German GM Matthias Bluebaum commented on the draw in the first round of the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026. Bluebaum notes his failure to complete The Great Bluebaum Sweep, and mentions the probability of getting 14 draws out of 14 matches.

Matthias Bluebaum

Matthias Bluebaum

German GM

“I’m not keeping track of everything, all this internet chatter. But it seems like I’ve already ruined the Great Bluebaum Sweep…

So now the only sweep I can do is 14/14 draws instead of 14/14 wins. But we’ll see!”

The Great Bluebaum Sweep — is a joke about Matthias Bluebaum scoring 14 out of 14 points in the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026. It became popular on Reddit and X after Matthias finished second at the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 and qualified for the Candidates.

Credit: Michal Walusza / FIDE