Ju Wenjun is one of the most successful women’s chess players who has ever lived — a five-time world champion who has quietly ruled her division since 2018. Here’s a collection of verified, sourced facts about her: the records, the titles, and the trivia worth knowing. Where anything is time-sensitive, we’ve dated it (everything current is as of July 2026).
The headline facts
- She is the reigning Women’s World Chess Champion (as of July 2026), a title she has held continuously since 2018.
- She’s a five-time champion. Ju first won the Women’s World Championship in May 2018 and defended it in 2018, 2020, 2023, and 2025.
- She’s the first Chinese player to win the women’s title five times, joining an all-time list of five-time (or more) champions that includes legends Vera Menchik, Nona Gaprindashvili, and Maia Chiburdanidze.
Records & milestones
- Fifth woman ever to reach 2600. In March 2017, Ju crossed the 2600 FIDE rating barrier — only the fifth woman in history to do so. Her peak rating was 2604.
- All-format champion. Beyond the classical title, she is a two-time Women’s World Rapid Champion (2017 and 2018) and the 2024 Women’s World Blitz Champion — classical, rapid, and blitz crowns.
- Grandmaster (GM) since November 2014 — China’s 31st grandmaster, having earned the open GM title, not just the women’s WGM title.
- Elite mixed-event scalp. At the 2024 Tata Steel Masters, she beat Alireza Firouzja (then rated ~2759, a top-ten open player) — one of the highest-rated wins ever by a reigning Women’s World Champion.
Origins
- Born 31 January 1991 in Shanghai, China, where she still lives.
- Rose through China’s women’s chess system — the strongest such program in the world, which has produced multiple Women’s World Champions.
- Earned the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title in 2009 and the full Grandmaster (GM) title in 2014.
Her title reign, defense by defense
- May 2018: wins the title, defeating Tan Zhongyi in a match (5½–4½).
- November 2018: retains the crown by winning the knockout-format Women’s World Championship.
- 2020: defends against Aleksandra Goryachkina — a 6–6 classical tie decided 2½–1½ in the rapid tiebreak.
- 2023: defends against Lei Tingjie (6½–5½).
- 2025: defends against Tan Zhongyi again, winning convincingly 6½–2½ for her fifth title.
Ju by the numbers
- 5 — Women’s World Championships won (2018, 2018, 2020, 2023, 2025).
- 2604 — her peak classical FIDE rating (2017), as the 5th woman past 2600.
- 2 — Women’s World Rapid titles (2017, 2018).
- 1 — Women’s World Blitz title (2024).
- 31 — she was China’s 31st grandmaster (GM, 2014).
Beyond the board
- She graduated from the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics — proof that even a reigning world champion can balance elite chess with a real education.
- She’s part of China’s golden generation of women’s players, and has represented her country in team events including the Chess Olympiad, winning team gold medals with China.
- Her nickname among fans reflects her style more than any flash: she’s respected as a steady, unshakeable competitor rather than a showman.
The “quiet champion”
Here’s a fact many casual fans miss: Ju has one of the most impressive résumés in the entire history of women’s chess, yet she’s rarely the loudest name in the room. That’s partly because her chess is understated by design — no viral queen sacrifices, just patient squeezes, airtight defense, and endgames converted with machine-like technique. It’s a reminder that dominance doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like a player who simply refuses to lose, year after year, while everyone else takes turns falling short in the challenger’s chair.
Quick-hit trivia
- Her name is written 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) in Chinese.
- She’s a genuine triple-crown talent — classical, rapid, and blitz world titles — which very few players of any gender can claim across the women’s championships.
- Her 2025 title defense was a rematch of her very first title match, against the same opponent, Tan Zhongyi — and she won far more decisively the second time (6½–2½ vs the original 5½–4½).
- Her repertoire is built on some of the soundest openings in chess — the Catalan with White, the QGD and Petrov as Black — see her openings.
Why Ju matters
It’s easy to overlook a champion who wins quietly, but Ju Wenjun belongs in any conversation about the greatest women’s players ever. Five world titles, a reign stretching from 2018 to the present, crowns in all three time controls, and a giant-killing win over a 2750+ super-GM — that’s not a lucky streak, it’s a body of work. She’s also a pillar of Chinese chess, part of the same national program that has made China a dominant force in the women’s game and, more recently, on the men’s side too. However the next challenge shakes out, her place in history is already secure.
FAQ
Is Ju Wenjun still the Women’s World Champion? Yes — as of July 2026 she is the reigning Women’s World Chess Champion, holding the title continuously since 2018.
How many world titles does Ju Wenjun have? Five Women’s World Championship titles (2018, 2018, 2020, 2023, 2025), plus two World Rapid titles and one World Blitz title.
What is Ju Wenjun’s peak rating? 2604, reached in 2017 — she was the fifth woman ever to cross 2600.
Where is Ju Wenjun from? Shanghai, China, where she was born on 31 January 1991.
Keep exploring
Back to the Ju Wenjun profile · see her best games · check her rating history · explore her openings · or browse all chess players.
Written and fact-checked by the Chess Lab Academy Editorial Team · Facts verified against Wikipedia, her FIDE profile, and Chess.com, as of July 2026 · Last verified 2026-07-10 · How we verify content.