CHESS #1383

Ju Wenjun drew first blood in game 4 of the World Title match, winning a scrappy endgame against Aleksandra Goryachkina. The first three games were drawn with the Russian Challenger unable to convert pressure when she had the white pieces. In Game 4, Ju kept some pressure in a queen endgame that was objectively drawn. She converted to a favourable king and pawn endgame after Goryachkina cracked under the strain of defending.

The title match will now compete for attention with the Tata Steel Chess Festival In Wijk Aan Zee. That starts this weekend. It has the usual stellar fields. The