“I really dislike losing”
This interview was conducted for an article published on the Deutsche Welle website
Holger Hank: On the final day in Samarkand, it was clear that a draw against Firouzja would probably be enough for a place in the Candidates. Did you sleep badly before that game – or rather afterwards?
Matthias Blübaum: (laughs) I didn’t sleep at all afterwards, because I had to head to the airport at three in the morning. The night before, it took me quite a while to fall asleep. By far, that was the game I was most nervous about. That eases once you actually get going. But in the hours beforehand, when you know it’s going to be a tough fight because the opponent is playing for a win, I was definitely nervous.
Looking at the Grand Swiss as a whole: what, from your point of view, did you do particularly well?
I think I played very well overall. Apart from the game against Vincent, I’m basically very satisfied. I hardly made any major mistakes. I was in very good form. If an opponent blunders against you, you can of course call that luck. In this tournament, even top players blundered against me – they might not do that next time.
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In the critical phases when your opponents erred, you often had a time lead.
Time trouble wasn’t an issue for me. There was no game where I only had a few seconds for the last moves. Time management is generally one of my strengths. In recent years, I’ve usually had a time advantage over my opponents. I take a fairly pragmatic approach and try to make decisions quickly.
How do you manage that? Any tips for those of us plagued by time trouble?
That’s a very good question. If there were an easy answer, fewer players would have time problems. I used to have the problem too. When I first played Magnus Carlsen, I played unbelievably slowly. At the end, I had only 30 seconds to his hour. I did hold the game – but only because he didn’t take me entirely seriously (laughs). I think it has a lot to do with self-confidence. When you’re winning games, you trust yourself to make moves without calculating everything in minute detail. It may also be because I play a lot of blitz and rapid online and am therefore used to making quick decisions.
Do defeats really bother you?
Yes, they do. I really dislike losing. In the game against Vincent at the Grand Swiss, I’d already run through the loss in my head. I was frustrated.
The decisive phase of the decisive game: Matthias Blübaum has just played …Nxg3, turning a lost position into a drawn one | Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE
Are you the type that’s afraid of losing and therefore avoids risk?
I’m not the type to take a great deal of risk. I usually try to play objectively correct chess. On the scale from “timid” to “all-out fighter”, I’d place myself somewhere in the middle.
Another topic is your opening repertoire. It’s often said to be too narrow. How do you see it? Do you need to change it?
It’s true that I don’t have a particularly broad opening repertoire. Most top players can play pretty much anything with White. That’s definitely not how I’m set up. I think I’ve played 1.e4 exactly once in my life. But my openings have broadened a bit. Of course, it makes no sense to completely change your repertoire in half a year. In such a short time, that would probably do more harm than good.
In the Candidates, most will likely try to beat you. Could it be that in that situation a comparatively narrow but solid repertoire sees you through?
Yes, that’s what helped me at the Grand Swiss. Opponents tried hard against me and I didn’t lose a single game. In the second half of the Candidates, there will surely be some players desperate for points who’ll try to beat me (laughs). Then they’ll take risks and that can backfire. But, of course, I’ll definitely bring some new ideas to the Candidates.
You’re regarded as a major expert on the French Defence – how surprised were you when that opening played a central role in the last World Championship match?
I was a bit surprised. The French is my childhood opening. But times have changed. Every opening is playable these days. Modern engines show that you can play many openings. It’s about surprising the opponent. So the French wasn’t a big shock to me. The surprise was more that it was played several times. But that has to do with psychology too. The opponent may think, “that won’t come again”.
So why the Petroff now?
It’s by far the most solid option against 1.e4. I’ve now got some experience with the types of positions, even against strong players. For me the point is: when I play top players who absolutely want to beat me with White, the Petroff is extremely annoying for them. The structure is very symmetrical. There’s relatively little to work with. That’s why, at the moment, the Petroff is easier for me against 2700+ players than preparing 30-move French lines that you have to memorise precisely.
In the final standings at the Grand Swiss, four Europeans were on top. Two Germans were in the top four. Is the “Indian dominance” thesis a bit premature?
India will definitely be a top nation in the coming years. Others are coming too. Uzbekistan also has many young, talented players who are all pushing upwards now. We’ll have to see how it goes in the next big events, but India has a lot of very strong players. It just didn’t work out for them in this tournament.
But it’s not as if we have no chance in Germany. Of course, talents in India have a very different level of support, and that makes it more likely that many strong players emerge. It doesn’t mean that if you grow up in Germany you can’t go just as far.
Looking ahead at the European Team Championship, Germany are now favourites -which doesn’t necessarily make it easier. Is that a burden?
I don’t think it’s a burden. We’re definitely a top team. It comes down to one or two critical matches. If a single game turns for the worse, things can end badly. But, of course, we want to play for the title. Being favourites doesn’t mean you just march through. But our goal has to be the gold medals.
You’re now qualified for the Candidates. Will you also play the World Cup this autumn?
Yes, I’ll play. I’d already signed the contract. The World Cup is always a big event that only takes place every two years. It’s always fun as well. Of course the trip to India will be quite demanding. After the World Cup, I’ll definitely play another event – and then it’ll be time to prepare for the Candidates. But none of that is arranged yet.
At the Grand Swiss in Samarkand | Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE
With the Candidates in mind, you’ll need to think about your team. At the moment you don’t have any seconds.
I haven’t had any so far. I need to ask people I think I can work well with. But I have to sort that out first. I haven’t needed it up to now. But the Candidates is very different from an open like the Grand Swiss. The seven opponents are set from the start, and you know you’ll play each of them with White and with Black. You definitely need new opening ideas for that.
Have you already caught yourself thinking: “A Gukesh–Bluebaum World Championship match – why not?”
(laughs) There can only be one goal, even if you’re an underdog: you have to try to play for first place. There’s only one aim in this tournament. It doesn’t make much sense to think concretely about a World Championship match. Winning the Candidates is also much harder than winning a World Championship match. If you’re playing, you want to win. I’m looking forward to it.
