GMMatthias Bluebaum

Matthias Blübaum grew up in a chess-playing family in Lemgo: his father and two sisters also competed. He learned at six and began systematic training at eight. At twelve he joined a group of four juniors supported by national coach Bernd Vökler, alongside Rasmus Svane, Dennis Wagner and Alexander Donchenko. He became an international master in 2012 and a grandmaster in 2015. That year he helped Germany win the European Youth Team Championship. Having completed school at seventeen, he studied mathematics and physics at Bielefeld University and later pursued a mathematics master's degree. He went on to represent Germany at senior European Team Championships and Olympiads. He won the European Individual Championship in 2022. In 2025 he won the continental title again. His second-place finish at the 2025 Grand Swiss, with 7½/11, qualified him for the 2026 Candidates Tournament.