Jan Gustafsson

Germany’s head coach

“Obviously, Matthias has less experience at this level than the others. He hasn’t had much practice against players of this level. But that could also be an advantage, because they don’t know his style as well either.

Another thing is his narrow opening repertoire. And he’s a rather greedy player. That can be both a weakness and a strength. If you put a pawn in front of Matthias Bluebaum — he’ll take it. Sometimes that can be dangerous…

Now about his chances. We’re certainly keeping our fingers crossed for Matthias, but we have to be realistic. He has the lowest rating in the tournament. It would be a real sensation if he won the event.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for him and I’m generally optimistic. I don’t think he has a huge chance of winning the tournament, but he could perform very well. Because I know how mentally stable he is, how well he calculates variations, and how seriously he prepares.

But still, he’s last in the ratings. If we’re talking about his chances of winning, I’d say about 3%.”