# Robert Hübner

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Robert_H%C3%BCbner
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Robert_H%C3%BCbner.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_H%C3%BCbner
> Source revision: 1345809825
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

This article is about the German chess grandmaster. For American scientist, see [Robert Huebner](/source/Robert_Huebner).

**Robert Hübner** (6 November 1948 – 5 January 2025) was a German [chess grandmaster](/source/Chess_grandmaster), chess writer, and [papyrologist](/source/Papyrologist).[1] He was one of the world's leading players in the 1970s and early 1980s.

## Chess career

At eighteen, Hübner was joint winner of the West [German Chess Championship](/source/German_Chess_Championship).

In 1965 he won, together with [Hans Ree](/source/Hans_Ree), the [Niemeyer tournament for European players under 20](/source/European_Junior_Chess_Championship).

His [International Master](/source/International_Master) (IM) title was awarded in 1969 and his Grandmaster (GM) title in 1971.[2] He reached third place in the [FIDE](/source/FIDE) world ranking list in 1980.

Between 1971 and 1991 (loss to [Jan Timman](/source/Jan_Timman)), Hübner played in four [Candidates Tournaments](/source/Candidates_Tournament) for the [World Championship](/source/World_Chess_Championship). Three ended in controversial circumstances:

- In [1971](/source/World_Chess_Championship_1972), he forfeited a closely contested quarter final to [Tigran Petrosian](/source/Tigran_Petrosian), after blundering a piece in the 7th game in a drawn position.[3]
- In [1980–81](/source/World_Chess_Championship_1981), his best result, after winning the quarter and semi final (against the Hungarian players [Adorjan](/source/Andras_Adorjan) and [Portisch](/source/Lajos_Portisch)), he reached the final before losing to [Viktor Korchnoi](/source/Viktor_Korchnoi). Hübner forfeited the match after 10 games when he was down 1 point.[4]
- In [1983](/source/World_Chess_Championship_1984), he lost a quarter final to [Vasily Smyslov](/source/Vasily_Smyslov) in unique circumstances: with the match tied after the original 10 games plus 4 further games, the tie was resolved (in Smyslov's favour) by a spin of a roulette wheel.[5]

At his [strongest](/source/Glossary_of_chess#Strength) in the mid-seventies to mid-eighties, Hübner participated in many of the elite tournaments of the day, and was invited at [Montreal](/source/Montreal) 1979 (The Tournament of Stars), playing alongside [Anatoly Karpov](/source/Anatoly_Karpov), [Mikhail Tal](/source/Mikhail_Tal), and [Jan Timman](/source/Jan_Timman). His most notable tournament victories were at [Houston](/source/Houston) 1974, [Munich](/source/Munich) 1979 (shared with [Ulf Andersson](/source/Ulf_Andersson) and [Boris Spassky](/source/Boris_Spassky)), [Rio de Janeiro](/source/Rio_de_Janeiro) [Interzonal](/source/Interzonal) 1979 (shared with [Lajos Portisch](/source/Lajos_Portisch) and [Tigran Petrosian](/source/Tigran_Petrosian)),[6] [Chicago](/source/Chicago) 1982, [Biel](/source/Biel_chess_tournament) 1984 (equal with [Vlastimil Hort](/source/Vlastimil_Hort)), [Linares](/source/Linares_chess_tournament) 1985 (shared with [Ljubomir Ljubojević](/source/Ljubomir_Ljubojevi%C4%87)), and [Tilburg](/source/Tilburg_chess_tournament) 1985 (shared with [Anthony Miles](/source/Tony_Miles) and [Viktor Korchnoi](/source/Viktor_Korchnoi)).

He served as a [second](/source/Glossary_of_chess#Second) to [Nigel Short](/source/Nigel_Short) in the [1993 world championship match against Garry Kasparov](/source/World_Chess_Championship_1993).

In 2000 he won, with the German team, a silver medal in the [34th Chess Olympiad](/source/34th_Chess_Olympiad) in [Istanbul](/source/Istanbul).

He remained active on the international circuit into the 2000s but was never a full-time chess professional due to his academic career.

## Playing style

Over the chessboard, Hübner's technique has been described as efficient and ruthless. According to [Bill Hartston](/source/William_Hartston)—"His perfectionist and rather pessimistic approach, however, prevented him from reaching the very top."[7]

## Other contributions

His contributions to chess literature include the study of the playing careers of world champions and the extensive analysis of 19th-century chess brilliancies. According to renown chess historian [Edward Winter](/source/Edward_Winter_(chess_historian)), Hübner's great strength as a player and analyst should not cause his legacy as a chess historian and critic to be overlooked.[8]

The variation 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bxc3+ in the [Nimzo-Indian Defence](/source/Nimzo-Indian_Defence) is named after Hübner.[9]

When [anti-doping](/source/Anti-doping) tests were introduced into international chess, Hübner declared his withdrawal from the German national team. He viewed these tests as bureaucratic-power displays that degrade the individual. In his opinion, doping in chess cannot improve the true abilities of a player, only their application to the game. "I am always happy if my opponent's abilities can fully unfold, because then I learn more," he has said.[10]

In addition to chess, Hübner was known as one of the world's best [xiangqi](/source/Xiangqi) players not from China.[11]

## Personal life

Hübner was born in [Cologne](/source/Cologne) on 6 November 1948, and died in a hospital in Cologne on 5 January 2025, at the age of 76. Two years prior to his death, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer and underwent a difficult operation.[12]

He spoke a dozen languages.[13]

## Notable games

- [Robert James Fischer vs. Robert Hübner, Palma de Mallorca iz 1970, Caro-Kann defense: King’s Indian attack, ½–½](http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044306) A dramatic game with central pawn attacks against GM [Robert James Fischer](/source/Robert_James_Fischer).
- [Robert Hübner vs. Raymond Keene, Vienna (Austria) 1972, Modern Defense: King Pawn Fianchetto (B06), 1–0](http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1071332) After a long series of manoeuvres the White pressure on the Black king position peaks in a winning combination.

## Notes

1. ["Robert Huebner turns 75"](https://www.fide.com/news/2725). FIDE. Retrieved 14 April 2024.

1. Gaige, Jeremy (1987). *Chess Personalia, A Biobibliography*. McFarland. p. 181. ISBN 0-7864-2353-6.

1. ["Petrosian - Huebner Candidates Quarterfinal (1971)"](https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?tid=84954)

1. ["Korchnoi - Huebner Candidates Final 1980/81"](https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?tid=83607)

1. [CHESS; SHOULD CHANCE DECIDE THE OUTCOME OF A MATCH?](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/08/arts/chess-should-chance-decide-the-outcome-of-a-match.html), [Robert Byrne](/source/Robert_Byrne_(chess_player)), [New York Times](/source/New_York_Times), 9 May 1983

1. [Hooper, David](/source/David_Vincent_Hooper) and [Whyld, Kenneth](/source/Kenneth_Whyld) (1984). *The Oxford Companion To Chess*. Oxford University. pp. 147, 148. ISBN 0-19-217540-8.

1. [Hartston, William](/source/William_Hartston) (1996). *The Guinness Book of Chess Grandmasters*. Guinness Publishing Ltd. p. 200. ISBN 0-85112-554-9.

1. Winter, Edward (5 January 2025). ["Note 12088. Robert Hübner (1948-2025)"](https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/index.html#12082._When_did_Steinitz). *Chess Notes*. Retrieved 1 August 2025.

1. Hansen, Carsten (2002). *The Nimzo-Indian: 4 e3*. Gambit Publications Ltd. ISBN 1-901983-58-7.

1. Hübner, Robert (10 December 2008). ["Robert Hübner: 'Von der Willkür der Dopingkontrollen'"](https://de.chessbase.com/post/robert-hbner-von-der-willkr-der-dopingkontrollen-) [Robert Hübner: 'On the arbitrariness of doping controls'] (in German). *ChessBase Schach Nachrichten*. Retrieved 1 August 2025.

1. Chinese Chess for Beginners by Sam Sloan (1989) ISBN 0-923891-11-0

1. Schulz, André (5 January 2025). ["Robert Hübner has passed away"](https://en.chessbase.com/post/robert-huebner-has-passed-away). *[ChessBase](/source/ChessBase)*. [Archived](https://archive.today/20250616105314/https://en.chessbase.com/post/robert-huebner-has-passed-away) 16 June 2025 at the Wayback Machine.

1. Barden, Leonard (13 January 2025). ["Chess: Robert Hübner, four-time world title candidate, dies at 76"](https://www.ft.com/content/0956ebb7-0152-42cd-b80c-bc5d7d2841ca). *[Financial Times](/source/Financial_Times)*. [Archived](https://archive.today/20250616110411/https://www.ft.com/content/0956ebb7-0152-42cd-b80c-bc5d7d2841ca) 16 June 2025 at the Wayback Machine.

## References

- Golombek, Harry (1977). *Golombek's Encyclopedia of Chess*. Crown Publishing. ISBN 0-517-53146-1.

## External links

- [Robert Hübner](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2065116/) at IMDb
- [Robert Hübner turns 75!](https://en.chessbase.com/post/happy-birthday-robert-huebner-turns-75/)

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Robert Hübner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_H%C3%BCbner) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_H%C3%BCbner?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.