Ju Wenjun Leads the Charge in Women’s Candidates Race
Press release by FIDE
The 2024–25 Women’s Series is heating up as Ju Wenjun, fresh off her fifth world title, commands the leaderboard. Her recent achievements place her in a prime position for qualification for the Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026.
In this series, the competitor gathering the highest ranking points (RP) from FIDE Women’s Events will secure a spot in the 2026 Candidates, unless already qualified through other means. With three of the eight qualifying events concluded, the race intensifies.
Ju Wenjun currently leads with 86.5 RP, bolstered by her victory in the 2024 Women’s World Blitz Championship, which netted her 48 points, alongside 38.5 points earned from a joint finish at the Women’s World Rapid. As the reigning champion, her dominance is unquestionable.
Chasing closely behind is Humpy Koneru, accumulating 84 RP, all earned from her stellar performance at the Women’s World Rapid Championship held in New York.
In third place, Tan Zhongyi trails with 61.5 RP. She shares the same 38.5 RP gained from the World Rapid Championship and added 25 RP from her performance at the Women’s World Championship match against Ju, where she finished with a score of 2½ to 6½.
Kateryna Lagno | Photo: Michal Walusza
Kateryna Lagno, a notable rapid and blitz champion, holds the fifth position with 54.4 RPC, having earned 16 points from a third-place finish in the blitz and 38.5 points from her shared second spot in the World Rapid event.
A trio of players, including former world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk, India’s Harika Dronavalli, and 16-year-old Afruza Khamdamova from Uzbekistan, share 38.5 RP, all benefiting from their participation in the Women’s World Rapid Championship last December.
Afruza Khamdamova | Photo: Michal Walusza
The competition remains fierce with 17 players still in pursuit of leaderboard prominence. The conclusion of the Grand Prix series, set to take place in Austria in May, promises significant shifts in standings.
Dana Reizniece, a Woman GM and Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board, remarked:
“Every event in this series carries serious weight. This isn’t just a race to the 2026 Candidates – it’s where careers are forged, history is made, and records fall. Look at the field: it’s a clash of generations and styles, and that’s driving innovation and pushing women’s chess to new heights. FIDE’s format rewards consistency over headline wins – sustaining that kind of form across this cycle is difficult. But that’s exactly why only the best survive it.”
The cycle will continue with the Women’s Grand Prix Series concluding in May, followed by the Women’s World Cup, the Women’s Grand Swiss, and the subsequent editions of the Rapid and Blitz World Championships in 2025.
With seasoned players like Alexandra Kosteniuk and Lei Tingjie still in competition, alongside fierce contenders such as Harika Dronavalli and Humpy Koneru, the fight for qualification spots remains dynamic and unpredictable.
Scoring System Explained
As per FIDE regulations, a player’s final score consists of the total of their best five tournament results throughout the cycle. Ties in rankings are broken by progressively removing the lowest scores.
The leading player in the overall standings, who hasn’t qualified through other avenues, secures a highly sought-after position in the 2026 FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament.
Overview of the Women’s Series Events
The FIDE Women’s Events 2025–2026 is a structured ranking series encompassing premier tournaments to identify candidates for the 2026 Women’s Candidates Tournament. The series includes eight major tournaments, which contribute Ranking Points for participants:
- Women’s World Rapid Championship 2024
- Women’s World Blitz Championship 2024
- Women’s World Championship Match 2025 (only runner-up earns RP)
- Women’s Grand Prix Series 2024–25 (based on final standings)
- Women’s World Cup 2025
- Women’s Grand Swiss 2025
- Women’s World Rapid Championship 2025
- Women’s World Blitz Championship 2025
