Few expected it, but Matthias Bluebaum has written one of the most inspiring stories in recent chess history. The 27-year-old German grandmaster stunned the field at the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss, finishing runner-up and securing a once-in-a-lifetime spot in the prestigious Candidates Tournament. In this interview, Bluebaum reflects on the surreal journey, the key victories that fueled his run, and why he’s determined to prepare like never before for the biggest challenge of his career.
Sagar: Well, you have done something truly extraordinary, Matthias. You finished as the runner-up at the FIDE Grand Swiss, but not just that, you made it to the FIDE Candidates. It’s been four days since the event got over. How are you feeling now?
Matthias: By now, it’s really started to sink in. For the first few days, it was still a bit surreal. I didn’t expect this success at all, and I’m extremely happy. The tournament went so well, and I managed to finish it well. I’m very, very happy.
Sagar: Did you think about playing in the Candidates before the Grand Swiss, and now that you’ve qualified, have you already begun thinking about it?
Matthias: Yeah, I’m thinking about it now, but before the tournament, I wasn’t thinking about it for even a second. I’ve played the Grand Swiss three times before, and my best result was getting plus one, so six out of 11, which is a decent result, but still so far away from qualifying for the Candidates. So, this was quite unexpected. Now, I’ll have to see what’s going to happen and how I’ll spend the next few months to prepare the best way I can. This is most likely a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me, so I just don’t want to have any regrets. I want to prepare the best way I can. I’ll be an underdog at the Candidates, but I just want to give it my best.
Preparation and Strategy
Sagar: I saw an interview where you said you had no coach or second. It was all a one-man army for you. Is that true?
Matthias: For this tournament, I didn’t have any help apart from preparing myself. It’s what I’m used to. I basically never had a second. At national team events, we have a national coach, but he’s there for team events. I normally quite enjoy doing it myself and clicking through stuff. It also helps me understand it a bit more myself. And yeah, it worked out really well.
Sagar: Well, I guess for the Candidates, you might need a team. Doing it alone would be very unique.
Matthias: Of course, the Candidates is very different. The Grand Swiss is an open tournament. You don’t know who you’re facing, or with which color you’re facing those players. But at the Candidates, you know months in advance exactly the seven players you’re facing, and you’re going to face them with both colors. So you need specific preparation for the tournament. And yeah, of course, you need a team for this event.
Tournament Reflections
Sagar: In general, after your first two games, how was your mood? Were you unhappy?
Matthias: I wasn’t too unhappy. At least I didn’t have to work a lot so far in the tournament, so I still had a lot of energy. And I didn’t go into the tournament with the goal to qualify for candidates or anything. The goal was to play a good tournament and gain some rating. I knew I just had to wait until my chances appeared, and they would always appear. You just have to be ready to take them.
Sagar: And then the chance came immediately in the next round against Jan-Ludwig Hammer. You were playing with white, and it was a Ragozin.
Matthias: Yeah, I mean, I didn’t know the specific position, but I felt I just didn’t see exactly where his compensation was. I tried to surprise him with this Queen A4 check, Queen C2 line, which I hadn’t played before. He didn’t play the most accurate way. I felt I was certainly slightly better.
Round 5: Vs. Praggnanandhaa
Sagar: So now you’re on three out of four, plus two already. A very good start. And now you face your biggest challenge of the tournament: Praggnanandhaa, the top seed.
Matthias: I was expecting him to fight for sure. The whole young generation fights with both colors. I didn’t know what opening to expect, but I was sure he’d want a fight. I had never seen this position before, this Bishop takes C3 and F5, but I just felt I should be principled. I played E4 with the intention of getting the pawn back. I was quite happy with the position.
Sagar: Here, Praggnanandhaa started to get a bit ambitious. Did you feel that?
Matthias: I played this move D5, which looks like a complete blunder. I was really cursing myself. I just felt I had to be in survival mode because I was unhappy with how I played. I was super happy to see Knight E5 because then it got forcing. When he played C6, I was already feeling like I was winning. I wanted to make sure he couldn’t trap my knight. Bishop B4 is so simple to calculate, and there’s nothing to miss. Suddenly, I’m just a pawn up. I mean, I wasn’t completely sure it was easily winning; I just thought it was very nice to play and extremely tough to defend. But yeah, apparently, it’s just always winning. He defended well, but I’m very happy with the result.
Matthias: Beating Praggnanandhaa is incredible because he’s such a strong player. I mean, I would say he’s one of the top three or five players this year. Winning against him was a huge confidence boost. It wasn’t just a lucky win; I had a solid game.
Round 6: vs. Abhimanyu Mishra
Sagar: In the next game, you faced Abhimanyu Mishra. It was a Grünfeld. Until what point was it all preparation for you?
Matthias: I didn’t fully expect him to play the Grünfeld. I knew the line, but it’s a sideline. He knew everything. The most embarrassing thing is that I vaguely recalled Bishop B5 was a top engine move, and it actually is. I didn’t want to rely on a vague recollection. Then I decided to play E5, which is natural, and I just blundered Knight C4, which was exactly the move that happened in another game I had vaguely remembered.
Round 7: vs. Arjun Erigaisi
Sagar: You were on three and a half out of five. In the sixth round, you faced another top Indian player, Arjun Erigaisi. How did you look at this one? You were black and doing quite well in the tournament.
Matthias: I understand Arjun is an incredibly strong player. I lost a painful game against him last year. He just plays every opening that exists, so I just couldn’t really understand what was going to happen. Luckily, I checked this DC4 C6 line, which is a small sideline. My main approach was to be solid because I understood that he, playing with white, would clearly want to win. I spent a lot of time on Knight takes D5, which looked a bit shaky but held up. I was relieved to see his queen move around, as my pieces were all solid. I think he had a complete blind spot with Bishop A8. It was a huge gift.
Round 8: vs. Nihal Sarin
Sagar: Now, you were in the lead with five and a half out of seven. You were next up against Nihal Sarin. How easy or difficult is it in such a position as white to say, “I didn’t get anything out of the opening, so I’m happy with the draw”?
Matthias: The most annoying thing about this game is that Nihal already played this line with C takes D4 in the same tournament, and he won a very nice game with it. I saw it the evening before and thought, “There’s just no way he’s going to repeat it.” I just briefly checked the line and then forgot to check it seriously the next day. I confused the top engine move and played Queen D3. At this point, I understood that I probably should fight harder, but I didn’t know exactly what to do. I feel it was easier to play with black. I don’t have any regrets about taking the draw.
Round 9: vs. Nodirbek Abdusattorov
Sagar: Next, you faced Nodirbek Abdusattorov. He showed his intention to win by playing this G3 system.
Matthias: I understood that it was his big chance to qualify for the Candidates in his home country. He would do everything he could to win. I was expecting a huge fight. Bishop A3 wasn’t very precise of him; if he would have played Queen F3, the game would have gotten unpleasant for me. My plan was to play Knight E7 and Bishop C6, but he blazed out D4 and I realized I was too slow. I was happy to find Bishop E6. He kept blitzing moves, and I started to take the initiative. He defended well, but my position was just solid. It was quite a fight.
Round 10: vs. Vincent Keymer
Sagar: This one was perhaps the most important game of the tournament for you. Could you tell us a bit about your relationship with Vincent Keymer? You’re from the same country, and he’s rated higher than you.
Matthias: We’ve played each other a lot and know each other very well. He’s incredibly strong. A win would be great for him, while a draw was fine for me because my tiebreak was so great. The game didn’t go well for me at all out of the opening; my position was really, really bad. If he had just played Knight G5 instead of Bishop G5, I was kind of busted. He has the bishop pair, more space, and the A-file. I was a bit relieved when he played Bishop G5 because at least I could trade queens. When the queens got traded, I felt my position was a bit more defensible. I felt I should be completely fine. But then I just completely blundered Knight E4. I just didn’t see the move at all. I was so frustrated. I was ready to give up. The three-on-two pawn endgame is almost never holdable against a strong player like Vincent. It’s a miracle that I saved it.
Sagar: I think you were also stunned to see his Rook H7 move.
Matthias: I saw it coming. After he played Knight C3, I saw, “Wait a second, if he goes Rook H7, I have this small trap.” I stood up from the board and walked around because I didn’t expect him to make such a blunder. When he did, I didn’t see any issue with Knight G3. It’s just an immediate draw. It’s very unfortunate for Vincent, who was so close to qualifying.
Round 11: vs. Alireza Firouzja
Sagar: Going into the last round, you were on the top board against Alireza Firouzja. How did you approach this game, knowing a draw might not be enough?
Matthias: I understood I had a better tiebreak than Alireza before the game, and he would be desperate to play for a win with black. A draw for me was good, but for him, everything had to go well. I wasn’t surprised to see the Dutch Defense. My approach was just to be solid. I had some small hopes that he would go crazy and blunder. He played this part pretty well. But at one point, I kind of relaxed, thinking I’d get my pawn back and his king would be weak. I started to panic after Rook F7 and Rook F5. I was very happy to find Rook B3 and Queen B4, which led to a queen trade. Even though it looked nice, the endgame was tricky. It was a stressful game, and I was so relieved when he blundered.
Matthias: I was so nervous the whole game, so I’m happy I was able to force a draw. I think Anish had already won his game by the time I finished, and Mishra had already drawn. So at that point, I knew I was at least in third place. Vincent was still fighting with black against Arjun, so I saw myself being nervous for another hour or two while his game finished. But Vincent’s game ended much quicker than I expected.
Reflecting on Play
Sagar: Vincent wasn’t able to win against Arjun, which meant you scored seven and a half points and made it to the Candidates. Overall, were you happy with your level of play?
Matthias: In general, I was quite happy with the chess I played. I think it was a very decent level. The only exception was the game against Vincent; I didn’t play well at all. It was very tough to face him in the penultimate round with so much at stake. But apart from that game, I’m quite happy with the quality I played. For my standards, it was a very decent level. I was quite lucky, and everything just came together in this tournament.
German Chess and the Future
Sagar: Everyone is talking about India becoming a chess superpower, but Germany is also doing so well, with you and Vincent at the top. Do you think chess in Germany is growing rapidly?
Matthias: At the moment, we definitely have a strong national team. I certainly overperformed a bit in this tournament. We have a very young team, and I think we have a great national team. There are also some talented players coming up, so there is something happening. Nothing compared to India, for sure; we’re not even close. But for now, we have a good team.
Sagar: How was the mood back home when you returned? Were there celebrations?
Matthias: No real celebrations. I was so exhausted from the tournament that I just wanted to rest. But there were more press requests than usual, which I’m not used to. It’s a big result, and the public interest is bigger than when I won the European championship title. I’m just extremely happy with this success.
Balancing Education and Chess
Sagar: You have balanced your education with chess very well. Is it true that you have a degree in mathematics?
Matthias: Yes, I finished my master’s thesis three years ago. I’ve been focused on chess since then. When I started playing chess, I never dreamed of becoming a professional. It was natural for me to study something. But at some point, I became a strong player, and I was also earning a bit with chess. It’s a lot of fun for me, and I’m extremely happy that I can make a profession out of my hobby. But I’m also happy to have a university degree just in case I decide not to pursue chess forever.
Upcoming Events
Sagar: For the next year or so, you’ll be completely focused on chess. What’s the next event you’ll play?
Matthias: The next big event will be the European Team Championship in October. I’ll be playing for the German national team alongside Vincent, the Svane brothers, and Dmitrij Kollars. We are even the top seed by average rating, so we are kind of the favorites. But there are a lot of strong teams, like the Netherlands with Anish.
Sagar: Anish Giri is very happy that you qualified for the Candidates. He said the field is now more exciting because people will try to take risks against you.
Matthias: I guess Anish should be happy about me qualifying because I’m one of the weaker players, so it should increase his chances to win the tournament. I’ll be an underdog, so everyone else who’s playing in the Candidates will probably be happy to have me there. But on a more serious note, this tournament showed that if everything works and I’m in good shape, I can score wins. Candidates are a long way off, and not every participant is known yet. To be honest, I’m just very, very happy about the chance.
Sagar: The World Cup will decide the rest of the participants. Will you be playing in it?
Matthias: Yes, I’ll be playing in the World Cup. There’s not a lot of pressure, of course, but I’ll try my best.
Sagar: We look forward to seeing you there. Matthias, thank you for making time for this.
Matthias: Sure. Thanks for having me.
I’m a passionate board game enthusiast and a skilled player in chess, xiangqi and Go. Words for Attacking Chess since 2023. Ping me at Lichess for a game or chat.
