Chess News: Your Daily Update - Robert Huebner turned 75

IM Malcolm Pein November 19, 2023

Robert Huebner turned 75 the week before last. The new generation of players will barely know him, yet he was four times a candidate and was ranked number three in the world in 1981 behind Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi.
At this point, as Fischer had long since retired, Huebner was the strongest player outside of the USSR.
In 1983, Huebner was eliminated from the world championship cycle when he lost a Candidates quarter final to Vassily Smyslov, which was level at 7-7 after extra time.
The match was settled at the roulette table of a local casino. Huebner decided not to dignify the occasion with his presence, but opted for black.
The ball landed on zero twice and, on the third spin, on red.
Huebner always professed greater interest in his academic work than chess. He is a papyrologist and a polyglot who speaks many languages, some of which are extinct.
As a player, Huebner valued deep analysis and was highly self-critical. In the pre-computer era, it was always a treat to find his work published in Informator.

R Huebner – V Korchnoi
11th Interpolis, Tilburg 1987
Ruy Lopez Open

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Nbd2 Nc5 10.c3 Be7 11.Bc2 Bg4 12.Re1 Qd7 13.Nf1 Rd8 14.Ne3 Bh5 15.Nf5 (15.b4 Ne6 16.Nf5 0–0 17.a4 Bg6 18.g4 gives White the advantage as 18...d4 is strongly met by 19.Be4!)
15...0–0 16.Nxe7+ Nxe7 (16...Qxe7 17.Bg5 Qxg5 18.Bxh7+! Kh8 19.Nxg5 Bxd1 20.Raxd1 g6 21.e6!)
17.b4 Na4? (17...Ne4 was payable as 18.Bxe4 dxe4 19.Qxd7 Rxd7 20.Rxe4?? Rd1+ wins after 21.Re1 Bxf3 or 21.Ne1 Bg6 22.Re2 Bd3 23.Re3 Nf5)

White to play and win:

Huebner’s only win of the match.

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