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Tan Zhongyi

Tan Zhongyi of China became women's world chess champion in 2017, when she won FIDE's knockout tournament in Tehran. She lost the title to Ju Wenjun the following year. In 2024 she won the Candidates tournament and earned a new title match against Ju Wenjun, but lost it in 2025.

Tan Zhongyi
Photo: Ministry of Sport of Tatarstan / Tatarstan.ru, 2019. CC BY 4.0. Cropped and toned.
  • BornMay 29, 1991, Chongqing, China
  • CountryChina
  • Women's world champion2017–2018
  • In the line of women's championsNo. 16 of 17
  • Highest rating2561 (December 2024)
    FIDE's official lists (from July 1971)

The road to the title

Tan Zhongyi was born in Chongqing in 1991. As a child she won several world girls' championships. In the 2008 women's championship, a knockout, she went out in the second round to Pia Cramling of Sweden.

The title matches

Tan Zhongyi's points come first, then wins (+), losses (−) and draws (=) in the classical games. A tiebreak at faster time controls is given separately.
YearAgainstResultWhere
2017Anna Muzychuk2–2, tiebreak 1½–½
Won the title · the final of FIDE's knockout		Tehran
2018Ju Wenjun4½–5½ (+2 −3 =5)
Lost the title		Shanghai and Chongqing
2025Ju Wenjun2½–6½ (+1 −5 =3)
Lost		Shanghai and Chongqing

Tehran 2017

In Tehran in 2017 she was seeded ninth. She reached the final against Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine, where the four classical games ended 2–2. Tan Zhongyi won the tiebreak 1½–½ and became world champion.

The matches against Ju Wenjun

In 2018 she lost the title to Ju Wenjun in a ten-game match, 4½–5½. In 2024 she won the Women's Candidates tournament and earned a new chance. In the 2025 title match in Shanghai and Chongqing, Ju Wenjun won 6½–2½, after nine games.

Sources

  • Wikipedia: Tan Zhongyi
  • Chess.com: Tan Zhongyi
  • OlimpBase: the knockouts of 2008 and 2017
  • FIDE: Crowning a Champion: Ju Wenjun clinches her fifth title (2025)
  • FIDE: Tan Zhongyi's rating history

The facts on this page come from the sources above, checked against each other. Where the sources disagree, only what they agree on is given. The match results are also checked game by game.

Updated November 8, 2026