Germany comes together to support its Champion Matthias Bluebaum

The nation of Germany comes together to support its Chess Champion

In an historic step, a huge support of €86,000 was handed to the only German contender for the World Chess Championship, GM Matthias Blübaum. Though the sum may not be huge compared to support Blübaum's competitors like GM Javokhir Sindarov from Uzbekistan or GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa from India who are backed by huge sponsors from mega-corporates to the best coaches of the world.

Historically Germany had dominated chess for a long time when GM Emanuel Lasker became the World chess champion in 1894 and held the title for a massive twenty-seven years. Since then, German chess has seen some stars but they could not shine on the biggest stages of chess world. GM Matthias Blübaum shattered many dreams to confirm his name at the FIDE Candidates 2026 and he made a second-place finish at the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss with an unbeaten 7.5/11 score.

An underdog indeed, this German sensation is definitely going to make some news at the world stage and after this monetary support his moral should be boosted to his ultimate potential.

A quick breakdown of the sources of funds-

• • €36,000 from the Federal Chancellor

• • €25,000 from the German Chess Federation

• • ~€21,000 via crowdfunding

• • + additional support from regional programs

Chessbase and Jan Henric Buettner also help Chessbase gave Blübaumof support was also important: Entrepreneur Jan Henrich Buettner made his Weissenhaus estate on the Baltic Sea available for an extended training camp – between sessions, the entire team could relax on the nearby beach. Chessbase gave Blübaum and his seconds free access to the supercomputer for preparation – and also provided assistance with other Chessbase products.

A note from the German news portal - Read the full article

"A big thank you also to the DOSB and the Federal Chancellery." This is how the amount is calculated.

DSB Sports Director Kevin Högy breaks down the amount as follows: €36,000 from the Federal Chancellery, €25,000 from the German Chess Federation, almost €21,000 via crowdfunding, €2,500 in funding from the top-level sports state of Baden-Württemberg, plus a four-figure sum from the Württemberg Chess Federation. Matthias Blübaum may be from East Westphalia, but he has close ties to Baden-Württemberg through his Bundesliga club, SF Deizisau.

“From my side, a huge thank you goes to the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and the Federal Chancellery,” said Kevin Högy. “I presented the Candidates Tournament project, outlined the corresponding financial requirements – and immediately received positive signals from all sides. The fact that the Württemberg Chess Federation is also involved is not a given. Carsten Karthaus even independently initiated the funding through the Baden-Württemberg Elite Sports Funding Program, with our assistance at the German Chess Federation (DSB). That additional funds were raised is truly remarkable. It's also fantastic that a state president is so committed to a DSB squad player.”

It is not everyday we see an entire country coming together and supporting their star, specially a country like Germany where chess was a prominent sport at one time but lost its importance compared to other sports. No matter what the result, this is already a huge win for the game of chess in Germany and will motivate many young talents to take up chess.