International Master
Which title was conferred to Robert Hübner in 1969?
Robert Hübner Robert Hübner ( born November 6 , 1948 ) is a German chess grandmaster , chess writer , and papyrologist . He was one of the worlds leading players in the 1970s and early 1980s . Chess career . At eighteen , he was joint winner of the West German Chess Championship . His International Master ( IM ) title was awarded in 1969 and his Grandmaster ( GM ) title in 1971 . He reached third place in the FIDE world ranking list in 1980 . Between 1971 and 1991 ( loss to Jan Timman ) , Hübner played in four Candidates Tournaments for the World Championship . Three ended in controversial circumstances : - In 1971 , he forfeited a closely contested quarter final to Tigran Petrosian , after blundering a piece in the 7th game in a drawn position . - In 1980–81 , his best result , after winning the quarter and semi final ( against the Hungarian players Adorjan and Portisch ) , he reached the final before losing to Viktor Korchnoi . Hübner forfeited the match after 10 games when he was down 1 point . - In 1983 , he lost a quarter final to Vassily Smyslov in unique circumstances : with the match tied after the original 10 games plus 4 further games , the tie was resolved ( in Smyslovs favour ) by a spin of a roulette wheel . At his strongest in the mid-seventies to mid-eighties , Hübner participated in many of the elite tournaments of the day , and was invited at Montreal 1979 ( The Tournament of Stars ) , playing alongside Anatoly Karpov , Mikhail Tal , and Jan Timman . His most notable tournament victories were at Houston 1974 , Munich 1979 ( shared with Ulf Andersson and Boris Spassky ) , Rio de Janeiro Interzonal 1979 ( shared with Lajos Portisch and Tigran Petrosian ) , Chicago 1982 , Biel 1984 ( equal with Vlastimil Hort ) , Linares 1985 ( shared with Ljubomir Ljubojević ) , and Tilburg 1985 ( shared with Anthony Miles and Viktor Korchnoi ) . He served as a second to Nigel Short in the 1993 world championship match against Garry Kasparov . In 2000 he won , with the German team , a silver medal in the 34th Chess Olympiad in Istanbul . He remained active on the international circuit into the 2000s but has never been a full-time chess professional due to his academic career . Playing style . Over the chessboard , Hübners technique has been described as efficient and ruthless . According to Bill Hartston—His perfectionist and rather pessimistic approach , however , prevented him from reaching the very top . Other contributions . Hübners contributions to chess literature include the study of world champions and extensive analysis of 19th-century chess brilliancies . His recent contributions are detailed analysis and study of the chess games of world champions – notably Bobby Fischer and Alexander Alekhine . He is the eponym of the Hübner Variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defence : 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bxc3+ . When anti-doping tests were introduced into international chess , Hübner declared his withdrawal from the German national team . He views 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 . I am always happy if my opponents abilities can fully unfold , because then I learn more . Additionally , Hübner is known as one of the worlds best xiangqi players not from China . Notable games . - Robert James Fischer vs . Robert Hübner , Palma de Mallorca iz 1970 , Caro–Kann Defense : Breyer Variation ( B10 ) , ½–½ A dramatic game with central pawn attacks against the GM Robert James Fischer . - Robert Hübner vs . Raymond Keene , Vienna ( Austria ) 1972 , Modern Defense : King Pawn Fianchetto ( B06 ) , 1–0 After a long series of manoeuvres the White pressure on the Black king position peaks in a winning combination .