouth in Shanghai to another metropolis, Chongqing, which, by one way of measuring, is the world's largest city, with over 32 million inhabitants.

Chongqing is also the birthplace of Lei Tingjie, but she was playing down any influence that might have on the match.

"For me, I think as a professional chess player you just focus on playing chess, and ok, I will play in my hometown, but also playing in Shanghai is good, so for me it’s not different."

Ju felt that overall, her play in Shanghai was "not so bad," though she's hoping to improve in the second half.

"The match is still half to go, and so anything could happen, and I think there will be very tough and exciting games." 

Lei will have the white pieces when the action resumes on Saturday.

The 2023 FIDE Women's World Championship (FWWC) is the most important women's over-the-board event of the year. The defending women's world champion, GM Ju Wenjun, faces the challenger, GM Lei Tingjie, to see who will be crowned world champion. The championship started on July 5 and boasts a €500,000 prize fund.

Previous Coverage

• • FIDE Women's World Championship: All The Information
  • FIDE Women's World Championship Match Begins With Fighting Draw In Shanghai
  • Lei Poses Questions, Ju Finds Answers In Women's World Championship Game 2
  • Ju Grabs Pawn In Game 3 But Can't Break Deadlock
  • Longest Game Drawn, As Ju Resists Lei's Pressure In Game 4
  • Lei Tingjie Draws First Blood In Game 5 To Snatch Lead