A draw against Croatia’s number one Ivan Sarić was enough for the 24-year-old Lemgoer to secure the European Championship victory in the title fights in the Slovenian spa town of Catez. Blübaum had led the field of 317 participants since the fifth round. Second was the Armenian Gabriel Sargissjan, Sarić took third place.
Bluebaum’s 8.5 points from 11 rounds are almost on par with Norwegian world champion Magnus Carlsen. The 30 strongest Europeans usually skip the European Championships because they have priority for the much higher-paying World Cup. The German top player Vincent Keymer qualified as a runner-up at the 2021 European Championship and was missing in Catez.
Source: dpa