The Dutch chess grandmaster Jorden van Foreest and his girlfriend, Sonja, are among the emerging chess power couples. It was a fate that their fascination with the checkerboard made them a combo of companion and mentor for each other.
Jorden’s sweetheart, Sonja, a German chess player, holds the title of Women’s International Master (WIM).
The 2016 Dutch Chess Champion met his girlfriend (a potential future wife) during one of his tournaments. Both were teenagers at that time, and now, coming to their mid-20s, they have become a formidable example of lovers in the chess realm.
Want to know more about Jorden’s girlfriend and relationship? Here in this article, we cover everything about the chess player’s dating story and his family.
Quick Facts
| Name | Jorden van Foreest |
| Nickname | Jorden |
| Date of Birth | April 30, 1999 (24 years old) |
| Place of Birth | Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Profession | Chess Player |
| Gender | Male |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Career Active | 2005- present |
| Parents | Nicky van Foreest (a professor) and Sheila Timp (a doctor) |
| Siblings | Lucas, Peiter, Tristan, Nanne, and Machteld |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn |
Jorden van Foreest’s Girlfriend Is A Chess Player: What’s Her Name?
Foreest’s girlfriend is Sonja Maria Bluhm, a German-born chess player who got the title of Women’s International Master from FIDE in 2019.
Like many chess prodigies, she sought interest in the game as a child- Sonja was six when she learned to play chess. Ever since then, it’s been an integral part of her life.
Added to her chess games, she got additional recognition for her relationship with Jorden van Foreest, a Dutch chess grandmaster.
Comparatively, Bluhm may not have had many achievements like her boyfriend, but she’s successful in her own right. Aside from playing chess, she was a presenter at Chess24 until spring 2022.
According to FIDE.com, with white pieces, she has a win-draw-loss record of 162-104-69, while with black pieces, she stands with 124-87-126.
Sonja has competed in tournaments like:
- GER-chT Lands 2007
- German Women’s Chess League (2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons)
- GRENKE Chess Open 2019
- Josef Kupper Mem 2019
- 32nd Staufer-Open 2020
As of February 2024, Bluhm has a rating of 2,202; her highest-ever rating was 2,289 in February 2018.
| Relationship Status | Dating |
| Children | No |
| Girlfriend Name | Sonja Maria Bluhm |
Also Read: Who Is Chess Grandmaster Alexander Grischuk’s Wife? Relationship, Children, And Divorce
Where Is Foreest’s Girlfriend, Sonja, From? What’s Her Age?
Sonja Maria Bluhm is a German by nationality. She was born on January 10, 1998, in Hanau, Germany. As of 2023, she is 26 years old. In January 2021, Bluhm made an Instagram post of her celebrating her 23rd birthday and wrote, ‘#23’ in the caption.
Her boyfriend, Jorden, born on April 30, 1999, is one year younger than her; he will be 25 in April 2024.
As reported, she studied law at Goethe University Frankfurt.
| Date of Birth (Sonja’s) | January 10, 1998 |
| Age | 26 (as of 2024) |
| Nationality | German |
| Ethnicity | White |
Dating Story Of Jorden van Foreest And Sonja Bluhm
The 2021 Tata Steel Masters winner met his girlfriend, Sonja, at the 2014 Durban World Youth Championship in South Africa. At that time, he was only 15.
During an exclusive interview with Dorsa Derakhshani in 2016 at the Sunway Chess Festival in Spain, he gave insights on how he met his sweetheart.
Jorden recalled the 2014 World Youth Championship moment and said he saw Sonja during his first round. Throughout the tournament, he hung out with his Dutch friend who lived in Germany.
“[…]When I saw her during my first round, I was happy to find out she’s from Germany and not so far away, so then we decided to spend some time together there [..]”
In the turn of events, he got to talk with Bluhm from a mutual connection through his friend since she was also from Germany, but it didn’t bind them with romance then.
Three months later, the two met in another tournament, which marked the start of their relationship.
Moreover, in the same interview, when asked about where he sees himself in the next five years, Jorden said,
“Being a professional chess player and living with my girlfriend. We’ll see!”
The couple even celebrated the 2016 Christmas together and shared a picture.
According to an article from The Pledge Times in January 2022, Foreest lived with his girlfriend, Sonja, in an apartment in Burges, Belgium, for over a year.
Read More: Who Is Judit Polgar’s Husband, Dr. Gusztav Font? Married Life And Kids
Does Sonja Maria Bluhm Use Instagram?
She is active on Instagram under the IG handle @sonjamariabluhm with 3K followers. Conversely, her chess grandmaster boyfriend, Jorden, has over 10.2K followers on his Instagram (@jordenvforeest).
Since neither have shared pictures of each other on their social media profiles, many assumed that the two had broken up. Well, they are still together and follow each other on Instagram. They probably want to keep their relationship low-key.
Gay Rumors Of Jorden van Foreest
In May 2021, a video of Jorden surfaced on Reddit, which raised the eyebrows of many as he accidentally mentioned being gay.
In the video, during a conversation with fellow Dutch chess player Wouter “Bikfoot” Bik, while they played chess online, he said, “Okay, I am gay,” but corrected it by saying, “I’m sure gay workers are very happy here” followed by a laugh and, “I’m sorry.”
Later, Bik teased Foreest, stating that the ‘stream was interesting’ to tell the chess grandmaster’s girlfriend.
Probably, it was a slip of the tongue, and the fact that Woulter mentioned Jorden’s girlfriend makes the claim even more potent.
Also Read: Does Chess Player Anna Cramling Have A Boyfriend? Relationship & Chess Journey
How Much Is Jorden van Foreest Net Worth?
Foreest, who became the youngest Dutch grandmaster in 2016 at 16, has an estimated net worth of $200,000 as of 2024.
According to online sources, the monthly earnings of a chess grandmaster range between $2,500 and $3,500; it could go up to $4,800 if one doubles up as a coach.
Considered the No. 2 Dutch player behind Anish Giri, Jorden competed in several youth tournaments, but his victory in the 2016 Dutch Chess Championship propelled his fame.
As reported, the total prize pool of that championship was €17,400 ($19,762), with the winner (i.e. Foreest) taking home €5,500 ($6,246).
In addition, in 2021, he became the first-ever Dutch to win the Tata Steel Masters, where the total prize pool was $41,500.
He is a member of the Dutch noble family “Van Foreest” with the honorific of jonkheer (the lowest rank in nobility).
Having started playing at local chess clubs at 9, Jorden turned professional after graduating from Topsport Talent School in 2018. For him, enthusiasm and success in chess have been in his family for six generations.
His great-great-great grandfather, Arnold van Foreest, and great-great-granduncle, Dirk van Foreest, were three-time Dutch Chess Champions.
Moreover, his younger brother Lucas (b. 2001) is a chess grandmaster (in 2018) who won the 2019 Dutch Chess Champion. In addition, his younger sister Machteld (b. 2007) won several Dutch Youth Chess Championships.
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