3 min readMay 16, 2026 11:40 PM IST
The strongest woman ever to play chess, Judit Polgar, has given her verdict on who she feels will win the upcoming Women’s World Chess Championship. The legendary Hungarian has placed her bets on the defending and five-time World Champion, China’s Ju Wenjun, to successfully defend her crown for a record sixth time against India’s R Vaishali.
Polgar said Ju will be a very big challenge for Vaishali, and the Indian would need to significantly improve her game in order to be ready for the high-stakes event.
“Well, it’s a very tough match and very interesting. Ju Wenjun already has experience playing in World Championship matches. She’s very tough, very much ready for long games, and the big experience is something that matters a lot,” she told FIDE, the international chess federation.
“For Vaishali, it will be a very big challenge, and I think she will have to improve quite a bit to be ready for the World Championship match. Well, let’s see if experience will win or the younger generation,” she said about Vaishali’s chances against Ju.
Legendary Judit Polgár shares her thoughts on the Women’s World Championship clash between 🇨🇳 Ju Wenjun and Vaishali Rameshbabu 🇮🇳#JuVaishali #WomenInChess pic.twitter.com/Hoj7q0UcvF
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) May 16, 2026
When asked who she would be rooting for in the upcoming championship, which will be played later this year or in early 2027, Polgar named Ju as her clear favourite. “Well, experience is always something that matters a lot, and in this case also, it’s clearly Ju Wenjun who is the favourite,” she said in a video released by FIDE.
Vaishali had an exceptional performance at the recently concluded Candidates tournament in Cyprus, where the lowest-rated and lowest-seeded Indian surprised everyone to win the World Championship challenger event and earned the right to challenge Ju, who has held the crown since 2018 and has defended it four times since then.
Vaishali has been impressive in big-ticket events, having won the FIDE Grand Swiss two times back-to-back. She also finished joint second in the 2024 Toronto Candidates.
Former India No. 1 (in the live rating list) Pentala Harikrishna had highlighted a facet of Ju’s dominance: her ability to thrive under the pressure of a world championship match. “Even if you’re strong, a world championship match is a different beast. Her experience from four previous title defences helps, but what’s remarkable is her sustained intensity against younger, hungry opponents like [Aleksandra] Goryachkina and Lei [Tingjie],” he had told The Indian Express in 2025.
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One of the most striking aspects of Ju’s game, according to Harikrishna, is her ability to reset after gruelling battles. “We were trailing after the first six games, and though she had chances in the second half, she kept missing them. Yet, miraculously, she’d arrive fresh for the next round. People at press conferences often asked me how tired she looked, but I knew that’s just how she was built,” he said.
