Matthias Blubaum commented on reaching 2700 points in the Live rating. Blubaum shared his emotions in an interview with Tata Steel Chess after two consecutive wins against Gukesh Dommaraju and Anish Giri in rounds 9 and 10.

Matthias Blubaum

Matthias Blubaum

German GM

“It’s incredibly nice. Like I’ve been hovering around 2660-2670 for many years. Basically since 2020, bit more up a bit more down. Of course it’s Live rating, it’s not official FIDE rating yet, but still, Live rating also counts.

It’s very nice that I finally crossed 2700. Especially with two such wins against such strong players!”

The Tata Steel Chess Masters 2026 takes place in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands from January 17 to February 1. Matthias Blubaum has participated in Tata Steel Chess Masters once in 2018, finishing seventh with a score of 6.5/13.

Credit: Lennart Ootes/Tata Steel Chess