Robert Hübner

Robert Hübner (6 November 1948 to 5 January 2025) was a German chess grandmaster, chess writer and papyrologist, born and died in Cologne. He was among the leading players in the world in the 1970s and early 1980s, earning the International Master title in 1969 and the Grandmaster title in 1971 and reaching third place on the FIDE world ranking list in 1980. Between 1971 and 1991 he played in four Candidates Tournaments, reaching the final in 1980 to 81 before forfeiting to Viktor Korchnoi, and losing a 1983 quarter final to Vasily Smyslov when a spin of a roulette wheel settled a tie. His tournament wins included Houston 1974 and Chicago 1982, with shared first places at Munich 1979, Biel 1984, Linares 1985 and Tilburg 1985. He won team silver at the 2000 Chess Olympiad in Istanbul, was never a full-time professional because of his academic career, wrote on chess history and analysis, and had a Nimzo-Indian Defence variation named after him.