Last month, Matthias Blübaum did something no other German chess player had in 35 years by qualifying for the World Championship Candidates Tournament. The 28-year-old did so by coming second at the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament, held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. This means he will be competing against seven other elite players for the right to take on current world champion Gukesh Dommaraju for the title.
In his run in Uzbekistan, Blübaum outshone many of the biggest names in chess, including the world champion and his highly touted Indian compatriots Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Erigaisi Arjun. Only the winner, the Netherlands’ top-ranked player, Anish Giri, finished above the German.
Keymer thwarted
Germany’s No. 1-ranked Vincent Keymer, who is seen as a possible future world champion, was held by Blübaum in the 10th round in Samarkand.
“I had already played through the defeat against Vincent in my head. I was already frustrated,” Blübaum told DW.
But that’s not the way things turned out. On move 54, Keymer, in a clearly better position, overlooked a knight move and wound up having to settle for a draw. In the end, Keymer only managed fourth place.
Vincent Keymer is Germany’s top playerImage: Dipayan Bose/ZUMA Press Wire/imago images
“We are very proud of Matthias Blübaum,” Ingrid Lauterbach, president of the German Chess Federation (DSB) told DW.
“Internationally, the German Chess Federation is more successful than it has been for a long time.”
Back door qualification?
Keymer, 20, could also still slip into the Candidates Tournament through the back door. The top player in the world rankings who failed to qualify through one of the four qualifying tournaments is also granted a place. Keymer is currently in the top 10.
Blübaum’s success now has the DSB looking to do more to support him in any way it can. As Lauterbach noted, until now Blübaum hasn’t even enjoyed the guidance of a professional coach.
Ingrid Lauterbach has been president of the German Chess Federation since 2023Image: Frank Hoppe
“We now have a good argument as we try to attract a new sponsor,” she said.
Women trailing behind
While German men have been going from success to success in recent years, it’s a very different story when it comes to the women, who trail far behind the leading nations, China and India.
“The German Chess Federation has neither a plan nor active resources to advance women’s chess in Germany,” long-time elite player Elisabeth Pähtz recently told the chess website “Chessbase.”
DSB boss Lauterbach makes no bones about the fact that the German women are trailing behind the men, but she also points to one positive development — the hiring of a new women’s national team coach, Ukrainian grandmaster, Zahar Efimenko.
“I hope that the new national coach will bring more stability to the team,” she said.
The secret to success
The good news, according to Jacob Aargaard, is that “producing very good chess players is actually quite easy.”
His formula: “You organize strong tournaments and give the talented players the resources to pay good coaches.”
The Danish grandmaster is one of the world’s leading coaches and has been following the upswing in German chess with great interest. He says that while there are other strong players besides Keymer and Blübaum, Germany doesn’t have the depth of talent to keep up with the Indians.
Who will challenge Dommaraju Gukesh for his world title in 2026?Image: Gregor Fischer/dpa/picture alliance
This, he said, is at least in part because European chess officials tend to invest their resources in the federations instead of in the players.
“In India, there are many more talented individuals who are systematically promoted,” Aargaard said.
Blübaum, though, notes that he did in fact receive strong support from the DSB as a young adult.
“Of course, there is more support in India, but that doesn’t mean that if you grow up in Germany, you can’t achieve just as well,” he said.
The $75,000 (€64,000) in prize money he won in Samarkand will keep him going financially for now, as he focuses on building his team of helpers for the Candidates Tournament in six months’ time.
“I need to ask people I think I can work well with,” he said.
European Team Championship
The European Championship, which opens in Batumi, Georgia on Sunday, should be a good place to look for helpers. Germany, led by Keymer and Blübaum, enter the tournament as one the favorites.
In the absence of Russia, which left the European Chess Union in 2023 to avoid international sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, Germany’s toughest opponents could be defending champions Serbia, France or the Netherlands.
“We are definitely a top team,” Blübaum said. “Our goal must be to win gold.”
This article was originally published in German.
