The Indecipherable Hieroglyphic of Being

German chess Grandmaster Dr. Robert Hübner, a classical philologist and a papyrologist specialised in the decipherment of ancient papyruses, passed away after a grave illness on January 5, 2025, in Kalk, Cologne, at the age of 76. Hübner was more times a Candidate for the World Chess Championship, always without success due to his nervous sensitivity. He reputedly spoke more than twenty languages.

Robert James Fischer – Robert Hübner
Interzonal Chess Tournament; Palma de Mallorca, November 9, 1970
Caro-Kann Defence B10

The annotations — in rigorous symbolic form — are by Hübner himself, as it was in Šahovski Informator (Chess Informant), No. 10/191.

1. e4 c6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 g6 4. Ngf3 Bg7 5. g3 e5 6. Bg2 Ne7 7. 0-0 0-0 8. Re1 d4 (8. ... Nd7 9. c3 Δ d3-d4)
9. a4 c5? (9. ... a5 10. Nc4 b5! 11. Na3 Ba6=)
10. Nc4 Nbc6 11. c3± Be6 (11. ... f6 12. cxd4 cxd4 13. Bd2 Δ b2-b4-b5±; 11. ... Bd7 12. cxd4 cxd4 13. Qb3 Qb8 14. Bd2 Rc8 15. Rec1±)
12. cxd4 Bxc4!? 13. dxc4 exd4 14. e5?! Qd7 [14. ... Nb4 15. Ng5 d3 (15. ... Nec6 16. e6 f6 17. e7 Nxe7 18. Ne6+−) 16. Ra3+−]

15. h4?! (15. Bf4!? h6 16. h4 Qf5 17. Nh2!±)
15. ... d3! 16. Bd2 Rad8 17. Bc3 Nb4

18. Nd4?! (18. Bxb4!? cxb4 19. Qb3 Nc6 20. Rad1 Qe7 21. Rxd3 Na5 22. Qc2 b3 23. Qc3 Rxd3 24. Qxd3 Qb4 25. Nd2 Qxa4 26. Bd5±)
18. ... Rfe8 (18. ... Qc8? 19. Bxb4 cxb4 20. Qxd3 Qc5 21. Nb3 Qxe5 22. Rxe5 Rxd3 23. Nc5 Bxe5 24. Nxd3 Bg7 25. Bxb7±)
19. e6 (19. Qd2 cxd4 20. Bxb4 Nc6 21. Bxc6 Qxc6 22. Qxd3 Bxe5=)
19. ... fxe6 20. Nxe6 Bxc3 21. bxc3 Nc2 22. Nxd8 (22. Nxc5? Qc8 23. Nxb7 Rd7−+)
22. ... Rxd8 23. Qd2 Nxa1 24. Rxa1 Kg7 25. Re1 Ng8 26. Bd5 Qxa4 27. Qxd3 Re8! (27. ... Qd7? 28. Qe3 b6 29. h5!+−)
28. Rxe8 Qxe8 29. Bxb7 Nf6?! (29. ... Qe7!=)
30. Qd6 Qd7 31. Qa6

31. ... Qf7! (31. ... Ne8? 32. Bc6+−; 31. ... Qe7? 32. Qxa7 Ng4 33. Kg2 Qf7 34. f3 Ne3+ 35. Kf2 Nxc4 36. Qa6+−)
32. Qxa7?! (32. Kg2 Ne8 33. Bd5⩲)
32. ... Ne4 33. f3 Nd6 34. Qxc5 Nxb7 35. Qd4+ (35. Qe5+=)
35. ... Kg8 36. Kf2 Qe7 37. Qd5+ Kf8 38. h5 gxh5 39. Qxh5 Nc5 40. Qd5 Kg7 41. Qd4+ Kf7 42. Qd5+ Kg7 43. Qd4+ Kf7 44. Qd5+ ½–½.

Hübner in his prime. Photo: Boris Georgievich Dolmatovsky.

Папірологія (Papyrology)

Robert Hübner – Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk
4th Snowdrops vs. Oldhands; Mariánské Lázně, December 5, 2011
Sicilian Defence B33

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Nd5 Nxd5 8. exd5 Nb8 9. c4 Be7 10. Be2 0-0 11. 0-0 a6 12. Nc3 Bf5 13. f4 exf4 14. Bxf4 Bg6 15. Bd3 Bxd3 16. Qxd3 Nd7 17. Rae1 Bf6 18. Ne4 Be5. 18. ... Bxb2 19. Bxd6 clearly favours White.

19. Ng5 g6 20. Qh3 h5 21. Ne4. The threat is 22. Bxe5 Nxe5 (22. ... dxe5?? loses to 23. Qxd7!) 23. Nf6+ Kg7 24. Qg3 with a vehement attack. 21. ... f5. Black’s only good move. 22. Bg5!? The German papyrologist is still in the mood to fight for a win. 22. ... Qc7. If 22. ... Qb6+ 23. Kh1 Qxb2 then 24. Nxd6! Bxd6 25. Re6 Be5! 26. Rxg6+ Rg7 27. Bh6 Rf7 28. Bxg7 Rxg7 29. Qxf5 Rxg6 30. Qf7+ Kh8 31. Qxg6 Qe2! 32. Qh6+ Kg8 33. Qg6+ drawing by perpetual check. 23. Nd2 Nf6. Now 23. ... Qb6+ 24. Kh1 Qxb2 is indeed the critical line, when White must prove compensation for the Pawn. After the text move White succeeds in fighting for laborious equality. 24. Bxf6 Rxf6 25. b3 b5 26. Qe3 Re8 27. Kh1 Rff8 28. Qd3 Qc5 29. Re2 Qd4 30. Qxd4 Bxd4 31. Rfe1 Rxe2 32. Rxe2 Kf7 33. Nf3 Bf6 34. cxb5 axb5 35. h4 Ra8 36. Kh2 b4 37. Re6 Rxa2 38. Rxd6 Rb2 39. Rd7+ Ke8 40. Rd6 Kf7 41. Rd7+ Ke8 42. Rd6 Kf7 ½ : ½.

Hübner vs. Muzychuk. Photo: Martin Chrz.