Robert Hübner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Robert Hübner |
|
|---|---|
Hübner in 1983
|
|
| Country | Germany |
| Born | 6 November 1948 Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Allied-occupied Germany |
| Died | 5 January 2025 (aged 76) Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
| Title | Grandmaster (1971) |
| FIDE rating | 2574 (June 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2640 (July 1981) |
| Peak ranking | No. 3 (July 1981) |
Robert Hübner (born November 6, 1948, died January 5, 2025) was a famous German chess player. He earned the highest title in chess, a Grandmaster. He was also a chess writer and studied ancient writings called papyrology. In the 1970s and early 1980s, he was one of the best chess players in the world.
Contents
Robert Hübner's Chess Journey
When Robert Hübner was 18, he shared the win for the West German Chess Championship. This was a big achievement for a young player.
In 1965, he won the Niemeyer tournament. This competition was for young European players under 20. He shared the win with another player named Hans Ree.
He became an International Master (IM) in 1969. Just two years later, in 1971, he earned the top title of Grandmaster (GM). By 1980, he was ranked third in the world by FIDE, the international chess organization.
Between 1971 and 1991, Hübner played in four Candidates Tournaments. These tournaments decide who gets to challenge for the World Championship. Some of his matches ended in unusual ways.
In 1971, he was in a close match against Tigran Petrosian. He had to stop playing the match early after making a mistake in one game.
In 1980–81, he had his best run. He won his quarter-final and semi-final matches. He then reached the final against Viktor Korchnoi. Hübner stopped playing the match after 10 games, even though he was only one point behind.
In 1983, he played against Vasily Smyslov. Their match was tied after many games. To decide the winner, they had to spin a roulette wheel! Smyslov won the spin.
During his strongest years, from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s, Hübner played in many top chess tournaments. He was invited to the "Tournament of Stars" in Montreal in 1979. There, he played against other legends like Anatoly Karpov and Mikhail Tal.
He won several important tournaments, including:
- Houston in 1974
- Munich in 1979 (shared win)
- Rio de Janeiro Interzonal in 1979 (shared win)
- Chicago in 1982
- Biel in 1984 (shared win)
- Linares in 1985 (shared win)
- Tilburg in 1985 (shared win)
In 1993, he helped Nigel Short in his world championship match against Garry Kasparov. Hübner acted as a "second," which means he helped Short prepare and analyze games.
In 2000, he won a silver medal with the German team. This was at the 34th Chess Olympiad in Istanbul.
Robert Hübner continued to play chess internationally into the 2000s. However, he was not a full-time chess player. He also had a career in academics.
Robert Hübner's Playing Style
People described Robert Hübner's chess style as very effective and strong. He was known for being very precise. One chess writer, Bill Hartston, said that Hübner's desire for perfection might have stopped him from reaching the very top spot in chess.
Other Things Robert Hübner Did
Robert Hübner also made important contributions to chess books and studies. He carefully studied the games of past world champions. He also analyzed brilliant chess moves from the 1800s.
He did detailed studies of games played by champions like Bobby Fischer and Alexander Alekhine.
There is even a chess opening named after him! It's called the Hübner Variation in the Nimzo-Indian Defence. It starts with these moves: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bxc3+.
When anti-doping tests were introduced in chess, Hübner decided not to play for the German national team. He felt these tests were unnecessary and disrespected players. He believed that doping cannot truly improve a player's chess skills. He once said, "I am always happy if my opponent's abilities can fully unfold, because then I learn more." This shows he valued fair play and true skill.
Besides chess, Hübner was also very good at xiangqi. This is a type of Chinese chess. He was known as one of the best Xiangqi players outside of China.
Images for kids
-
Hübner in 1993
-
Hübner at Porz in 1966
See also
In Spanish: Robert Hübner para niños
