Ju Wenjun is a Chinese chess grandmaster and the current Women's World Champion, celebrated for her exceptional skill and dedication. In March 2017, she became only the fifth woman to achieve a rating of 2600, marking a significant milestone in her career. Her journey is decorated with victories that showcase her dominance in the chess world.
She claimed the Women's Chinese Chess Championship titles in 2010 and 2014, solidifying her status on home ground. In July 2011, she won the Hangzhou Women Grandmaster Chess Tournament undefeated, finishing ahead of then-world champion Hou Yifan. Her success continued in the FIDE Women's Grand Prix series; she won the sixth stage held in Sharjah in 2014, tying with Hou Yifan but securing the title on tiebreaks. That same year, she shared first place with Lei Tingjie at the 4th China Women Masters Tournament in Wuxi.
Ju's excellence extends to rapid chess as well. She won the Women's World Rapid Chess Championship in Riyadh in December 2017 and repeated this triumph in St. Petersburg in December 2018. Her crowning achievement came when she won the Women's World Chess Championship in May 2018 and successfully defended her title in November 2018, 2020, and 2023, becoming a four-time world champion. In the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024, she achieved a career-defining victory by defeating world number six Alireza Firouzja, reaffirming her status as a formidable force in chess.