Jean Hébert

Jean Hébert (born Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, November 11, 1957) is a Canadian International Master of chess, an International Grandmaster of Correspondence Chess, and a chess writer, journalist, and commentator. He won the 1978 Canadian Chess Championship, and tied for this title in 2007 as well, but lost in playoffs. He represented Canada at the 1979 Interzonal tournament, as well as seven times in chess Olympiads.

Early years

Jean Hébert made his first mark in chess when as a 15-year-old First Category player, he won the 1973 Carnaval Open at Quebec City, ahead of several experienced Masters. He represented Canada at the 1974 World Under 17 Championship, won the Junior Canadian Chess Championship at Saint John 1975-76, and represented Canada at the World Junior Chess Championship, Groningen 1976-77, making an even score of 6.5/13 ("CFC Bulletin", March-April 1977; web/ncf.ca/bw998/canchess.html#HEBERT).

Canadian champion

Hébert played in his first Zonal Canadian Chess Championship at Calgary 1975, placing 11th with 5.5/15; the winner was Peter Biyiasas. He improved dramatically in the next three years, and in his next attempt won the 1978 Zonal at Toronto with 11/15, just ahead of Biyiasas. For this victory, he received the International Master title, and qualified for the Interzonal tournament the next year. The Interzonal at Rio de Janeiro was his first top-class international event, and Hébert struggled with 4.5/17, for a shared 17-18th place, with the title won by Robert Hübner, Lajos Portisch, and Tigran Petrosian. In his Canadian Zonal title defence at Montreal 1981, Hébert played well with 10.5/15, but could only tie for 2nd-3rd, behind winner Igor V. Ivanov, a Soviet defector (http://www.chessmetrics.com, the Jean Hébert player file).

At the Olympiads

Hébert has represented Canada a total of seven times at chess Olympiads from 1978-2002. His first two appearances, in 1978 and 1980, saw Canada score its highest team placings ever, with 11th and 9th place finishes, respectively. In 72 games, he has scored (+25 =25 -22), for 52.1 per cent. Here are his detailed Olympiad results. [http://www.olimpbase.org/players/gqcyiw0c.html.]

* Buenos Aires 1978, board 1, 4/11 (+2 =4 -5);
* La Valletta 1980, board 1, 7/12 (+4 =6 -2);
* Lucerne 1982, board 3, 8.5/12 (+7 =3 -2), board bronze medal;
* Thessaloniki 1984, board 2, 6.5/12 (+5 =3 -4);
* Novi Sad 1990, board 2, 2.5/7 (+2 =1 -4);
* Yerevan 1996, board 3, 7/12 (+4 =6 -2);
* Bled 2002, 2nd reserve, 2/6 (+1 =2 -3).

Correspondence chess Grandmaster

Hébert has also excelled at correspondence chess. He placed 2nd in the 1976 Canadian Correspondence Championship, and was a member of the bronze-medal winning Canadian team in the 11th ICCF Olympiad. Hebert was awarded the title of International Grandmaster of Correspondence Chess by ICCF in 1984 (web/ncf.ca/bw998/canchess.html#HEBERT).

Quebec successes

Hébert has enjoyed considerable success in Quebec provincial championships, at both the Open and Closed levels, as well as in other home-based events. He won the 1980 Montreal Invitational with 6/8, and drew an exhibition match 2-2 with Kevin Spraggett that same year. Hébert faced Spraggett again in a playoff match in 1982, after the two had tied for 2nd-3rd places in the 1981 Zonal. This time Spraggett prevailed by 3.5-0.5. Hébert shared 2nd-3rd places in the Quebec Closed at Montreal 1983 with 6/9, behind Spraggett. He shared 1st-2nd places in the 1985 Quebec Closed on 8.5/11 with George Levtchouk. Hébert placed tied 3rd-4th in the 1985 Canadian Chess Championship with 6.5/9, as Ivanov and Sylvain Barbeau shared the top spots. He finished 2nd in the Quebec Closed 1988 with 8.5/11 behind Ivanov. Hébert won the 1990 Quebec Closed with 7.5/9. [http://www.chessmetrics.com, the Jean Hebert results file.]

He shared first in the 2002 Canadian Open Chess Championship at Montreal, with 8/10. Hebert has won the Quebec Open Chess Championship five times (1989, 1990, 1994, 2002, 2005), and this ties the record for the most titles in that event. [David Cohen's Canadian Chess site.]

Legacy and writings

Hébert is the first Canadian Francophone chess player to establish a solid international reputation, by playing in the 1979 Interzonal, and with his seven chess Olympiad appearances, earning a bronze medal in 1982. He was the first Francophone Canadian Chess Championship winner since 1884, and only the second ever. He is also the first Canadian Francophone to earn the correspondence Grandmaster title, and is one of the few players to achieve high success at both over-the-board and correspondence chess. His writings have included these works (source: web/ncf.ca/bw998/canchess.html#HEBERT):

* "Karpov -- Korchnoi 1978" (in French);
* "Border Wars III";
* "Leçons d'échecs du Tounoi International de Montréal 2001" (Chess'n Math Association in French);
* "Le Livre du Tournoi International de Montréal 2002" (Chess'n Math Association in French);
* "Modern Benoni" CD ChessBase.

Hébert has been a respected commentator at major chess matches and events, such as the 1989 Quebec City Candidates' encounter between Kevin Spraggett and Artur Yusupov. He served as Editor for the magazine "Echecs+", published by the Quebec Chess Federation. He was the chess columist for La Presse (Canada), has written articles for New In Chess, and published the magazine "Au Nom du Roi". He currently serves as a columnist and games analyst with "Chess Canada" magazine, writing as lucidly and incisively in English as he does in his native French. Hébert was inducted into the Canadian Chess Hall of Fame in 2001.

After reaching the Canadian title at age 20 in 1978, Hébert, in spite of his own significant improvement after that time, was surpassed in Canadian chess by 1980 Soviet defector Igor V. Ivanov, and also by Kevin Spraggett, over whom he had at first had the edge. Hébert has scaled back his top-class play in recent years, but still competes in a few events each year, and showed, at the age of nearly 50, that he remains a competitive force with his first-place tie in the 2007 Canadian Championship.

References

External links

*chessgames player|id=22480
* [http://web.ncf.ca/bw998/canchess.html#HEBERT Canadian Chess Hall of Fame Inductee 2001]
* [http://www.fide.com/ratings/card.phtml?event=2600048 FIDE card]