Wanted to share a few thoughts on the sad news of the passing of Robert Hubner. He was, of course, a great chess player, one of the top players in the world in the 70s and 80s, and he came very close to fighting for the world title. I had a chance to interact with him and play with him in several tournaments, but also enjoy some very nice conversations . He played for Baden Baden, just like me. He could always surprise you with the depth of his knowledge. The academic in him made a strong impression on me. I once saw a three page letter of his in a chess magazine where he discusses the meaning of the Greek word logos. Fascinating! He finished saying that though he disagreed with his debater, he was grateful to find someone he could even discuss the subject with.
Even in chess, I remember Jan Timman complaining that Robert Hubner's book review of his book was longer than the book itself.
Somehow that was so typically Robert. The perfectionism! In the pre computer era. And what do you do with someone who learns Finnish to a very high level just because he wanted to talk to a friend. He spoke Greek and Dutch as well. He would always say that he was a patzer in everything. Of course it was partly deflection and partly his perfectionism.
He was no patzer. He was someone who guarded his personal space zealously. He was a giant from a different era in chess and from a different era of chess players.
RIP Robert.
