Stavanger (Norway), May 12 (H.S.): Defending champion Ju Wenjun has shared her enthusiasm and expectations for the second edition of the Norway Chess Women 2025 tournament. This tournament will be held from May 26 to June 6 at the Finansparken (SR-Bank) in Stavanger city.
Chinese Grandmaster Ju Wenjun expressed, I am very excited to participate in Norway Chess Women 2025. This will be my second experience in this tournament. Many strong chess players are participating this time. I think people are now more familiar with the Armageddon and time control format, which will make the tournament even more exciting.
Ju Wenjun, who is currently referred to as the undisputed queen of chess, won her fifth consecutive World Championship title earlier this year. She started playing chess at the age of seven, became a professional in 2004, earned the title of Grandmaster in 2014, and became the World Champion for the first time in 2018. Since then, she has remained undefeated in women’s classical chess. She is also the current Women’s World Blitz Champion and a two-time World Rapid Champion.
Recalling her journey, the 34-year-old Wenjun said, Every match is a memorable and unique experience for me. I believe every game should be played with focus, hard work is necessary, and teamwork is essential. When I am playing, it’s best to just focus on chess and enjoy the match.
Last year, Ju Wenjun made history by winning the title of the first edition of Norway Chess Women. This tournament became the first to offer equal prize money for women, which is considered a significant step towards the future of chess.
Wenjun praised the tournament organizers, saying, I think this is a great success and incredibly inspiring, not only in chess but in the entire world of sports for women. It encourages women to take up chess and provides us with a fantastic platform.
Besides chess, Wenjun enjoys playing and watching table tennis. She draws inspiration from her country’s table tennis world and Olympic champion Fan Zhendong. Along with playing in Norway, she is also planning to travel, and she discussed the level of competition for this year’s event.
She said, There might be a little pressure to defend the title, but overall, I am very excited to play in Stavanger and enjoy this experience. This year’s lineup is very strong. A new player, Sara (Khadam), will also be with us, who is very good in rapid and blitz. She has the potential to win this tournament.
In Norway Chess Women 2025, heavyweights such as last year’s runner-up Anna Muzychuk, Indian star Koneru Humpy, Lei Tingjie, Vaishali R, and Sara Khadam will also challenge Ju Wenjun.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
