No German has played at the Candidates since 1991. So Matthias Bluebaum gave German chess a reason to celebrate when he finished runner-up at the Grand Swiss tournament in September and became the first player after Robert Hubner to make it to the Candidates, the qualifying event to determine the challenger for the World championship.

Bluebaum, who was in the North Goan village of Arpora recently for the Chess World Cup, spoke on various topics including the rise of the sport in Germany.

On Germany’s resurgence in chess of late

With Vincent Keymer, we have a top player now. He is the World No. 4. We also have players like Frederik Svane, Donchenko and myself, and we have done well at the World Cup.

We just have a lot of strong, and still more or less young, players. I mean, I am the ol

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