An abridged version of the interview with Matthias Blübaum has already been published today in the Ruhr Nachrichten. To read the German grandmaster’s additional insights, check out the full interview exclusively here on the Sparkassen Chess Trophy website.
1. In Dortmund, you took your first steps in the German Chess Bundesliga with SC Hansa, earned one of your Grandmaster norms, and won the Sparkassen Chess Trophy last year. How important is this city to you in your athletic career?
Dortmund definitely holds a special place for me. Even as a child, I always played in the Open and somehow made my way through all the stages of the tournament. When the GM-Tournament was still around, I also competed in it once. On top of that, I played one season for Hansa in the 1st Bundesliga.
It’s relatively close to where I live and is basically the next-biggest city where a lot of my chess life has taken place. Dortmund is probably one of the German cities where I’ve played the most chess.
2. Lately, you’ve often played in very strong international tournaments where you’ve frequently been considered the underdog. In Dortmund, on the other hand, you’re going into the tournament as the favorite. Which of these two roles do you feel more comfortable in?
I don’t know if you can generalize about that. It’s usually a good thing to be the underdog in a tournament because it means you’ve qualified for a very strong event—especially when you’re still considered an underdog given my playing strength.On the other hand, to be honest, I’m also looking forward to playing in a normal open tournament here in Dortmund again, where you’re the favorite and also play a lot against weaker opponents, because I haven’t had that experience at all this year. Actually, almost every opponent I’ve played against in classical chess has been a grandmaster and relatively strong. So I’m looking forward to the change of pace.
3. This year, you were the first German participant in the Candidates Tournament in 35 years. For anyone who isn’t very familiar with chess: Why is that such a big achievement, and how did you experience it?
The Candidates Tournament is the final qualifying stage before the World Championship. The World Championship match in chess is simply between two players: the defending champion and the challenger. In the Candidates Tournament, on the other hand, there are eight players, and one of them becomes the new challenger, who then competes for the World Championship. If you consider the World Championship match to be the highest-level tournament, then the Candidates Tournament is the second-highest-level tournament in chess.
Since the tournament is held only every two years and it’s very difficult to qualify, it was of course a huge success for me. As you just mentioned, it had been a long time since a German player had made it, and it was a really cool experience for me. Unfortunately, it didn’t go quite as I’d hoped, because one player pretty much steamrolled his way through the tournament.
4. You managed to draw against this player at least twice, something none of the others really managed to do.
That’s true, but it doesn’t help much if I draw against him, everyone else loses to him, and it feels like he’s already a sure winner halfway through the tournament. At a certain point, it was more or less clear that he was going to win the tournament. That’s naturally frustrating for all the other participants, because you still want to hold out hope for first place—especially since only first place really counts.
5. When you secured your spot in the Candidates Tournament, you responded to the national coach’s congratulations with just “Yeah, that was okay.” Does that response describe Matthias Blübaum as a person pretty well?
Well, okay. That was more of a private conversation with the national coach. He likes to write that way himself, which is why that’s obviously an unfortunate quote. It was just a private WhatsApp message that suddenly got published somewhere as a quote.
6. When you talk about your games, you’re often very critical of yourself. Is that more of a strength or, at times, a weakness?
It’s always hard to say. To a certain extent, it’s always a strength, since I expect myself to play better. I don’t settle for less than my best, so to speak; I always want to play better.
But of course, sometimes it can also be helpful to trust yourself, and you should find a certain balance there. I don’t know if I’m the right person to say that you have to find a balance. It’s never easy; everyone is different in their own way. There are chess players who tend to be hard on themselves, and there are others who perhaps do that less.
Every chess player probably knows that feeling. You’re responsible for your own game, and you just get really frustrated with yourself when you overlook something or make a mistake.
7. Your national team colleague Rasmus Svane accompanied you during the Candidates Tournament and is now also playing in Dortmund. Will it feel strange to face him after you’ve worked together so closely for months?
Yeah, this year of all years we’ve played together a lot. So I wouldn’t mind if this matchup didn’t have to happen. I mean, it’s a big open tournament—it’s not a given that the game will take place. Even if we’re both at the top, it’s far from certain that we’ll face each other. There are only nine rounds, so we’ll see. We’ve played each other often enough already.
8. How long have you known each other?
Ever since this “Prinzengruppe” started. We also played against each other back in the U10s, but we didn’t know each other very well back then. I always have a hard time saying exactly when this “Prinzengruppe” started, but we’ve known each other well ever since. We were probably around ten years old, but I don’t remember the exact age anymore. In any case, we’ve known each other for quite a few years.
9. Germany’s top player, Vincent Keymer, seems to have firmly established himself in the top 10 of the world rankings. What’s the difference between his level of play and yours?
There are a lot of small things that all have to come together for you to stay consistently in the top 10. The most important factor is the consistency with which you deliver good results. I’m also capable of putting in some performances on par with a top-10 player, but then I’ll have a slightly weaker tournament every now and then. That’s something those players don’t have.
Then there are things like putting in just a little more work on chess, just a little more preparation. Generally speaking, they’re small details, and at the world’s highest level, they make all the difference in the big picture.
10. How much potential do you still see in yourself?
I’m at my peak right now and would hope to climb a little higher. I find it hard to assess potential. By chess standards, I’m no longer a young player—I’m actually relatively old. It’s not necessarily to be expected that I’ll make another big leap forward.
On the other hand, no one would have thought I was capable of that before the Candidates Tournament either. So, we’ll see. Maybe there’s still something left in me. It would definitely be nice.
11. Is there automatically a sense of rivalry between the two best German players, or does mutual respect prevail?
It’s mainly friendship. We get along well. Of course, in the tournament where I qualified for the Candidates Tournament, he didn’t qualify. That was partly because we played against each other. Sure, rivalry is part of it, but basically we get along.
12. An international women’s tournament will once again be held as part of the Dortmund Chess Days. How do you assess the development of women’s chess—both in Germany and internationally?
It’s always difficult. I think Dortmund is one of the few tournaments that hosts a women’s tournament without running a top-level open tournament at the same time. In that respect, Dortmund is one of the pioneers. It’s generally a good thing when more is being done for women’s chess. It’s still the case that women’s chess lags behind somewhat, and the proportion of women in chess is very low.
13. The Chess Olympiad is coming up this fall. How do you assess the German national team’s chances?
We have a very good team. With Vincent, we have a top-10 player; I’m around the top 40, and the others are just inside the top 100. We have a strong and relatively young team. I’m the oldest player on the team, but we’re all still under 30.You never know how it’s going to go. On the one hand, it’s a team competition, but on the other hand, all the players are still sitting at their boards individually and playing their own games. To get a good result, four out of five players have to be in top form, and you never know that in advance.
I think we have a chance, and if we’re in good form, a medal is definitely within reach. We’ll be seeded relatively high, around fifth or sixth place. It would be great if we could challenge for the top spots.
14. What role do you think team spirit plays in an event like this? As you mentioned earlier, Rasmus and you have known each other for quite a while.
Alexander Donchenko also plays on the national team; he was in the “Prinzengruppe” too. Vincent and Frederik are a few years younger, but I’ve known them for quite a while now as well. We get along very well. Team spirit definitely can’t hurt. You never know how much it will matter in the end, but we have good team spirit, and maybe that will help.
15. Do other countries, such as Uzbekistan or India—which seem to produce top players in droves—do something differently or better than we do in Germany?
The reason is relatively simple. There’s more money involved, but it’s also the case in those countries that chess is more appealing to young players. There, chess can be a path to success. That’s simply not the case in Germany. We’re a completely different country.
Here in Germany, a regular job is, in the vast majority of cases, more financially lucrative than betting on chess. It’s different in those countries. There, the governments also provide other forms of support because they want to make a name for themselves with chess as a sport.
We don’t need that in Germany. We’re well-known in other sports. You can’t really compare the two. Funds are simply allocated differently there.
16. Now that some time has passed since the Candidates Tournament: What are your next chess goals?
Of course, a medal at the Chess Olympiad would be nice. Otherwise, an Elo rating above 2700 would be a big step. That’s still the goal. I’d like to be able to solidify my position further up in the world rankings. It’s not easy, though.
Otherwise, the next cycle for the World Championship is about to begin. Not that I can assume I’ll qualify for the Candidates Tournament again, but it’s certainly a goal. So, naturally, I’ll try to play well in those events.
17. In November, Javokhir Sindarov will face world champion Gukesh Dommaraju. You’ve played against both of them quite often. What’s your expert prediction for this match—and why?
Right now, I think everyone would say that Sindarov is the favorite. He’s simply in much better form and has a significantly higher Elo rating than Gukesh, partly because Gukesh hasn’t been playing well lately.
Personally, I also have a good record against Gukesh. In Wijk aan Zee, I beat him, while I lost to Sindarov. There are many reasons why I’d say Sindarov is the slight favorite.
On the other hand, you never know for sure before a match like this. The players are under a lot of pressure, and as a chess player, you don’t play matches very often. Usually, you play in tournaments where you face many different opponents.
Gukesh has the advantage of having already played one World Championship match. He knows the pressure. He knows how it works. Still, based purely on form, I’d say Sindarov is the slight favorite. Not a huge favorite. I’d put it at about 55 percent.
18. Do you think Gukesh might break out of his slump if he were to win the match in a surprise upset?
I think he needs a good tournament overall to get back on track. He’s currently in a downward spiral. The events aren’t going well, and that makes him feel less motivated for the next one. You put even more pressure on yourself because you think, “Now I want to prove myself.” That usually doesn’t lead to better results.
Sooner or later, he’s bound to have another decent tournament. The World Championship match would, of course, be the biggest success. Then he’ll get back into good form.
The interview was conducted by Fabian Stemmler.