Ju Wenjun struck straight back against challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina in Vladivostok ©FIDE

Reigning champion Ju Wenjun struck straight back against challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina to level the Women's World Chess Championship once more at 4½-4½.

The Chinese player won game nine in Vladivostok after Goryachkina's victory in game eight had seen the Russian lead for the first time.

Playing with the white pieces, Ju was victorious today after 62 moves.

She arrived in a black jacket with "whatever" embroidered on the back and played aggressive chess which eventually forced her opponent into mistakes.

Experts agreed, however, that the Russian missed a chance to win the game with her 28th move that would have put her two points clear in the match and very hard for Ju to catch.

Ju Wenjun arrived in a jacket with
Ju Wenjun arrived in a jacket with "whatever" on the back ©FIDE

The result means, however, that with four games to go the Championship remains delicately poised.

Ju had home advantage for the first six games in Shanghai, before the Championship moved to Russia.

Game 10 will take place tomorrow, with both players now on two victories each.

Whoever wins the 2020 title will earn €500,000 (£426,000/$554,000) - the biggest prize ever awarded in a women's chess event. 

Tiebreakers will be held in case of an overall draw.