German grandmaster Matthias Bluebaum had a tough feeling on Monday. It was the second rest day of the Tata Steel Chess tournament. Bluebaum felt he might never win a chess game again. The feeling was understandable.
He had played four draws in a row at Wijk aan Zee. Out of eight games, he had managed only one win. Everything changed on Tuesday. Bluebaum defeated world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in round nine. He later joined the Chess24 broadcast with a smile.
“But now it feels better again,” grinned Bluebaum on Tuesday as he joined the Chess24 broadcast after defeating world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in round 9 of the Tata Steel Chess tournament. Gukesh had a difficult game from the start. He got an inferior position out of the opening.
The Indian teenager never managed to recover. He resigned after 37 moves. This was Gukesh’s third loss in nine rounds. He has also drawn four games and won only two. The world champion will defend his title later this year.
Matthias Bluebaum explains key moments from the game
Matthias Bluebaum said he did not worry much during the rest day. He knew it was impossible to predict Gukesh’s preparation. “I looked at some stuff on the rest day, but I knew I would not be able to guess what he came up with in the opening with white pieces,” Bluebaum said.
Gukesh chose the Bishop Opening in the game. He tried to avoid the Petrov Defence.
Bluebaum had already used the Petrov earlier in the tournament. The German admitted he was surprised by Gukesh’s choice after the opening phase. “His main issue was that he kept playing for a win,” the German remarked.
This victory also continued Bluebaum’s strong record against Indian stars. He has now beaten three players from India’s golden generation. Earlier, he defeated Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi. Those wins came at the FIDE Grand Swiss tournament last year. That run helped him qualify for the Candidates tournament.
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