Women's World Chess Championship 2020

The 2020 Women's World Chess Championship was a chess match for the Women's World Chess Championship title. It was contested by Ju Wenjun (world champion as winner of the 2018 knock-out championship) and her challenger, Aleksandra Goryachkina, the winner of a newly established Candidates Tournament that was held in 2019.

The match was planned in two parts, one held in Shanghai (China) and one in Vladivostok (Russia), from 3 to 24 January 2020. It marked a return to a match-only format for the title with a qualifying Candidates Tournament, after new FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich had expressed his dissatisfaction with the knock-out tournaments and resulting frequently changing world champions.

Ju Wenjun successfully defended her title.

Candidates Tournament
The newly-established Candidates Tournament was held from 29 May to 19 June 2019 in Kazan, Russia. The format was an eight-player double round-robin tournament.

Three players qualified by virtue of reaching the semi-finals of the last championship. All remaining players came from the rating list, by taking the average of all twelve monthly ratings in 2018. Aleksandra Goryachkina replaced Hou Yifan, who declined an invitation.

Qualifiers
Goryachkina won with two rounds to spare.

Crosstable
Leading player after each round in green.
 * {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%;"

!rowspan="2"|No.!!rowspan="2"|Player!!rowspan="2"|Elo (May 2019) !colspan="2" rowspan="2"|1 !colspan="2" rowspan="2"|2 !colspan="2" rowspan="2"|3 !colspan="2" rowspan="2"|4 !colspan="2" rowspan="2"|5 !colspan="2" rowspan="2"|6 !colspan="2" rowspan="2"|7 !colspan="2" rowspan="2"|8 !rowspan="2"|Pts!! colspan=2|Tie-breaks!!colspan="14"|Results by round!!rowspan="2"|Place ! H2H !! Wins !1 !2 !3 !4 !5 !6 !7 !8 !9 !10 !11 !12 !13 !14
 * - style="text-align:center; background:white; color:black;"
 * 1||align="left"|🇷🇺 Valentina Gunina (RUS)
 * 2506
 * style="background:lightgrey;" colspan="2"|
 * 1|||0
 * 0|||0
 * 0|||1
 * ½|||1
 * 0|||0
 * 1|||0
 * 5½|| ||
 * ½||½||1½||1½||2||2||3||3½||3½||3½||4½||5½||5½||5½
 * 8
 * - style="text-align:center; background:white; color:black;"
 * 2||align="left"|🇷🇺 Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS)
 * 2546
 * 0|||1
 * style="background:lightgrey;" colspan="2"|
 * ½|||0
 * 1|||0
 * 0|||1
 * ½|||0
 * 6|| ||
 * ½||1||1||1½||2½||2½||3||3||3½||4½||4½||4½||5½||6
 * 7
 * - style="text-align:center; background:white; color:black;"
 * 3||align="left"|🇷🇺 Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS)
 * 2522
 * 1|||1
 * ½|||1
 * style="background:lightgrey;" colspan="2"|
 * 1|||½
 * 1|||½
 * ½|||0
 * 1|||½
 * 9½|| ||
 * ½||bgcolor=#cfc|1½||bgcolor=#cfc|2½||3||bgcolor=#cfc|4||bgcolor=#cfc|5||bgcolor=#cfc|5½||bgcolor=#cfc|6½||bgcolor=#cfc|7½||bgcolor=#cfc|8||bgcolor=#cfc|8½||bgcolor=#cfc|9||bgcolor=#cfc|9½||bgcolor=#cfc|9½
 * 1
 * - style="text-align:center; background:white; color:black;"
 * 4||align="left"|🇷🇺 Kateryna Lagno (RUS)
 * 2554
 * 0|||½
 * style="background:lightgrey;" colspan="2"|
 * 1|||½
 * ½|||0
 * 1|||½
 * 7||1½||
 * ½||1||1||2||2½||3½||4||4½||5||5½||6||6||6½||7
 * 3
 * - style="text-align:center; background:white; color:black;"
 * 5||align="left"|Nana Dzagnidze
 * 2510
 * 1|||0
 * 0|||1
 * 0|||½
 * style="background:lightgrey;" colspan="2"|
 * 1|||½
 * 1|||0
 * ½|||0
 * 6½||1½||
 * ½||bgcolor=#cfc|1½||bgcolor=#cfc|2½||bgcolor=#cfc|3½||3½||3½||4||4||4||4½||4½||5½||6||6½
 * 5
 * - style="text-align:center; background:white; color:black;"
 * 6||align="left"|🇺🇦 Mariya Muzychuk (UKR)
 * 2563
 * ½|||0
 * 1|||0
 * ½|||1
 * 0|||½
 * 0|||½
 * style="background:lightgrey;" colspan="2"|
 * ½|||1
 * 6½||½||
 * ½||1||1||1||1½||2½||3||3½||4½||5||5½||5½||5½||6½
 * 6
 * - style="text-align:center; background:white; color:black;"
 * 7||align="left"|🇺🇦 Anna Muzychuk (UKR)
 * 2539
 * 1|||1
 * ½|||1
 * 0|||1
 * style="background:lightgrey;" colspan="2"|
 * 0|||½
 * 8|| ||
 * ½||½||½||1||1½||2½||3||3½||4½||5||5½||6½||7½||8
 * 2
 * - style="text-align:center; background:white; color:black;"
 * 8||align="left"|🇨🇳 Tan Zhongyi (CHN)
 * 2513
 * 0|||1
 * ½|||1
 * 0|||½
 * 0|||½
 * ½|||1
 * ½|||0
 * 1|||½
 * style="background:lightgrey;" colspan="2"|
 * 7||½||
 * ½||1||2||2½||2½||2½||2½||3½||3½||4||5||5½||6||7
 * 4
 * }
 * 0|||1
 * ½|||1
 * 0|||½
 * 0|||½
 * ½|||1
 * ½|||0
 * 1|||½
 * style="background:lightgrey;" colspan="2"|
 * 7||½||
 * ½||1||2||2½||2½||2½||2½||3½||3½||4||5||5½||6||7
 * 4
 * }

Championship match
As in 2018, the match was divided into two parts, hosted by the countries of the players. One stage was held in Shanghai, China and the other in Vladivostok, Russia. In Shanghai the match was played in the InterContinental Shanghai Jing'An Hotel, in Vladivostok at the Far Eastern Federal University on Russky Island. The format was increased to twelve games, the last championships having consisted of only 10 scheduled games.

The classical time-control portion of the match ended with a tied score of 6-6, after 3 victories for Ju, 3 victories for Goryachkina, and 6 draws. On 24 January, 4 games of rapid chess were used as a tie-breaker; and Ju Wenjun retained the title with 1 win and 3 draws.

Schedule
The match started off in Shanghai and ended in Vladivostok.