Matthias Blübaum has sensationally achieved the chess candidate tournament. The Lemgoer outsider has the chance to become a World Cup challenger.
For the first time in 34 years, a German has the chance to become a challenger for a chess world champion. Grand Master Matthias Blübaum from Lemgo has qualified for the candidate tournament, in which the opponent of defending champion Dommaraju Gukesh from India is determined.
At the Fide Grand Swiss in the Uzbek Samarkand, the 28-year-old secured one of the two places to be awarded for the candidate tournament as second behind the Dutchman Anish Giri.
First German since Robert Hübner
Blübaum was the first German to be the first German after Robert Hübner (Cologne), who died last January, in 1991 in the elite group that plays the challenger for the world champion.
It is not yet clear when and where the tournament will be held with eight players in the coming year.
Chess federation appreciates performance
“An incredible sensation, an incredible performance by Matthias Blübaum. An absolutely crazy performance by Matthias,” said chess national coach Jan Gustafson.
The German chess federation is very proud of the floodplace, said President Ingrid Lauterbach. “This performance is fantastic. It was at the front all the time, it is not high enough for an underdog,” she said. As the last German to date, Hübner had played in a generally recognized World Cup candidate tournament. In Sarajevo he was eliminated in the round of 16. The Russian Garri Kasparow was world champion at the time.
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