Lagno to battle Ju Wenjun for Women’s World Champion title

There are few things harder in chess than defending a World Championship title in a big knockout, but current Chinese Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun has now earned herself a 4-game match to retain her title after beating Alexandra Kosteniuk in the semi-final. Her opponent will be Russian no. 1 and world no. 4 Kateryna Lagno, who will be hoping to claim the title for the first time after overcoming Mariya Muzychuk.

The semi-finals of the 2018 Women’s World Championship were the culmination of 15 days of uninterrupted chess action in Khanty-Mansiysk, as the Siberian weather outside the Ugra Chess Academy got colder and colder. Kateryna Lagno has missed a lot of top-level chess in recent years to start a family, but she’s on the verge of the greatest prize.